5TH GRADE SCIENCE TCAP STUDY GUIDE
By the end of 5th grade, I will be able to….
LIFE SCIENCE PART 1
STANDARD
NOTES AND INFORMATION
SAMPLE QUESTION
507.1.1
Identify the major
parts of plant and
animal cells, such
as the nucleus, cell
membrane, cell
wall, and
cytoplasm.
507.1.2
Compare and
contrast basic
structures and
functions of plant
and animal cells.
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STANDARD
NUCLEUS – control activities of the cell; the “brain”
CYTOPLASM – the jelly like substance that fills the cell; 2/3 water
CELL MEMBRANE – thin flexible outer covering of the cell; controls
what comes in and goes out of the cell
MITOCHONDRIA – produces energy used by the cell; the “power
house” of the cell
VACUOLE – sac like structure that holds water, nutrients, and waste
CELL WALL – tough rigid outer covering of a plant cell; protects the
cell and gives it structure
CHLOROPLAST – contains chlorophyll; makes a plant green; where
photosynthesis takes place
Only PLANT cells have a CELL WALL and CHLOROPLASTS. They
also have LARGER VACUOLES than animal cells.
NOTES AND INFORMATION
SAMPLE QUESTION
5TH GRADE SCIENCE TCAP STUDY GUIDE
507.3.1
Identify
photosynthesis as
the food
manufacturing
process in plants.
“sugar”
1.
2.
3.
How does this leaf originally gets its energy?
What is the original source of energy?
What is the “food” that is produced by the plant?
4.
5.
What are the products of the process that makes food for the plant?
What is the waste of the plant?
6.
What cell part stores the food for the plant until it needs to be used? Draw
this plant part.
7.
What is the cell part that makes the food? Draw it.
507.3.2
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Compare how
plants and animals
obtain energy.
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507.4.1
Recognize that
information is
passed from parent
to offspring during
reproduction.
507.4.2
Distinguish
between inherited
traits and those
that can be
attributed to the
environment.
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1.
Plants are PRODUCERS because they make their own food.
Animals are CONSUMERS because they obtain energy by consuming other
organisms.
Mosses and algae are plants, which mean they are producers.
Herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores are consumers.
Draw a food chain. Make sure the arrows are pointing in the correct
direction. Label how each organism gets its energy.
1.
Offspring receive genetic information from BOTH parents during the process
of reproduction.
Traits such as freckles, hair and eye color, birthmarks, height, rolling tongue
– are all INHERITED TRAITS.
Traits such as scars, broken bones, cutting or coloring your hair, pierced ears
– are all ENVIRONMENTAL TRAITS. These can also be called acquired
traits.
Draw one inherited trait being passed down.
2.
Draw an environmental or acquired trait.
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3. A dog has 6 puppies, 4 females and 2 males. Which statement best
describes the characteristics of the puppies?
A All of the puppies will look exactly like the mother.
B All of the puppies will look exactly like the father.
C The male and female puppies will look like both the mother
and
the father.
D The male puppies will look like the father, and the female
puppies will look like the
mother.
5TH GRADE SCIENCE TCAP STUDY GUIDE
STANDARD
507.2.1
Describe the
different types of
nutritional
relationships that
exist among
organisms.
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STANDARD
LIFE SCIENCE PART 2
NOTES AND INFORMATION
A FOOD CHAIN is a community of organisms where each member is eaten in
turn by another member.
SAMPLE QUESTION
A FOOD WEB is a community of organisms where there are several
interrelated food chains.
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Predators hunt and eat prey. Animals that eat plants are just consumers, not
predators because they are not hunting anything.
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In order for them to be prey, they must be hunted and eaten, therefore, producers
cannot be prey even though they can be consumed.
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The arrow in a food chain shows the direction that the energy moves to. If a mouse
eats grass then the energy moves from the grass to the mouse.
Grass>>>>mouse>>>>>>>snake. The snake ends up with most of the energy.
NOTES AND INFORMATION
SAMPLE QUESTION
5TH GRADE SCIENCE TCAP STUDY GUIDE
507.2.2
Distinguish among
symbiotic
relationships:
commensalism
mutualism
parasitism
WHO SMILES?
COMMENSALISM -  - one organism is helped; the other is not helped or
harmed
 MUTUALISM -  both organisms are helped
 PARASITISM -  The parasite lives on the host and is helped, but the host
is harmed.
Remember: In order to be a symbiotic relationship, at least one organism must
benefit.
1. Draw an example of parasitism.
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2.
Draw an example of commensalism
3.
Draw an example of mutualism.
507.2.3
Use information
about the impact of
human actions or
natural disasters
on the
environment to
support a simple
hypothesis.
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Both can cause habitat destruction, create lakes and mountains, kill
organisms that live in affected areas, change (upset) the food chains/food
webs of an ecosystem
Waste released into rivers, lakes, streams, or the ocean can cause the animal
populations to decrease.
Sometimes animal habitats are destroyed by a natural disaster or harmful
human activities.
If a volcano releases ash into the air and it blocks the sunlight, it can cause
some plants to die.
507.5.1
Identify physical
and behavioral
adaptations that
enable animals
such as
amphibians,
reptiles, birds, fish,
and mammals
survive in a
particular
environment.
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Some PHYSICAL animal adaptations include: fins, fur, feather, webbed feet,
lungs, gills, moist skin, scales, sticky tongues, claws, beaks of different shapes
and sizes, layers of fat, camouflage, being nocturnal, quills, poisonous, sharp
or dull teeth, shells, mimicry in the way the animal or plant looks
Some BEHAVIORAL animal adaptations include: playing dead, mimicry
with sound or behavior, hiding under rocks during the hottest part of a day,
hibernation, migration, burrowing in the ground or under snow.
1.
Draw an animal that lives in a desert and label each adaptation it has.
2.
Draw an animal in the Tundra and label the adaptations it has.
3.
Draw an animal that lives in a Tropical Rainforest and label each adaptation
it has.
4.
Draw an animal that lives in a freshwater biome and label each adaptation it
5TH GRADE SCIENCE TCAP STUDY GUIDE
has.
5.
STANDARD
507.5.2
Explain how fossils
provide
information about
the past.
STANDARD
Draw an animal that lives in a Savannah and label each adaptation it has.
NOTES AND INFORMATION
A FOSSIL is the preserved remains of a once-living organism.
Fossils give clues about organisms that lived long ago, showing how they
have changed over time.
 Fossils provide evidence of how Earth’s surface has changed over time.
 Fossils help us understand what environments may have been like long ago.
 We can look at a fossil and tell which type of environment it lived in. If it had
legs, then it was a land animal, or if it had fins or some other way of moving
through water it probably lived in water.
 If the animal had dull teeth, it ate plants. If it had sharp teeth then it ate meat
(other animals), if it had both, it ate both plants and animals.
 A trilobite is the ancestor of present day arthropods (arachnids, crustaceans,
and insects)
****** USE COMMON SENSE! THINK ABOUT WHAT PRESENT DAY ANIMALS USE
DIFFERENT ADAPTATION FOR. The fossil probably used that adaptation or body part
for the same thing!!
SAMPLE QUESTION
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EARTH SCIENCE : THE UNIVERSE, THE EARTH, THE ATMOSPHERE
NOTES AND INFORMATION
SAMPLE QUESTION
5TH GRADE SCIENCE TCAP STUDY GUIDE
507.6.1
Distinguish among
the planets
according to their
known
characteristics
such as
appearance,
location,
composition, and
apparent motion.
STANDARD
Draw the planets and label them with special characterisitics.
NOTES AND INFORMATION
SAMPLE QUESTION
5TH GRADE SCIENCE TCAP STUDY GUIDE
507.6.2
Select information
from a complex
data
representation to
draw conclusions
about the planets.
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READ THE CHART!!!!!
READ THE CHART!!!!!
READ THE CHART!!!!!
What is diameter of a planet?
507.6.3
Identify methods
and tools for
identifying star
patterns.
We can see different
constellations each season.
STANDARD
How to read a star map or star chart:
*Hold the star map at your waist with
the direction you are facing closest to
your body.
*Raise the star map over your head to
see what stars and constellations are
visible.
*Stars do not move; our planet does
instead.
* Constellations look differently in the
northern hemisphere than in the
southern hemisphere. Some appear
upside down or some cannot be seen at
all, while you can only see part of others.
*Constellations are star patterns.
NOTES AND INFORMATION
SAMPLE QUESTION
5TH GRADE SCIENCE TCAP STUDY GUIDE
507.7.1
Describe internal
forces such as
volcanoes,
earthquakes,
faulting, and plate
movements that
are responsible for
the earth’s major
geological features
such as mountains,
valleys, etc.
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Folded Mountains are the most common type of mountain. The Rocky
Mountains are folded.
A fault is a break or crack in the Earth’s crust and is usually near plate
boundaries because plates bumping into each other cause stress on nearby
rock.
The Earth’s plates move because of convection heat. This heat transfer heats
the rocks in the mantle causing a churning action making the plates float on
top.
The Earth’s plate shift constantly. If it causes the land to shake then it is an
Earthquake.
Magma builds up pressure underneath the Earth’s crust, when enough heat
and pressure build up, and volcano can form.
Volcanoes, earthquakes, and faults occur most often near plate boundaries.
Faults are breaks or cracks in the Earth’s crust cause by plate bumping into
each other.
Mountains can be built from two plate colliding or the land folding in other
places.
5TH GRADE SCIENCE TCAP STUDY GUIDE
STANDARD
507.8.1
Describe the
effects of oceans on
weather and
climate.
507.8.2
Explain how
mountains affect
weather and
climate.
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NOTES AND INFORMATION
Oceans release heat slowly, so in the winter, coastal areas are warmer than
areas farther inland.
Oceans take longer to heat up in the summer because of its large volume. In
coastal areas, the ocean cools off the air blowing on to shore, making the
beach cooler than cities inland.
Warm air and water rises and cool air and water sinks. This is the convection
current.
Warm air moves up mountain slopes and cools off near the top of the
mountain forming a cloud that causes rain.
Once air has cooled off at the top of a mountain, a rain shadow effect happens
and the cool, dry air sinks on the other side of the mountain.
The rain shadow effect is the result of moist air on the windward side of the
mountain rising, cooling, and causes precipitation. The air that moves over
the mountain to the leeward side is cool and dry. The closer the air moves to
the bottom of the mountain, the warmer it gets. Deserts are usually found
here.
SAMPLE QUESTION
5TH GRADE SCIENCE TCAP STUDY GUIDE
STANDARD
507.9.1
Distinguish
between physical
and chemical
properties.
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PHYSICAL SCIENCE: MATTER AND ENERGY
NOTES AND INFORMATION
A physical change takes place when a change happens and it is still the same
substance.
A chemical changes takes place when it makes a new substance.
Physical changes can be a change in mass, density, volume, shape, size, state
of matter, conducting electricity or heat, or dissolving.
Chemical changes: a change such as rusting, burning, reacting with other
substances, forming other substances, rotting, spoiling, bubbles forming
when substances are joined together, or breaking down into simpler
substances.
SAMPLE QUESTION
Draw a picture of water changing states of matter.
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 Solid
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 Liquid
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Has a stable, definite shape
Has a definite volume
Particles are packed closely together
Cannot move freely, can only vibrate
Energy and temperature are very low
Can only change their shape by force
STATES
OF
MATTER
Does not have a definite shape
Shape is determined by the container in which it is held
Volume is definite
5TH GRADE SCIENCE TCAP STUDY GUIDE
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 Gas
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STANDARD
507.9.2
Describe the
difference among
freezing, melting,
and evaporation.
Has an indefinite, unstable shape
Volume is determined by the container that is closely sealed
Particles are far apart from each other; can move around quickly
Energy & temperature are the higher than those of solids and liquids
NOTES AND INFORMATION
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STANDARD
Particles are farther apart than in solids; can slide past each other easily
Energy and temperature, in comparison to a solid, are higher
SAMPLE QUESTION
When a substance is a solid and heat is added, it melts into a liquid.
When a substance is a liquid and heat is added, it evaporates into a gas.
When a substance is a gas, and heat is removed it condenses into a liquid.
Some substances can change directly from a gas to a solid. This is known as
sublimation.
Some substances can change directly from a solid to a gas. This is known as
deposition.
NOTES AND INFORMATION
SAMPLE QUESTION
5TH GRADE SCIENCE TCAP STUDY GUIDE
507.9.3
Describe factors
that influence the
rate at which
different types of
material freeze,
melt, or evaporate.
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507.10.1
Differentiate
between potential
and kinetic energy.
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2.
507.10.2
Use data from an
investigation to
determine the
method by which
heat energy is
transferred from
one object or
material to
another.
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1.
If you increase the surface area or the amount of heat, it will decrease rate to
change states of matter. This means it changes faster.
If you increase the volume or pressure then it will decrease the change in
state of matter.
If you decrease the volume or pressure then it will increase the change in
states of matter.
If you decrease the surface area or heat then it will decrease the change in
state of matter.
Potential energy is when an object could possibly move but is not, & is at its
highest when it has the possibility of moving the farthest.
Kinetic Energy is when the object is moving and is at its highest when it is
moving the fastest.
The higher up from the Earth an object is, the more potential energy it has.
As kinetic energy increases, potential energy will decrease.
Draw a roller coaster and show where you would have the most
potential energy and where you would have the least.
On the roller coaster, label where you would have the most kinetic
energy.
Convection is heat that is transferred through liquid or air.
Convection heats the air, water, & even the rocks inside the Earth.
Conduction is heat transferring from one material touching another one such
as the bottom of a pot touching the water in it.
Radiation is heat transferring through empty space like the Sun heating
water or land.
The warmer object always moves the heat to the colder object.
Draw a pot of water being heated and label the different types of heat
transfer that are present.
5TH GRADE SCIENCE TCAP STUDY GUIDE
STANDARD
507.11.1
Explain the
relationship that
exists among mass,
force, and distance
traveled.
507.12.1
Recognize that the
earth attracts
objects without
touching them.
507.12.2
Identify the force
that causes an
object to fall to the
earth.
PHYSICAL SCIENCE: MOTION, FORCES IN NATURE
NOTES AND INFORMATION
 The more force you apply to an object, the faster it moves.
 The larger the mass is of an object, the more force it will take to stop it.
 An object with a larger mass will always take longer to stop than one with a
smaller mass, if you use the same amount of force to stop.
 Friction is an opposing force. It pushes in the opposite direction as the
moving object.
What should you look for in a graph or chart on questions such as this?
Earth pulls everything on it toward the ground because it is the largest object
that is the closest to us.
 The amount of gravity an object has depends on its mass and the distance
between it and other objects.
 Gravitational pull is the reason that planets orbit around the Sun, and the
moon as well as satellites orbit around the Earth.
 The Earth exerts the force of gravity on objects causing everything on Earth
to be pull toward the ground.
 All objects fall to the Earth at the same rate because the rate of gravity is the
same for all objects on Earth, although air resistance and mass will make
them hit the ground at different times.
Draw a baseball being thrown and label the forces and draw arrows to should all
of the forces directions acting on the ball.
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SAMPLE QUESTION
5TH GRADE SCIENCE TCAP STUDY GUIDE
STANDARD
507.12.3
Use data to
determine how
shape affects the
rate at which a
material falls to
Earth.
NOTES AND INFORMATION
 The amount of air resistance an object has depends on the shape and surface area of
the object. Air resistance is a force that pushes air against the object and works
against the force of gravity.
SAMPLE QUESTION
5TH GRADE SCIENCE TCAP STUDY GUIDE
STANDARD
507.TE.1
Select a tool,
technology, or
invention that
could be used to
answer a specific
question.
507.TE.2
Recognize the
connection
between a
scientific advance
and the
development of a
new tool or
technology.
507.Inq.1
Select an
investigation that
could be used to
answer a specific
question.
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INQUIRY and TECHNOLOGY AND ENGINEERING
NOTES AND INFORMATION
When reading a question and the possible answers, look for things that
connect or go together. Look for things that make sense together.
What tool, technology , or invention could help solve the following problems? Tell what
had to be understood in order for it to be invented.
1. Getting from one place to another faster.
2.
Electricity in homes.
3.
Satellites that give us information about other planets.
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When reading a question and the possible answers, look for things that
connect or go together. Look for things that make sense together.
The development of the thermometer made it possible to measure a person’s
body temperature.
The invention of the telescope allowed people to see things far away on Earth
and on other planets.
The invention of the stethoscope allows doctors to listen to a patient’s heart.
Understanding gravity helped scientists develop a satellite that orbits the
Earth.
Tools for a scientific method is anything that helps you observe, research,
measure, experiment, or collect data.
Use the Scientific Method to answer a question that can be tested.
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SAMPLE QUESTION