Download Knowledge Map

Knowledge Map for 6th Grade Science
Earth Science
1.
The layers of the Earth, from the ground down are: the crust, the mantle, the outer core and
the inner core.
2.
Convection currents transfer heat when warm, less dense objects rise and cool, denser
objects sink.
3.
The Theory of Continental Drift states that the plates were once joined together in a large
land mass and have since drifted apart.
4.
The Theory of Plate Tectonics states that the plates are in constant, slow motion driven by
the convection in the mantle.
5.
Convection in the mantle is driven by the heat of the core.
6.
Seafloor spreading occurs when new crust is created at a mid-ocean ridge and the older
crust is destroyed through subduction at a deep ocean trench.
7.
A divergent plate boundary occurs where two tectonic plates are moving away from each
other.
8.
A mid-ocean ridge occurs at a divergent boundary.
9.
A convergent plate boundary occurs where two plates are moving toward each other.
10. A deep ocean trench occurs at a convergent boundary where one plate is subducting under
another.
11. A transform (or sliding) plate boundary occurs where two plates slide past each other in
opposite directions.
12. Sliding plate boundaries cause earthquakes.
13. The surface of the Earth is covered in two kinds of crust: oceanic and continental.
14. Oceanic crust is thinner, denser, and more bendable than continental crust. It is made of
basalt.
15. Continental crust is thicker, less dense, but more brittle than oceanic crust. It is made of
granite.
16. Igneous rocks are formed from cooled magma or lava.
17. Igneous rocks that form inside the Earth’s crust are called intrusive.
18. Igneous rocks that form at or near the Earth’s surface are called extrusive.
19. Sedimentary rocks are formed when sediment is eroded, deposited, compacted and
cemented into a new rock.
20. Metamorphic rocks are formed when existing rock is changed from heat and pressure.
21. Weathering is the process that breaks down rock and other substances into smaller pieces.
22. Mechanical weathering is the type of weathering in which rock is physically broken into
smaller pieces by agents such as plants, animals, water/ice, and wind.
23. Chemical weathering is the process that breaks down rock through chemical changes.
24. Landslides, weathering and erosion are examples of small scale geological processes.
25. Plate motion, uplift, volcanoes and earthquakes are examples of large scale geological
processes.
26. The water cycle consists of the following processes: evaporation, transpiration,
condensation, precipitation.
27. Evaporation is the process that occurs when water changes from a liquid to a gas.
28. Transpiration is the passage of water vapor from a plant to the atmosphere.
29. Condensation is the cooling of water in the atmosphere changing gas to liquid.
30. Precipitation is water droplets fall from the atmosphere in the form of rain, sleet, snow, or
hail.
31. Gravity impacts the water cycle through precipitation and runoff.
32. Runoff is rainfall that is not absorbed by soil and travels to the ocean via rivers, streams, and
groundwater.
33. The sun’s energy powers the water cycle.
Knowledge Map for 6th Grade Science
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
Weather is the condition of the atmosphere at a given time and place.
Climate is the average weather patterns in a given area over a long period of time.
The atmosphere is the layer of gases that surrounds Earth.
Air pressure is the force with which air presses on an object.
An air mass is a large blob of air with the same temperature, humidity, and air pressure.
Wind is the movement of air across Earth’s surface.
Local winds are winds that blow over short distances.
Global winds are winds that blow over long distances.
Both local and global winds are caused by uneven heating of Earth’s surface.
The Earth’s atmosphere traps heat, keeping the planet warm. This is known as the
greenhouse effect.
The Coriolis Effect causes global winds to appear to turn. It is caused by the rotation of the
Earth.
Different areas on earth have different climates. Climate depends on the altitude, latitude,
proximity to large bodies of water, global winds and mountain ranges.
Life Science
46. Ecology is the study of how living things affect each other and the environment.
47. An organism is a living thing.
48. Traits of living things are: organized into cells, use energy, grow and develop,
reproduce, and respond to their environment.
49. An organism depends on its environment for resources such as: food, water, oxygen,
space, sunlight
50. Biotic factors are the living parts of an ecosystem.
51. Abiotic factors are the non-living parts of an ecosystem.
52. An ecosystems is organized into levels: organism, population, community,
ecosystem.
53. A population is all of the members of the same species that live in an area.
54. A species is a group of physically similar organisms that can reproduce fertile
offspring.
55. A community consists of all the different populations that live in the same area.
56. An ecosystem is a community of organisms and the non-living (abiotic) things in an
area.
57. A habitat is a place an organism gets what it needs to live, grow and reproduce.
58. A niche is an organism’s specific role in its habitat.
59. Certain factors limit population growth in an ecosystem. These include: access to
resources, competition, disease and predation.
60. Changes in an ecosystem will affect the populations living there.
61. Population sizes can be affected by reproduction, death, immigration and emigration.
62. Immigration is organisms moving into an area.
63. Emigration is organisms moving out of an area.
64. Competition is the struggle between organisms to survive in a habitat with limited
resources.
65. Adaptations are behaviors and physical characteristics that allow it love successfully
in their environment.
66. Natural selection is a process by which the organisms best suited to their
environment survive to reproduce.
Knowledge Map for 6th Grade Science
67.
68.
69.
70.
71.
72.
73.
74.
75.
76.
77.
78.
79.
80.
81.
82.
Symbiosis is a close relationship between two species that benefits at least one of
the species.
Commensalism is a symbiotic relationship in which one species benefits and the
other species is neither helped nor harmed.
Mutualism is a symbiotic relationship in which both species benefit.
Parasitism is a symbiotic relationship in which one species benefits and the other
species is harmed.
A producer is an organism that produces its own food using energy from the sun.
A consumer gets energy by eating other organisms.
An herbivore is a consumer that gets energy by eating plants.
A carnivore is a consumer that gets energy by eating animals.
An omnivore is a consumer that gets energy by eating both plants and animals.
A decomposer gets energy by breaking down dead organisms.
Decomposers recycle nutrients back into the ecosystem.
Biodiversity is the variety of organisms found in an ecosystem.
A food chain shows a flow of energy from producers to consumers to decomposers.
A food web is an overlapping network of food chains.
An energy pyramid is a diagram that shows how much energy moved from one
feeding level to the next in a food web.
The sun provides all of the energy in an ecosystem.
Physical Science
83. A force is a push or pull.
84. When all of the forces acting on an object cancel each other out, the force is
balanced.
85. When one or more force acting on an object is greater than the others, the forces
are unbalanced.
86. Unbalanced forces cause an object’s motion to change. Balanced forces do not
cause an object’s motion to change.
87. Motion is the process of changing position.
88. Position is an object’s distance in a certain direction from a reference point.
89. A reference point is a stationary place or object used to figure out location.
90. Speed is the distance and object travels in a given amount of time.
91. Velocity is an objects speed in a given direction.
92. Acceleration is a change in direction or velocity of an object.
93. Mass is the amount of matter in an object.
94. Friction is a force that occurs when objects rub against each other.
95. Friction can slow or stop an object.
96. Rolling friction occurs when an object rolls across a surface.
97. Sliding friction occurs when two solid surfaces slide over each other.
98. Static friction occurs between two object that are not moving.
99. Inertia is the resistance of any physical object to any change in its state of motion,
including changes to its speed and direction. It is the tendency of objects to keep
moving in a straight line at constant velocity.
Knowledge Map for 6th Grade Science
100. Newton’s 1st Law of Motion states that an object in motion will remain in motion until
it is acted upon by an unbalanced force. An object at rest will remain at rest until it
is acted upon by an unbalanced force.
101. Newton’s 2nd Law of Motion states that the acceleration of an object is determined by
its mass and the force exerted on it (F=ma).
102. Newton’s 3rd Law of Motion states that for every action there is an equal reaction in
an opposite direction.
103. Magnetic fields are areas where an object exhibits a magnetic influence.
104. Magnetic poles are the points where the magnetic field lines begin and end.
105. Forces can be attractive (pull) or repulsive (push).
106. Materials that allow electrical charges to move easily are called conductors. Materials
that do not allow electrical charges to move easily are called insulators.
107. Factors the effect the strength of electric and magnetic field are the magnitude of
the charge, the current or magnetic strength, and the distance between the objects.
108. Gravity is a force. The greater and object’s mass, the greater it’s gravitational pull.
The greater the distance between two object, the lower their gravitational pull on
each other.
Science and Engineering Practices
109. The goal of scientists is answer to questions about the natural world.
110. The goal of engineers is to apply scientific understanding to develop solutions.
111. A problem for engineers has criteria for success and constraints.
112. A constraint is a physical or knowledge based limitation that limits possible solutions
to problems.
113. The investigative question is a question that sets the purpose of an experiment and
contains the manipulative and responding variable.
114. The hypothesis is a prediction of what will happen based on prior knowledge.
115. A controlled variable is the factor kept the same from trial to trial.
116. The manipulative (independent) variable is the factor being tested and purposely
changed by the experimenter.
117. The responding (dependent) variable is the factor being measured and recorded.
118. A materials list has three criteria: bulleted, amounts given and complete.
119. The procedure has four requirements: numbered, complete/logical, says to record
measurements and says to repeat trials.
120. All tables and graphs must have: a title, proper variables, units of measurement and
be the correct type.
121. Written observations state what happened and when/where it happened
122. A model is a simplified representation of a system – used to study the system.
123. Correlation means one data set changes with another, but one does not necessarily
cause the other.
124. Causation means there is a cause and effect relationship between two events.
125. Qualitative data deals with observations and descriptions, but not measurements
126. Quantitative data deals with measurements and numbers
127. An observation is when one uses their five senses to gather information about the
world.
128. An inference is interpreting an observation using one’s prior knowledge.