General Science Curriculum Overview

The ______ is a collection of body organs that work together to serve a common purpose. Each part of the system depends on the other to perform tasks that can’t be achieved by a single part alone.

What is a tentative explanation that can be tested with a scientific investigation?

Which one of the following is a condition that is manipulated in an experiment?

The integumentary system is the largest system in the human body and protects our internal organs.

Which body part helps to regulate body temperature by controlling blood flow and the activity of sweat glands?

What are the two main parts of the skin?

What is the function of hair follicles?

What are the three types of muscles?

The function of the skeletal system includes creating body movement.

Which one of the following is NOT a function of the skeletal system?

The human skeletal system is divided into axial skeleton and appendicular skeleton. The axial skeleton consists of the bones that lie around the longitudinal axis of the human body. The appendicular skeleton consists of the bones of the upper and lower limbs plus the bones that connect the limbs to axial skeleton.

What are the functions of the digestive system?

What are the four main functions of the respiratory system?

What are the main structural components of the respiratory system?

Muscle strain is a painful condition that occurs when a muscle is stretched too much or the muscle actually tears.

What does the circulatory system do?

What are the three types of blood vessels?

The circulatory system creates blood cells.

The human circulatory system is divided into two separate pathways: pulmonary circulation and systemic circulation. Both pathways meet at the heart.

High blood pressure is a condition that can be caused by damage to the capillaries and several organs. The heart needs to pump blood with a stronger force to overcome the resistance.

The Earth is called the Blue Planet because about 71% of its surface is covered by water.

What are the three methods of heat transfer?

Convection is the transfer of heat between solid objects that have direct physical contact with each other. Heat energy can be transferred between different parts of an object, or between objects that are touching each other.

Radiation is the transfer of heat through electromagnetic waves. It does not require physical contact between substances. The sun heats the earth through radiation.

What are the main reasons why people use insulators?

What is a simple circuit?

A complete, unbroken circuit is called an open circuit, allowing electric current to flow freely, while a circuit with any breaks or openings is called a closed circuit, which prevents electric current from flowing.

What is the rate of flow of electrical charges measured in?

The rate of electrical flow is measured in amperes. An ampere is the rate of flow of 1 coulomb of charge per second.

What is the main difference between a parallel circuit and a series circuit?

When a light bulb in a parallel circuit burns out, the light bulbs on other branches will still glow. If a light bulb in a series circuit, burns out, the light bulbs on other branches will still glow.

Voltage is the strength of a power source. A power source with more voltage can produce less current. Voltage is measured in units called volts.

Resistance is the ability of a substance to oppose or slow down electric current. Increasing the resistance of a circuit generally increases the flow of electrical charges through it.

What is Ohm’s law?

Copper wires are good conductors because they have a large amount of resistance.

Magnets have two poles - a North pole and a South pole. When two magnets are brought together, like poles attract each other, and unlike poles repel each other.

The field lines around a magnet are circular and never intersect each other. The magnetic field is strongest near the magnet and gets weaker as the distance from the magnet increases.

The Earth has a magnetic field, but it originates from the poles.

Charged particles escape from the surface of the Sun and move outward in all directions. They interact with Earth’s magnetic field and create beautiful light shows like Aurora Borealis.

An electromagnet is a coil of wire wrapped around a metal core such as an iron bar. When an electric current flows through a wire, it creates a magnetic field around the wire. Increasing the current makes the magnetic field stronger.

A simple electric motor has four basic parts: a power source, a permanent magnet, a rotating loop of wire, and a motor shaft. When an electric current runs through the wire loop, it creates a magnetic field. The permanent magnet pushes and pulls on the wire loop. This causes the wire loop to spin, which then turns the motor shaft.

Electric generators convert motion into electrical energy. The opposite of a motor, it changes mechanical energy into electrical energy. We depend on electric generators to produce nearly all of our electrical energy.

Alternating current (AC) flows in one direction and then flows in the opposite direction. The electrical charges continuously flow back and forth. Direct current (DC) flows continuously in only one direction.

A compass can be used to determine direction because it lines up with Earth’s magnetic field. Compass needle always points to the north pole.

A major difference between natural forests and planted forests is the role they play in contributing to global warming. Natural forests act as carbon sinks, absorbing more carbon dioxide than they release. Planted forests, especially monocultures, can actually be net emitters of carbon dioxide if they are not managed well.

The main function of the female reproductive system is to produce sperm cells and to transfer them to the female reproductive system. The main function of the male reproductive system is to produce ova (eggs) and to provide a place where a fertilized egg may develop.

Biodiversity is the variety of life on Earth, typically measured in terms of the number of species within various groups of organisms. There are two types of biodiversity values: direct values and indirect values.

The two main types of conservation strategies for biodiversity are in-situ conservation (protecting resources in their natural habitats) and ex-situ conservation (protecting resources outside their natural habitats).

The process that involves the transformation, movement, and reuse of nutrients within an ecosystem is called a nutrient cycle.

The main reason for soil erosion is natural factors, such as floods, wind, and landslides, while man-made factors, including deforestation, overgrazing, and mining activities, have a negligible impact on soil erosion, especially in the surrounding environment.

Soil conservation strategies are important for protecting the environment and focus on managing natural resources. The main strategies for soil conservation include afforestation, plant and crop residue cover, terracing, building dams and reservoirs, shelter belting, and contour plowing.

Freshwater, which makes up only 2.5% of the Earth’s total water, represents a significant challenge for sustaining life and is becoming a scarcer resource due to various factors such as increasing population, industrialization, and climate change.

Fossil fuels, such as coal, petroleum, and natural gas, are formed from the remains of dead plants and animals. Burning these fuels releases carbon dioxide and other pollutants into the atmosphere, contributing to global warming.

Global warming is caused primarily by the buildup of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and water vapor. The primary source of these greenhouse gases is human activity, particularly the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation.

What is the difference between a meteoroid, a meteor, and a meteorite?

A comet is a ball of ice and rock that orbits the sun. They usually have a long tail that extends outward and points away from the sun.

The inner planets of the solar system are small, rocky planets with iron cores. The outer planets are much larger, gaseous planets, mostly composed of hydrogen and helium.

Early Greek scientists believed in the earth-centered (geocentric) model of the solar system. Later, Copernicus proposed the sun-centered (heliocentric) model of the solar system. Both models were based on observations and were accepted widely by scientists.

The sun is an enormous ball of gas that produces energy by fusing hydrogen into helium in its core. This process known as nuclear fusion, releases a large amount of energy.

Scientific Method

Qualitative Observation

Quantitative Observation

Scientific Question

Hypothesis

Experiment

Independent Variable

Dependent Variable

Control Variable

Control Group

Experimental Group

Scientific Law

Scientific Theory

Scientific Investigation

Ethical Rules

Matter

Atom

Nucleus

Proton

Neutron

Electron

Atomic Number

Mass Number

Isotopes

Atomic Mass

Molecule

Monatomic Molecule

Diatomic Molecule

Polyatomic Molecule

Compound

Organic Compounds

Inorganic Compounds

Oxides

Basic Oxides

Acidic Oxides

Acids

Bases

Salts

Neutralization