Elementary Education Science Review Flashcards

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering Earth Science, Life Science, Physical Science, and General Science for Elementary Education Praxis exams.

Lithosphere/Geosphere

The Earth system comprising the solid Earth, including rocks and minerals.

Hydrosphere

The Earth system comprising all water, including saltwater in oceans and freshwater in rivers, lakes, glaciers, and underground reservoirs.

Atmosphere

The Earth system comprising the layers of gases surrounding the planet, mostly made of nitrogen and oxygen.

Biosphere

The Earth system comprising all living organisms.

Rocks

Collections of minerals.

Minerals

Inorganic, naturally occurring, crystalline compounds.

Concrete

A material made of cement (powder), water, and aggregates such as rocks and gravel.

Crust

The solid outermost layer of the lithosphere.

Mantle

The liquid layer of the Earth located between the crust and the outer core.

Outer core

The liquid layer located between the mantle and inner core.

Inner core

The solid innermost layer of the Earth's structure.

Exosphere

The outermost layer of the atmosphere that serves as a barrier between the atmosphere and the vacuum of space.

Thermosphere

The atmospheric layer where satellites orbit; part of the upper atmosphere disturbed by charged particles from the Sun to create the aurora borealis.

Mesosphere

The coldest layer of the atmosphere containing almost no breathable air.

Stratosphere

The atmospheric layer that absorbs UV rays and is the region where airplanes fly.

Troposphere

The lowest layer of the atmosphere that contains most of our air and all weather phenomena such as clouds and storms.

Air pressure

The amount of collisions that particles in the air make with their surroundings, increased by more particles or higher temperature.

Salinity

The amount of dissolved salt in water. Water moves from high salinity to low salinity areas.

Stratus

A type of flat cloud found at altitudes below $2,000\,m$.

Cirrus

A type of wispy cloud found at altitudes above $6,000\,m$.

Cumulus

A type of puffy cloud found at altitudes between $200\,m$ and $2,000\,m$.

Hydrologic Cycle

The stages of water movement, including evaporation, condensation, transpiration, precipitation, runoff, and glacier melt.

Currents

Steady, predictable movement of water or air within a larger body of water or air.

Storms

Intense weather events involving strong precipitation, generally forming inside cumulonimbus clouds developed by updrafts.

Weather

The small-scale, minute-to-minute condition of the atmosphere including temperature, humidity, and wind.

Climate

The weather patterns of a specific area over a long period of time.

Igneous Rock

Rocks such as granite and basalt formed from the cooling of magma.

Sedimentary Rock

Rocks such as sandstone and limestone formed from the lithification of sediment and organic matter via pressure.

Metamorphic Rock

Rocks such as marble, schist, and gneiss formed from other rocks under intense pressure.

Mechanical Weathering

The process where rocks crumble due to physical factors like water, wind, temperature, or roots.

Chemical Weathering

The process where rocks break down due to changes in chemical structure, such as $CO_2$ dissolving into acid.

Tectonic Plates

Chunks of the Earth's crust that float on the liquid mantle; can be continental (less dense) or oceanic (denser).

Divergent Boundary

A tectonic plate boundary where plates move apart, such as seafloor spreading where magma fills the gap between two oceanic plates.

Convergent Boundary

A tectonic plate boundary where plates move together; includes subduction where a dense oceanic plate slides under a continental plate.

Transform Boundary

A tectonic plate boundary where plates move parallel to each other.

Faults

Cracks in large sections of rock that indicate the movement of tectonic plates.

Ring of Fire

A stretch of the Earth's surface with high volcanic activity tracing the West coast of the Americas and the East coast of Asia and Australia.

Radiometric dating

A method to estimate the age of the lithosphere by using radioactive decay totals.

Relative dating

A method to estimate the age of a rock by comparing it to the rock layers above or below it.

Paleontology

The study of ancient life through fossils.

Galaxy

A group of stars, planets, gas, and dust held together by gravity; Earth is located in the Milky Way.

Kepler's First Law of Planetary Motion

The law stating that orbits are elliptical rather than perfectly circular.

Inner Planets

Also known as terrestrial planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars); characterized as small, solid, rocky, with no rings and shorter orbits.

Outer Planets

Also known as gas giants (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune); characterized as large, mostly gaseous ($H$ and $He$), with rings and larger orbits.

Solar eclipse

An event where the Moon blocks the Sun from the Earth's view, casting a shadow (umbra or penumbra).

Lunar eclipse

An event where the Earth blocks the Sun from the Moon's view, casting a shadow on the Moon.

Seasons

Climate cycles caused by the tilt of the Earth's axis as it orbits the Sun.

Nucleus (Cell)

The center of a cell that stores DNA and uses DNA/RNA to give orders to the rest of the cell.

Mitochondria

The organelle that creates energy from carbohydrates and fats through cellular respiration.

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER)

A network of membranes used to create, modify, and transport materials; includes Smooth ER and Rough ER (containing ribosomes).

Ribosomes

Organelles that create amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins.

Cell membrane

A layer surrounding the cell that uses selective permeability to allow specific molecules in while excluding others.

Cell wall

A structure made of cellulose and lignin found only in plant cells that provides protection but limits movement.

Chloroplasts

Organelles found only in plant cells that allow for photosynthesis.

Photosynthesis

The process by which plant cells use water, $CO_2$, and energy (ATP) to create energy and oxygen.

Cerebrum

The biggest part of the brain consisting of two hemispheres; responsible for thinking.

Cerebellum

The part at the back of the brain responsible for coordination, balance, and movement.

Brain stem

The part of the brain that connects to the spinal cord and controls automatic functions like heartbeat.

Pituitary gland

A very small part of the brain that produces and releases hormones related to growth and sex.

Hypothalamus

The center of the brain responsible for maintaining homeostasis.

DNA

The double helix molecule that stores genetic information and instructions for cells; consists of four bases: $A$ & $T$, $G$ & $C$.

Chromosome

A bundle of DNA; humans typically have $23$ pairs.

Gene

A specific section of DNA that determines a trait.

Allele

A specific version of a gene, such as those determining attached or detached earlobes.

Punnett square

A diagram used to predict the possible outcomes of genetic inheritance between parents.

Mitosis

The process by which somatic (non-sex) cells reproduce by duplicating and separating all $46$ chromosomes.

Meiosis

The process by which gametes (sperm and egg cells) reproduce, resulting in four non-identical cells with $23$ chromosomes each.

Metamorphosis

A series of significant physical changes an animal undergoes between life stages, such as a caterpillar becoming a butterfly.

Natural selection

The process of 'survival of the fittest' where helpful traits become more common in a species over time.

Phototropism

A type of sensitivity where plants move in response to sunlight.

Homeostasis

The process of maintaining equilibrium or balance inside an organism, such as temperature or hydration.

Warm-blooded

Animals able to maintain internal homeostasis and keep themselves at a constant temperature.

Cold-blooded

Animals that cannot maintain internal homeostasis and rely on the environment for temperature regulation.

Taxonomy

The science of classifying living things into levels: Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, and Species.

Species

A group of organisms whose members can breed to create fertile offspring.

Symbiotic Mutualism

A relationship between two different species where both benefit.

Symbiotic Parasitism

A relationship where one species benefits and the other species is harmed.

Ecosystem

An intertwined system of living organisms and their environment.

Biome

A large area with specific vegetation, soil, climate, and wildlife; types include aquatic, grassland, forest, desert, and tundra.

Tundra

A biome characterized by near-freezing temperatures, permafrost, and only $6-10\,in$ of annual precipitation.

Savanna

Tropical grasslands close to the equator characterized by mostly grass, scattered trees, and a warm, dry climate.

Producer

An organism that makes its own food, usually through photosynthesis.

Consumer

An organism that gets food by eating other organisms; can be primary (herbivores) or secondary (carnivores).

Decomposer

An organism that breaks down and consumes the remains or waste products of other organisms.

Keystone species

A species that plays such a critical role that the entire ecosystem would collapse if it were removed.

States of Matter

The three primary phases: solid (constant volume/shape), liquid (constant volume/variable shape), and gas (variable volume/shape).

Atom

The smallest unit of an element, consisting of a nucleus (protons and neutrons) and orbiting electrons.

Ion

A variation of an element with a different number of electrons; can be a negative anion or a positive cation.

Isotope

A variation of an element with a different number of neutrons, such as Carbon-$12$.

Atomic number

The number of protons in the nucleus of an atom; used to organize the periodic table.

Atomic mass

The average weight of an element measured in Atomic Mass Units ($u$), where Protons and Neutrons are approx $1\,u$.

Half life

The time it takes for half of an element to break down through radioactive decay.

Nuclear fusion

The process of combining two atomic nuclei to generate energy, occurring naturally in stars.

Nuclear fission

The process of splitting an atomic nucleus to release energy, generally using Uranium-$235$.

Solution

A mixture where a solute dissolves into a solvent and requires great effort to separate.

Force

A push or pull on an object measured in Newtons ($N$); calculated as $F = m \times a$.

Newton's First Law

The law of inertia: an object in motion remains in motion and an object at rest remains at rest unless acted upon by a force.

Gravity

A force that attracts any two bodies with mass; on Earth, calculated using the constant $9.81\,m/s^2$.

Mass

A measurement of how much matter is in an object; it does not change based on gravity.

Weight

A force calculated by multiplying mass by the local gravity.