7th Grade REVIEW for QUARTER 2 ASSESSMENT
These are mostly vocabulary terms and examples.
You need to know these so you can APPLY the
concepts to questions on the assessment!
From Chapter 1:
You must be able to put the steps of the Scientific Inquiry Process in the correct order:
1) Pose a question
2) Develop a hypothesis
3) Design an experiment
4) Collect and record data
5) Analyze data
6) Draw a conclusion
7) Communicate the results
You must be able to identify the independent (manipulated) variable, dependent (responding)
variable and controlled variable(s) in a given experiment.
independent (manipulated) variable is what the scientist CHANGES
dependent (responding) variable is what the scientist MEASURES
controlled variables are all the things that are the SAME in all the groups
Understand and be able to identify examples of the following scientific skills: observe, predict,
infer, classify and evaluate.
observing/observation – use one or more of your senses to gather information;
what you can SEE in your experiment
predicting/prediction –making a statement or claim about what will happen in the future based
on past experience or evidence
inferring/inference (infer) – explain or interpret the things you observe; what CONCLUSIONS you
can make based on your observations
classifying – grouping together of items that are alike in some way
evaluating – comparing observations and data to reach a conclusion about them
From Chapter 3:
Know the correct formulas for photosynthesis and cellular respiration (in words).
Photosynthesis = LIGHT ENERGY + CARBON DIOXIDE + WATER = OXYGEN + GLUCOSE
Cellular Respiration – OXYGEN + GLUCOSE = ENERGY + CARBON DIOXIDE + WATER ; cells use
OXYGEN to release energy (formula opposite of photosynthesis) Organisms get energy by oxidizing
glucose.
Fermentation – cells DON’T use OXYGEN to release energy
Know where (which organelles) photosynthesis and cellular respiration take place.
Photosynthesis takes place in the chloroplast
Cellular Respiration takes place in the mitochondria
Know which types of organisms perform photosynthesis and cellular respiration.
Only producers or autotrophs conduct photosynthesis
All living organisms (autotrophs and heretotrophs) conduct Cellular Respiration
Know what fermentation is, the types of fermentation and what each type produces.
alcoholic fermentation – creates a small amount of energy; does not use oxygen; creates carbon
dioxide gas; yeast is a common organism to conduct this type of fermentation
lactic acid fermentation - creates a small amount of energy; does not use oxygen; creates lactic
acid in muscles frequently making them sore after the process has occurred
From Chapter 4:
Know the difference between biotic and abiotic factors.
biotic factor – LIVING ORGANISMS in an ecosystem
abiotic factors – NON-LIVING things in an ecosystem (water, temperature, air, sunlight, soil, rock,
etc)
Know how an ecosystem is organized and what each of the following terms means. (Understand
the difference between an organism (species), population, community and ecosystem.)
organism (species)- a group of organisms that can mate with each other and produce offspring
that can also mate and reproduce
population – a GROUP of individuals of the SAME SPECIES
community – DIFFERENT POPULATIONS living in same area
ecosystem – all the living and non living factors that interact in an area
Understand the energy roles of organisms (producers, consumers
(herbivores, carnivores, omnivores, scavengers) and decomposers. Know how they are arranged
in a food web/energy pyramid: producers, first level consumer, second level consumer, etc and
how some organisms can take the role in more than one level.
producer – an organism that can make its own food (autotroph)
consumer – an organism that cannot make its own food/obtains energy by feeding on other
organisms (heterotroph)
herbivore – consumers that eat only plants
carnivore - consumers that eat onlyanimals
omnivore - consumers that eat both plants and animals
scavenger – a carnivore that feeds on the bodies of dead organisms
decomposer – organisms that break down biotic wastes and dead organisms and return the raw
materials to the ecosystem
Understand how energy flows through an ecosystem. Understand that in an energy pyramid 90%
of the energy is used by the organism for body processes and is released by the organism as heat
and only 10% of the energy is passed on to the next level’s organism.
energy flow – sunlight to plants(producers) to herbivore (primary consumer) to carnivore
(secondary consumer) etc
Know basic characteristics for the main land biomes (desert, rain forest: temperate and tropical,
grassland: prairie and savanna, deciduous forest, boreal forest/taiga and tundra) and major
aquatic ecosystems (freshwater: rivers, streams, lakes and ponds, estuary and oceans (salt water).
Know the factors that affect species dispersal (continental drift, gravity, wind, water and living
organisms) and factors that limit species dispersal (physical barriers, competition and climate).
Know what ecological succession looks like. Examples of pioneer species (lichen and mosses)
occur during primary succession. Grasses tend be the first species to grow after secondary
succession.
Know the Carbon Cycle including that all organic molecules contain carbon. Carbon is important
to living things because it transports the material cells use for energy Carbon from the environment
becomes a part of living organisms through photosynthesis. Most animals get the carbon they
need by eating plants.
Global warming is occurring due to increased levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The
burning (combustion) of fossil fuels and deforestation have caused this dramatic increase.
Know the definitions of photosynthesis, combustion, cellular respiration, and decomposition and
how they work together to form the carbon cycle.
Know the Nitrogen Cycle including that 78% of the Earth’s atmosphere is nitrogen gas, but most
organisms cannot use it in this form. Nitrogen is important to living things because it builds
proteins/new cells. Nitrogen gas must be chemically transformed before it can be used by plants.
Most animals get nitrogen by eating other organisms.
Be able to explain that bacteria that live in nodules on the roots of legumes (like soybeans, clover,
alfalfa, peanuts) have the important function of nitrogen fixation. Lightening can also cause
nitrogen fixation. Know that some bacteria do the reverse of nitrogen fixation, or denitrification.
That is, they return nitrogen to its gaseous form.
Law of Conservation of Matter and Energy – all matter and energy on Earth is recycled naturally.
No matter or energy is created or destroyed.
From Chapter 12
Know that all living things need water to carry out body processes such as breaking down food,
growing, reproducing and for shelter or as a habitat. (example: The ocean habitat provides all
that organisms living there need to survive.)
Know that approximately 97% of water is saltwater found in oceans and seas and 3% is freshwater.
Most freshwater is frozen as ice at the poles. More freshwater is found in groundwater than in lakes
and rivers and the least amount is found in water vapor in the atmosphere.
Know the steps of the water cycle and how water changes at each step. (evaporation,
transpiration, condensation, precipitation) Remember how heat changes the state of water to
cause (increase or decrease) to cause the state/phase of water to change: for example
molecules of water vapor lose heat and condense to form water droplets = clouds. Know how
runoff, infiltration and groundwater impact the water cycle. Condensation = when water vapor
that rises into the atmosphere, cools and forms tiny water droplets that form clouds
Streams and small rivers that feed into a main river are called tributaries. Understand how
tributaries make up a river system and how river systems and divides impact a watershed. We live
in the Chagrin River Watershed which is part of the Lake Erie Watershed. The Mississippi River
Watershed covers nearly 1/3 of the United States.
Water in ponds and lakes are still compared to rivers and streams that are moving. A lake that
stores water for human use is a reservoir.
Eutrophication is the process by which a body of water acquires a high concentration of nutrients
which leads to growth of algae. As the algae die and decompose, they deplete the water of
available oxygen, causing the death of fish. Eutrophication is a natural, slow-aging process for a
water body, but human activity greatly speeds up the process. (example of ecological
succession)
Know the terms: Permeable – water flows easily through, ex. Rocks, gravel, pebbles and
Impermeable – water does not flow through easily, ex. Sand, silt
Know the difference between the saturated zone – area where water CAN’T be held,
(impermeable rock or clay or already full of water) and unsaturated zone (area where water can
DRAIN through the soil, gravel, etc. Know that the water table begins at the TOP of the SATURATED
zone.
Understand and be able to read a diagram showing the different layers (saturated and
unsaturated) and where groundwater in the form of water table/aquifer would be located. Be
able to identify if wells were dug – if they would be able to produce/provide water.
People can obtain groundwater by drilling a well into an aquifer. An aquifer is an underground
layer of rock or sediment that holds water.
Wetlands help control floods and act as natural filters. They provide habitats for many species.
Wetlands form in places where the water is trapped in low areas or where groundwater seeps to
the surface.
Freshwater wetlands = marshes, swamps and bog. Marshes are usually grassy areas covered by
shallow water or streams. Swamps sometimes look like flooded areas and are in warm, humid
climates. Bogs are in cooler northern areas and often form in depressions left by pieces of melting
ice sheets from thousands of years ago.
Coastal wetlands = usually contain both fresh and salt water) salt marshes and mangrove forests.
Salt marshes are found along the east and west coast of the U.S. Mangrove forests are found
along the southeastern coast of the U.S.
Know that surface currents follow earth’s major wind patterns so are driven by wind. They move in
circular patterns and so they are affected by the Coriolis Effect (the effect of the earth’s rotation
on the direction of winds and currents). The Gulf Stream is the largest and most powerful surface
current on Earth and is able to bring warm water/climate to Europe.
Know that deep ocean currents bring cold water from Poles to Equator in an Ocean Conveyor
Belt. Deep ocean currents are caused by differences in density and salinity.
Understand the difference between El Nino and La Nina. Note that El Nino occurs when surface
waters in the Pacific Ocean are warmer than normal and tend to cause warmer than normal
winters in Ohio. La Nina tends to cause colder than normal winters in the Pacific Northwest and
north central U.S.