Grade 7 Science Pictionary Dictionary

Ms. Wolfe/Mr. Skinner/Ms. Casey/Mr. HayesMs. Wolfe/Mr. Skinner/Ms. Casey/Mr. Hayes

Looking at the world like a Scientist.

An ObservationObservation is an activity conducted by a

living organism (such as a human), that involves receiving knowledge from the outside world through the 5 senses (Touch, taste, Hearing, Smell and Sight).

Example 1: Billy could see that his experiment was not producing any bubbles.

Example 2: Lisa touched the toad and could feel its bumpy skin .

Example 3: Jack could hear the ringing bell in the hallway. He knew that something was going on.

Inference: Inference: using your observations to make a

guess about an object or an outcome

THIS CAN BE A SCIENTIFIC OPINION

Example 1: Jill saw that her favorite shirt now had little nibbles in the fabric. She inferred that her hamster had gotten out of the cage.

Example 2: Dockeem could smell burning tomato sauce; he inferred that his brother was cooking dinner tonight.

Example 3: Sarah knew she hadn’t studied enough and when she didn’t know the answers she inferred that she would get a bad grade.

The Scientific Method – Steps used to answer your questions.

Experiment: Experiment: In science it is the act of

conducting a controlled test or investigation. Experiments are also used to test hypotheses.

Example 1: We are experimenting with the new drug in order to fight this disease"

Example 2: Billy wanted to create an experimentexperiment to see if his hypothesis, that placing mentos candy into a bottle of coke would cause an explosion, was correct.

Example 3: Stephen’s experimentexperiment proved that when you combine red and blue spray-paint it creates the color purple.

Variable: Variable: a part of an experiment that can

change.

Example 1: Cindy found that if she turned the volume up, it created a louder sound. The variables were the volume and the sound.

Example 2: Jackie found that her weekly pay was directly related to how many hotdogs she sold. The variablesvariables were the amount of hotdogs she sold and her pay because they both changed.

Example 3: Deshawn found that the more he studied, the better he did on his test. The Variables were the amount of study time and his grades.

Testing your observations.

Independent Variable – Independent Variable – Something YOU

change in the experiment.

Example 1: The coyote thought that if he oiled the trap, it would close better. (Adding oil is the independent variable)

Example 2: Mr. Skinner decided to see if opening more windows in the classroom would keep more people awake. (Independent Variable = opening the window.)

Example 3: Richard threw a ball of paper across the room and received a detention. (Independent Variable = throwing the paper.)

Dependant Variable – Dependant Variable – Something that

happens because of your change.

Example 1: Kayla exposed the plants in group B to twice as much sunlight because she believed they would grow twice as tall. (Dependant Variable = Height of plants after the experiment)

Example 2: Mr. Skinner decided to see if opening more windows in the classroom would keep more people awake. (Dependant Variable = The amount of people staying awake)

Example 3: Richard threw a ball of paper across the room and received a detention. (Dependent Variable = the detention.)

Testing your observations.

Control (or control group) –Control (or control group) –a part of an

experiment that is kept the same.

Example 1: Kayla exposed the plants in group B to twice as much sunlight because she believed they would grow twice as tall. Nothing was changed for group A because it was the control groupcontrol group.

Example 2: Mr. Skinner decided to see if sugar helped kids complete more work. He divided the class in half, and gave chocolate bars to the kids on the left side of the room. The kids on the right side were given nothing so that they could serve as the controlcontrol within the experiment.

Theory – Theory – A hypothesis that has withstood

(been proven correct repeatedly) extensive testing by a variety of methods. A theory is NEVER a fact, but instead is an attempt to explain one or more facts.

Example 1: The theorytheory of evolution, which suggests that the genetic material (blue prints) of a species changes from one generation to the next; has been proven repeatedly by laboratory experiments as well as by fossil evidence collected by scientists.

Example 2: Most scientists believe that the moon was created when our planet collided with another planet billions of years ago. There is now enough evidence gathered from both the Earth and the moon to make this a theory theory instead of just a proven hypothesis.

The Scientific Method

STEP 1: THE QUESTIONSTEP 1: THE QUESTION

The scientist identifies the question or subject that he/she wishes to study

Example 1: Imani wondered whether sharks stayed together in schools like other fish.

Example 2: Lisa thought that she might have more energy if she ate better foods.

Example 3: Simon noticed that students who always behaved received less of the teachers time than students who consistently acted out.

STEP 2: OBSERVATIONS AND RESEARCHSTEP 2: OBSERVATIONS AND RESEARCH

The scientist researches the subject that he/she is studying.

OR

The scientist makes detailed observations of what he/she is studying.

Example 1: Imani went to her school Library to research sharks using an encyclopedia.

Example 2: Imani then watched a documentary on YouTube about sharks.

Example 3: Finally, Imani went to the aquarium to observe how sharks interact with each other.

The Scientific Method

STEP 3: CREATE A HYPOTHESISSTEP 3: CREATE A HYPOTHESISA hypothesis is the scientist’s educated guess about what will happen in the experiment. It usually has the words “If... Then” or “Believe and because”.

Example 1: John hypothesizedhypothesized that IF he ate too much, THEN he would get sick because he observed his brother getting sick after he ate too much last thanksgiving.

Example 2: Lisa stated her hypothesishypothesis, “IFIF I run 2 miles every day, THENTHEN I will lose weight BECAUSEBECAUSE research says running can help burn additional calories.”

Example 3: Mikey thought, “IF I sleep 10 hours a night THEN I will get better grades BECAUSE I will not be tired.”

STEP 4: DESIGN AN EXPERIMENTSTEP 4: DESIGN AN EXPERIMENTScientists develop a way to test their hypothesis and record their data.

Example 1: Billy decided that he would create an experimentexperiment to prove that eating extra calories made you gain weight. To do this he created two groups. Group 1 would eat 500 additional calories each day. Group 2 would be the control during the two weeks of the experimentexperiment and eat what they normally would.

Example 2: Shaniqua decided that in order for her to test her hypothesis about the amount of sleep a person has each night, and its effect on grades, she would need to create an experimentexperiment that recorded how much her classmates slept..

STEP 5: ANALYZE THE DATASTEP 5: ANALYZE THE DATA

Scientists study and then compile data into charts and graphs. This helps make sense of the information taken from the experiment.

Example 1: When he analyzed the dataanalyzed the data, Billy found that those in Group 1 had on average gained more weight than those in Group 2. He decided to graph his results.

Example 2: Desiree analyzed the data analyzed the data she had collected and found that the amount of sleep didn’t seem to have a major effect on student grades. She still graphed her results to prove that her hypothesis was not correct.

The Scientific Method

STEP 6: DRAW CONCLUSIONSSTEP 6: DRAW CONCLUSIONSScientist decides whether the original hypothesis was correct.

If the answer is “YES” then you are done

If the answer is “NO” then a new hypothesis is made and you repeat the experiment

Example 1: Billy concludedconcluded that his experiment was a success because he had proven that his hypothesis was correct. Students who consume 500 additional calories each day will gain weight.

Example 2: Shaniqua concludedconcluded that her hypothesis was incorrect and decided that she would have to create a new hypothesis to explain failing grades in her class.

Measurement: Measurement: Numbers plus units, such as

5 cm. A Measurement must always have both a number and a unit.

Example 1: My hand is 20 cm long.

Example 2: Brandon realized that he weighed 125 lbs, which was equal to 57 kg.

Example 3: While driving in Canada Lisa realized that she was speeding. Although she was only driving 60 mph, this meant she was driving 97 km/h, 7 kilometers over the speed limit.

Science Process Skills

Procedures: Procedures: A particular method for performing a

task; A series of small tasks or step taken to accomplish an end.

Example 1: Here's an example using an ice cube experiment.

1. Put two identical bowls on the counter.

2. Take two ice cubes out of the freezer and place one in each bowl.

3. Break one of the ice cubes into smaller pieces that are no larger than 1/4 the size of the whole ice cube.

4. Time how long it takes for all the ice to melt.

Example 2: Procedures for placing a specimen on the stage of a microscope.

1. Lift Stage clips and place the slide on the stage.

2. Move the scanning (objective) lens into place. 3. Turn on the light and open the diaphragm.

UNITNUMBERUNITNUMBER

UNITNUMBER

UNITNUMBER

Biology: Biology: The science of life and of living things. It

originates from the Greek word bios "life" and the Greek word logia "study of."

Example 1: Aristotle was a great BiologistBiologist and he passed his interest in BiologyBiology onto his most famous student, Alexander the Great, who collected animals and plants from all over the world.

Example 2: There is a biologybiology lab for analyzing the animal specimens.

Example 3: Students who study Biology in college often have the opportunity to work in the field studying living things all over the world.

Classifying Living Things

Classification: Classification: the act of distributing things into

classes or categories of the same type

Example 1: Gillian classifiedclassified the animals into those who eat meat (Carnivora) and those who eat plants (Herbivora).

Example 2:Brittney classifiedclassified her music into stuff she used to listen to and stuff she currently listens to.

Example 3: Ashley classifiedclassified her food into things that go into the fridge, things that go into the cupboard and things that go into the deep freeze.

Environment: Environment: Everything that surrounds what

you are studying.

Example 1: As the environmentenvironment surrounding the swamp became more polluted, the amphibians began to die off.

Example 2: It was very hard for Lisa to finish the class work with so much noise in her immediate environmentenvironment.

Example 3: An environmentenvironment can be made up of Living (Biotic) and non-living (abiotic) things. For example, the environment that surrounds a frog might contain water (abiotic) and trees (biotic).

Classifying Living Things

Dichotomous Key: Dichotomous Key: A dichotomous key is a

method for determining the identity of something (like the name of a butterfly, a plant, a lichen, or a rock) by going through a series of choices that leads the user to the correct name of the item. Dichotomous means "divided in two parts".

Example 1: Mr. Hanselman showed us how to sort minerals by using a Dichotomous keyDichotomous key.

Example 2: In Mr. Skinner’s class we used a Dichotomous key Dichotomous key to classify jelly beans and find out what flavors we were about to eat.

.

Taxonomy: Taxonomy: A science and method of classifying

organisms based on physical and other similarities. Taxonomists classify all organisms into a hierarchy, and give them standardized Latin or Latinized names..

Example 1: In Science we used taxonomyaxonomy to discuss how humans were similar to killer whales and why both species were part of class Mammalia.

Example 2: We also used to taxonomytaxonomy to discover why Reptiles and Amphibians have unique classes.

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Asymmetry: Asymmetry: The organism has no symmetry.

Parts may spread in multiple directions and vary in size. These are the simplest organism.

Example 1: The cactus seemed to stretch in many different directions, it was definitely asymmetrical.asymmetrical.

Example 2: The single celled amoeba was clearly asymmetrical. To Billy, its shape reminded him of when he had splattered paint on the floor.

Example 3: Lisa realized that most plants grew in an asymmetrical fashion but most flowers were symmetrical.

Classifying Living Things

Radial Symmetry: Radial Symmetry: Body parts are arranged

around a central point. A line may be drawn from one side to the other and divide the organism equally.

Example 1: Jackie noticed that the organism appeared to stretch its arms out like the spokes of a bicycle. Thus, it was demonstrating radial symmetryradial symmetry.

Example 2: Aney realized he could cut the starfish vertically or horizontally and he would still get two identical halves. This was an example of radial radial symmetry.symmetry.

Classifying Living Things

Bilateral Symmetry: Bilateral Symmetry: Bilateral Symmetry

An organism is divided into two mirror images. These

are the more complex Organisms

Example 1: Robert realized that the best example of Bilateral symmetryBilateral symmetry was himself. Humans can are symmetrical when cut vertically but not horizontally.

Example 2: Juan remembered hearing that, although humans are considered bilaterally symmetricalbilaterally symmetrical, there are very small differences between the right side of our bodies and the left.

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Vertebrate: Vertebrate: animals having a bony or cartilaginous

skeleton with a segmented spinal column (separated vertebrae) and a large brain enclosed within a skull.

Example 1: Our spines allow us to stand, walk and rotate our torso’s. It is because we have spines that humans are considered vertebratesvertebrates.

Example 2:All mammals are vertebratesvertebrates, but not all vertebratesvertebrates are mammals. Reptiles, birds, fish and amphibians are also examples of vertebratesvertebrates.

Example 3: Many vertebratesvertebrates are also endothermic, which means they make their own heat (warm blooded).

Classifying Living Things

Invertebrate: Invertebrate: An invertebrate is an animal without

a vertebral column (spine). The group includes 95% of all animal species and represents both animals with no skeleton (Jellyfish) and animals with exoskeletons (insects).

Example 1: Insects are considered invertebrates because their skeleton is on the outside of their bodies. Jellyfish are considered invertebrates because they have no skeleton at all.

Example 2: All living things on earth were originally invertebrates and they existed for billions of years before the first vertebrates arrived 560 million years ago.

Amphibians:Amphibians:

Example 1: AmphibiansAmphibians are known for their ability to breath both in the water and on land. They use gills while in the water and lungs for when they are out.

Example 2:Unlike the snake, Jack realized the amphibianamphibian had moist skin.

Example 3: Lisa knew it was an amphibian amphibian because it laid soft jelly-like eggs in the water.

Classifying Living Things

Reptiles:Reptiles:

Example 1: Reptiles lay hard eggs that help protect the fetus from both drying out and physical danger.

Example 2: Reptiles are covered in scales which serve as interlocking armor plates that protects the reptile from harm and keep the water out,

Example 3: Since Birds, Reptiles and Dinosaurs all laid hard shelled eggs; scientists believe they have a common ancestor.

Fish:Fish:

Example 1: FishFish are a very diverse group with some species able to survive in salt water, others in fresh streams and some in the deep darkness found 15,000 feet below sea level.

Example 2: FishFish possess gills which allow them to filter out the oxygen from the water. Like us, without oxygen fish would not be able to survive,

Birds:Birds:

Example 1: There is a theorytheory that birdsbirds are descended from dinosaurs because some Dinosaur fossils have been found with feathers. Dinosaurs also laid hard eggs like birds do today.

Example 2:BirdsBirds have hollow bones that help them obtain flight by reducing the birds weight.

Classifying Living Things

• Birds are warm blooded animals.• Birds have wings, and most have the ability to fly.• Birds lay eggs that eventually hatch.• Some birds will migrate south in the fall and migrate north in the spring.• There are different groups of birds: Arctic Tropical Land Water

• Fish are cold blooded animals.• Fish use their gills in order to breath.• Fish are covered in scales rather than skin.• Fish move around using their fins.• All fish must live in water, but not all things that

live in the water are fish.• There are fresh water fish, marine fish, aquarium

fish, and tropical fish.

Insects:Insects:

Example 1Example 1: Ladybugs are helpful insects that assist us by eating insect herbivores that would graze on our food crops.

Example 2:Example 2: Leaf cutter ants are harmful to us due to Leaf cutter ants are harmful to us due to their ability to consume massive amounts of foliage. A their ability to consume massive amounts of foliage. A Leaf cutter colony can strip an orange tree in 24 hours.Leaf cutter colony can strip an orange tree in 24 hours.

Example 3Example 3: Insects account for 95% of Animal life on : Insects account for 95% of Animal life on this planet.this planet.

Classifying Living Things

• Insects are cold-blooded creatures.• Insects have three main body parts: head, thorax, and the abdomen.• Their exterior is their skeleton; it is called an exoskeleton.• Insects have antennas or feelers to help with finding food.• Insects are the largest group in the animal kingdom.• Insects can be both harmful and helpful for humans.

Mammals:Mammals:

Example 1: Mammals are phenomenally diverse with Mammals are phenomenally diverse with some species living in the sky, deep in the ocean and some species living in the sky, deep in the ocean and on land.on land.

Example 2: Mammals are endothermic which means Mammals are endothermic which means they convert food into heat. This allows Mammals to they convert food into heat. This allows Mammals to inhabit both the warmest as well as the coldest regions inhabit both the warmest as well as the coldest regions on the planet.on the planet.

• Mammals are the most intelligent animals on Earth!• Mammals are warm-blooded.• Mammals have hair or fur to keep themselves warm.• Some mammals include wild cats, dolphins, rodents, apes, and HUMANS!• Most baby mammals will drink from their mother.•Mammals can either be carnivores, herbivores, and/or omnivores.