Grade 8 Science MCA-III Item Sampler Teacher Guide

Vocabulary flashcards based on the Minnesota Department of Education's Grade 8 Science MCA-III Item Sampler Teacher Guide.

Striations

The direct result of glaciers moving over exposed rock.

High pressure systems

Associated with cirrus clouds and fair weather.

Producers

Organisms that use the energy from sunlight to make sugars from carbon dioxide and water through a process.

Photosynthesis

Organisms that use the energy from sunlight to make sugars from carbon dioxide and water through a process.

Gravity, Inertia

The two properties that keep objects in orbit.

What is photosynthesis?

The process by which green plants and some other organisms use sunlight to synthesize foods with the help of chlorophyll.

What do plants convert during photosynthesis?

Plants convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen.

What is the role of chlorophyll in photosynthesis?

It absorbs light energy, primarily from the sun, and converts it into chemical energy.

What is cellular respiration?

The process by which cells convert glucose and oxygen into energy, carbon dioxide, and water.

Where does cellular respiration occur?

In the mitochondria of the cell.

What is a food web?

A complex network of feeding relationships among organisms in an ecosystem.

What is a food chain?

A linear sequence of organisms through which nutrients and energy pass as one organism eats another.

What is an ecosystem?

A community of living organisms and their interactions with the environment.

What is biodiversity?

Refers to the variety of life in a particular habitat or ecosystem.

What is an invasive species?

A non-native species that spreads widely in a new habitat, often harming native species and ecosystems.

What is climate change?

A long-term alteration in temperature and typical weather patterns in a place.

What are renewable resources?

Natural resources that can be replenished naturally over time, such as solar energy, wind energy, and biomass.

What is habitat destruction?

The process in which natural habitat becomes unable to support the species present, often due to human activity.

What is conservation?

The practice of protecting and preserving natural resources and the environment.

What is the carbon cycle?

Cycle through which carbon is exchanged among the atmosphere, land, and oceans, critical for regulating Earth's climate.