th
4
Grade
Science
Which word means a
conclusion based on
evidence about
events that have
already occurred?
inference
Which word means a
forecast about what
may happen in some
future situation?
Scientific prediction
Which word means a
fair test driven by a
hypothesis?
Experiment
What word means
something that is
deliberately changed
in an experiment?
Independent variable
Which word describes
variables that will
change as a result of
doing an experiment?
Dependent variable
Which word means an
educated guess about
what will happen in an
experiment?
Hypothesis
Which word means
something that is not
allowed to change in
an experiment?
Constant
This defines what is to
be investigated in an
experiment and is
often written as a
question.
Purpose
What are the step by
step directions to
follow in order to
conduct an
experiment?
Procedure
What is the list of
items used in an
experiment called?
Materials
What is the summary
that supports or
contradicts a
hypothesis?
Conclusion
What is a graph,
chart, or table used to
display results called?
Data
What is called when
you read, get advice,
or make observations
about a project?
Research
Which word means
the ability to do work?
Energy
Which word means
the result of a force
moving an object
through a distance?
Work
Which type of energy
is moving energy?
Kinetic energy
Which type of energy
is stored in an object?
Potential energy
What are three
common forms of
energy?
Electrical, mechanical,
chemical
Which word means
any combination of
two or more simple
machines?
Compound machines
Which machines are
made of many
compound machines?
Complex machines
How do machines
make work easier and
more efficient?
By changing the
direction of or
increasing the effect
of a force
Which word describes
the relationship of
energy expended to
work accomplished?
efficiency
Which word means
the resistance to
motion created by two
objects moving
against each other?
Friction
What does friction
create?
Heat
Unless acted on by a
force, objects in
motion ______ and
objects at rest
_______.
Stay in motion;
stay at rest.
What are negative
charges called?
Electrons
What does a
continuous flow of
electrons create?
Electric current
What is the path taken
by an electric current
called?
Circuit
Which circuits allow
the movement of
electrical energy?
Closed circuits
Which circuits prevent
the movement of
electrical energy?
Open circuits
What are two units of
measure used to
describe electricity?
Hertz and amps
What type of voltage
do common dry cell
batteries generally
have?
Low voltage
Which word describes
materials that
electrical energy
moves through?
Conductors
What materials do not
conduct electricity
well?
Insulators
In which circuit is
there only one
pathway for the
current?
Series circuit
In which circuit is
there two or more
pathways for the
current?
Parallel circuit
Which word means
the discharge of static
electricity in the
atmosphere?
Lightning
Which part of the
plant anchors it and
takes water and
nutrients from the
soil?
Roots
Which part of the
plant provides support
and allows movement
of water nutrients?
Stem
What are the two
general groups that
the plant kingdom can
be divided into?
Those that reproduce
with seeds and those
that reproduce with
spores
What are the
reproductive parts of
the flower?
Stamen and pistil
What are the small
leaves that form the
housing of the
developing flower?
Sepals
What is the process
by which pollen is
transferred from the
stamen to the pistil
called?
Pollination
What are two plants
that reproduce with
spores?
Ferns and mosses
What is the process in
which green plants
produce their own
food called?
Photosynthesis
What do green plants
use along with carbon
dioxide, water,
nutrients, and sunlight
to produce food?
Chlorophyll
What is the primary
food producing part of
green plants?
Leaves
What word describes
a period of suspended
life processes brought
on by changes in the
environment?
Dormancy
What are the physical
attributes that help
organisms meet a life
need called?
Structural adaptations
What are the types of
activities organisms
perform to meet a life
need called?
Behavioral
adaptations
Which word describes
all of the populations
that live together in
the same place?
Community
What is the
organization of
communities based
on in a given
ecosystem?
Utilization of energy
Which word describes
green plants which
make their own food
from sunlight, air, and
water?
Producers
What are animals
referred to as
because they eat
food?
Consumers
Where is the greatest
amount of energy in a
community found?
Producers
What are organisms
called that break
down decayed plants
and animals into
smaller pieces that
can be used again by
living things?
Decomposers
Which word means
the function that an
organism performs in
the food web of the
community?
Niche
Who can have a
major impact on the
ecosystem?
Humans
Which word means
the measure of the
amount of heat
energy in the
atmosphere?
Temperature
What is the amount of
moisture in the
atmosphere called?
Humidity
What is air pressure
due to?
Weight of the air
What can determine
air pressure?
Temperature of air
What is the boundary
between air masses
of different
temperature and
humidity called?
Front
Which type of clouds
are tall and vertical
and are often called
thunderheads?
Cumulonimbus
Which type of clouds
are white and fluffy
and are seen on nice
days?
Cumulus
Which type of clouds
are low hanging in
layers that look like a
gray haze in the sky?
They can become fog.
Stratus
Which clouds are dark
and normally seen
when rain or snow is
happening all day
long?
Nimbostratus
What is a scientist
that studies the
weather called?
Meteorologist
Which tool is used to
measure air
pressure?
Barometer
Which tool is used to
measure moisture in
the air?
Hygrometer
Which tool measures
wind speed?
Anemometer
Which tool measures
precipitation?
Rain gauge
Which tool measures
air temperature?
Thermometer
Which word means
the travel within an
orbit?
Revolution
How often does the
Earth make one
revolution around the
sun?
Once every 365 days
How often does the
moon revolve around
the Earth?
Once every 28 days
When does a lunar
eclipse occur?
When moon moves
into Earth’s shadow
When does a solar
eclipse occur?
When moon moves
between sun and
Earth
What causes
seasons?
Axial tilt of the Earth
during revolution
around the sun
What causes phases
of the moon to occur?
Moon’s position in
relation to Earth and
sun
What are the phases
of the moon?
New, crescent,
quarter, gibbous, full
The sun is an
averaged-sized star.
How many times
bigger is its diameter
than the Earth’s?
110
How many planets are
in our solar system?
9
What number planet
is the Earth from the
sun?
3
What makes Earth
different from other
planets?
Large amounts of
water and oxygen
Which two scientists
believed the Earth
was the center of the
solar system?
Aristotle and Ptolemy
Which two scientists
believed that the sun
is in the center of our
solar system which is
what we believe
today?
Galileo and
Copernicus
Which space craft’s
missions added a
great deal to our
understanding of the
moon?
NASA Apollo
What are some of
Virginia’s natural
resources?
Forests, arable land,
coal, sand, wildlife,
clean water and air
Which word means an
area over which
surface water and
materials it carries
flows to a single
collection place?
Watershed
Which watershed
covers about half of
Virginia’s land area?
Chesapeake Bay
watershed
What watershed is
land drained by rivers
west of Roanoke part
of?
Mississippi watershed
What are some of
Virginia’s water
resources?
Groundwater, rivers,
bays, lakes,
reservoirs, Atlantic
Ocean
What are three things
Virginia’s soil and land
support?
Space for economic
activities, great variety
of life, variety of
recreational
opportunities