| air-resistance | a frictional force that opposes the movement of an object through the air |
| amphibian | a type of animal that spends part of its life cycle in water and part on land; cold-blooded, with a backbone |
| animal | a type of living organism that moves about in search of food and is not a plant; single-celled organisms (as seen under a microscope) are not considered animals |
| battery | two or more electric cells that produce electricity; this happens when the chemicals within the battery react together; the vo l tage of a battery depends on the number of cells it contains: more cells mean greater voltage |
| biodegradable | capable of being broken down by bacteria or fungi |
| blood | the fluid that flows through the heart, veins and arte r i es of animals; it carries oxygen as well as other substances in the arteries and carries waste products in the veins |
| breathing | the process of taking in oxygen from the air and releasing carbon dioxide to the air through the lungs, gills or other structures |
| buoyancy | the upward thrust experienced by objects when they are placed in a liquid |
| carbohydrates | substances such as sugar and starches; green plants make carbohydrates through the process of photosynthesis |
| carnivore | an animal that eats meat or flesh |
| chemical change | a change in materials that pro d u c es a new substance; the change is permanent |
| chlorophyll | the green pigment in plants, necessary for photo synthesis |
| circuit | the complete path of an electric current around a series of wires and connections; if there is a break in the circuit the current will not flow |
| classification | the grouping together of plants, animals, rocks or other objects that have similar
characteristics |
| community | all the organisms that live together in a habita t |
| condensation | the change of a gas into a liquid by cooling: for example, vapour from a boiling ke ttle hitting a cold kitchen wall condenses into liquid |
| conduction | the movement of energy through a substance |
| conductor | a material that transmits heat, electrical or other kinds of energy |
| control | see experiment |
| current (electric) | a flow of charge; electrons are the charge carriers; a current in a metal consists of a flow of electrons (electricity) from the negative terminal of the battery to the positive terminal; however, we usually say that current flows from positive to negative;
measured in amperes or 'amps' (A) |
| decomposer | organisms such as bacteria and fungi; they break down the dead remains of organisms into simpler substances, which are returned to the soil |
| diaphragm | a sheet-like muscle that separates the chest cavity f rom the abdomen in mammals, important in breathing |
| digestion | the process by which large food particles are broken down and made soluble with the help of enzymes and our teeth |
| dissolving | the mixing of a substance with a solvent, for example sugar mixed with wa ter, to form a solution; children sometimes confuse the terms 'melt' and 'dissolve' |
| ear | the organ of hearing; the ex ternal part of the ear leads to a canal, at the end of which is the ear drum; the ear drum is connected to three bones, which in turn are connected to an oval window; the ear is connected to the brain by the auditory nerve |
| ecology | the study of ecosystems |
| ecosystem | a community of organisms and their relationships with each other and with their
environment |
| egg | a female reproductive cell in an organism |
| electromagnet | a magnetic material, surrounded by coiled wire, that acts as a magnet when an electric current passes through the wire |
| electron | one of the particles of which an atom is made up; electrons are negatively charged |
| energy | the ability to do wo rk; light energy, electrical energy and sound energy are all different forms |
| evaporation | the changing of a liquid into a (gas) vapour by using heat or moving air, for example boiling a solution and driving the wa ter off as steam, or a puddle being changed into vapour by the wind |
| excretion | the release of waste materials from an organism |
| experiment | a procedure causing a change in what is being tested together with an identical
untested control |
| explorations | all activities that relate to an investigation, including unstructured, unplanned preliminary activities, such as play |
| eye | the organ of sight; the visible parts include the clear outer cornea, the coloured iris and the pupil; the eye also contains a lens, and the back of the eye is cove red by the retina |
| fair test | a test in which everything about the things being tested is equal, except the item being tested |
| fertilisation | the joining together of a male and female re productive cell to form a new organism |
| filter | an object such as a sieve or a strainer that will separate an insoluble solid from a liquid when the mixture is passed through it, or a transparent material that allows some light to pass through it |
| filtration | a technique for separating a solid or solids from a liquid in a mixture by passing it through a filter, for example tea being strained through a strainer |
| floating | the tendency of an object to remain on the surface of a liquid; an object will float if its density is less than that of the liquid; the weight of a floating body is equal to the weight of fluid displaced; the force up and the force down on the body are equal |
| flower | the reproductive part of flowering plants, which contain the sex organs of the plant, i.e. the carpel (female) and the stamen (male); the carpel consists of the stigma, style and ovary; the stamen consists of the anther and the filament; petals, which are usually brightly coloured, help to att ract insects to pollinate the flower; sepals, which are usually green, lie outside the petals and pro tect the flower in the bud stage |
| food chain | the transfer of energy from one organism to another within a habitat or ecosys tem; shows the feeding relationships between organisms;
a simple food chain is grass --- rabbit --- f ox |
| food web | a linked series of food chains |
| force | anything that causes a change in the velocity of an object; force is loosely unders tood as being a push or a pull; it can make an object speed up, slow down, stop, change shape or change direction or can hold an object in place |
fossil fuel | fuel formed from the remains of living organisms millions of years ago, for example coal, oil and natural gas |
| friction | a force that opposes movement |
| fuse | a device to prevent too large an electric current passing through a circuit; consists of a piece of thin wire that melts if it becomes heated; this breaks the circuit and acts as a safety device |
| germination | the process that occurs when a seed or spore begins to grow into a mature plant; germination requires moisture, oxygen and a suitable temperature |
| gravity | a force of attraction between all bodies in the universe; the force of att raction between objects depends on their mass; the greater the mass of an object the greater the force of attraction |
| habitat | habitat the place where an organism lives; it provides a particular set of conditions for life; it may be large (a field) or small (a leaf) |
| heart | an organ that pumps blood around the body; in the adult human the heart ra te is about 70 beats per minu te, but in a baby it will be much faster; blood travels by means of a network of vessels; blood leaves the heart through arteries and returns to the heart in
veins |
| hear | transfer the way in which heat is moved: in solids by conduction, in liquids and gas es by convection, and from a hot object like the sun or a stove by radiation |
| herbivore | herbivore a type of animal that eats plants only |
| humus | a brown or black fibrous material formed from the remains of dead plants and animals; it helps soil particles to stick together and is important in soil fertility |
| hydraulics | the pressure of liquids that can make something work |
hypothesis | an idea that can be tested: a supposition put forward in explanation of observed facts; the prediction is qualified by a tentative explanation |
insulator | a material or substance that will not allow heat to pass through it or one that will not allow electricity to flow through it |
| investigations | activities where ideas, predictions or hypotheses are tested and conclusions are drawn in response to a question or problem |
| joint | a connection formed where one bone meets another; in most cas es the bones can move freely, for example hip, shoulder and elbow |
| key | a series of questions that leads to the identification of organisms or other unknown
items |
| lens | a piece of glass or transparent material that causes light to change direction as it pas s es through it; lenses can be different shapes, for example, concave and convex lenses |
| lever | a rigid bar that can be turned freely about a fixed point; leve rs are simple machines, because they make work easier |
| light | a form of energy that travels in rays; it travels at approximately 300,000 km/s; white light is a mixture of light of every wavelength, that is, of all colours |
| luminous | giving out its own light, for example the sun and other stars |
| lungs | the respiratory organs in humans and many other animals; the respiratory system includes the nasal passages and mouth, pharynx, larynx (voice box ), trachea (wind-pipe) and bronchi |
| machine | a device that ta kes in some form of energy and changes it into another form that is more suitable for the desired purpose or work, for example an electric motor lifting a weight; electrical energy changes to kinetic energy |
| magnet | a material that produces a magnetic field around itself; can be shown by sprinkling iron filings around the magnet; there are poles at the ends of magnets: these are the north-seeking and south-seeking poles; like poles repel each other, where as unlike poles attract; magnets are made in a variety of shapes and sizes; most materials are non-magnetic, but metals such as iron, nickel, cobalt or alloys of these, such as steel, are magnetic; a compass is a free - swinging magnet |
| mammal | a warm-blooded animal with a backbone (vertebrate), usually with a covering of hair or fur, that produces live young and feeds them on milk; the duck-billed platypus and the spiny ant-eater are exceptions, as they lay eggs |
| mass | the amount of matter in an object; meas u red in grams (g) |
| material | matter from which other things can be made; materials can be classified in many different ways, for example natural, such as wood, or synthetic, such as plastics, polyes ter or stainless steel; materials can be classified according to their uses or their properties, such as metals, plastics, textiles and others |
| matter | anything that ta kes up space and has mass; all substances and materials can be called matter; solid, liquid and gas are the terms used to describe the three states of matter; it is possible to convert one state into another by either heating or cooling |
| micro-organism | a living organism that can only be seen under a microscope |
| mineral | in organic chemicals needed in small amounts by plants and animals, for example calcium, iron and copper; can also refer to anything extracted by mining, for example copper and gold |
| mixture | a substance formed when two or more substances are added together, for example salt and water; the substances are not chemically combined and may be separated again |
| newton | see weight |
non-renewable
energy | sourc es that are not continuous and cannot energy sources be re n ewed naturally; examples are fossil fuels (gas, coal, oil, turf) |
| nuclear energy | energy released during the splitting (fission) or joining (fusion) of the nuclei of some atoms |
| observation | using the senses to obtain information about objects and events |
| organ | a part of the body, such as the heart or stomach, made of several different tissues, all working together to perform a specific function |
| organism | a living animal, plant, fungus or micro - organism |
| opaque | not letting light pass through: neither transparent nor translucent |
| photosynthesis | the pro c ess by which green plants manufacture their own food from carbon dioxide and wa ter, using the sun's energy, which is trapped by the green pigment (chlorophyll) in the plant |
| physical change | a change in which no new substance is formed; the change can be in shape, form or state, for example wood being cut or ice melting |
| pitch | highness or lowness of a note; sound is caused by vibrations: the pitch of a note is a measure of the frequency of vibration of the source producing the note |
| plant | an organism made up of many cells; the cells have a wall and a nucleus; they manufacture their own food by photo synthesis; plants respire, grow, reproduce and respond to stimuli just like animals but do not move from place to place |
| plastic | a synthetic material; raw material is usually derived from oil; can be moulded into shape when heated and sets hard when cooled |
| pole |
the point of a magnet where the magnetic force is strongest; every magnet has a north and a south pole |
| pollen | pollen grains, usually yellow or orange, produced by the anther; contains the male re productive cells of flowering or coniferous plants |
pollination
| transfer of pollen from the anther of a stamen to the stigma of a carpel; self-pollination is when this happens within the same plant; cross-pollination is more common and is when the pollen comes from another plant of the same species; pollination is usually effected by insects or wind |
| pooter | pooter a device used to collect insects and other small animals from the bark of trees and shrubs and from leaves; consists of a jar from which two plastic tubes emerge |
| population | the total number of organisms of a species within a particular habitat, for example the daisy population of a field |
| power | the ra te at which wo rk is done, that is, the amount of work done per second; the unit of power is the watt ( W ) |
| primary colour | the primary colours of light are red, green and blue; white light is obtained by mixing all three in equal proportions; mixing two primary colours gives one of the secondary colours, yellow, cyan or magenta; the primary colours of paint are red, yellow and blue |
| prism | a triangular block made of glass or plastic; can be used to change the direction of light or to split light into the colours of the spectrum |
| protein | one of the major types of food; used for growth and repair in the body; body-building material |
| quadrant | a small area, generally about 1 metre square, that shows all the plants growing in that area; can be made from pieces of wire, string or wood |
| relection | a ray of light that hits off something and bounces back; all objects reflect light to some ex tent, some better than others; a mirror reflects light very well; sound can also be reflected, and a common example of this is an echo |
| refraction | the change of direction of light when it passes from one medium to another, for example from air to glass, water or plastic |
| renewable energy | energy from sources such as tide, wave and biomass |
| reproduction | the formation of new individuals; sexual reproduction involves the joining (fusion) of two sex cells; only one organism is involved in asexual reproduction; taking cuttings of plants is an example of asexual reproduction |
| resistance | a meas u rement of the ability of a substance to reduce the flow of current through it; measured in ohms |
| resistor | a device that controls the current flowing in a circuit; resistors are used in radios, record players and televisions |
| respiration | the process by which living things obtain energy from food; all living things respire |
| respiratory system | in humans consists of windpipe, bronchi, lungs, diaphragm and nose |
rusting | a chemical reaction that occurs in iron or steel when both air and wa ter are present; the general term is corrosion; can be prevented by methods such as painting, oiling and greasing |
| shadow | a dark area formed when light strikes an opaque object |
| soil | a substance composed of particles of different size, formed by weathering of rock; contains water, humus, air, minerals and living organisms |
| solution | a mixture of a solute and a solvent, for example a sugar and wa ter solution, where the solute is the sugar and the solvent is the wa ter |
sound | a form of energy; all sounds come from something that is vibrating; travels through air, solids and liquids; the speed of sound in air is about 344 m/s |
species | a set of organisms that share many chara c teristics in common; they can breed with each other to produce fertile offspring; example of species are humans , dogs, cats, butte rcups and daffodils |
spectrum (visible) | the range of colours produced when light is passed through a prism; colours can be seen when white light is split by droplets of wa ter; forms only a small part of the whole electromagnetic spectrum; this spectrum includes radio waves, microwaves, X- rays and gamma rays, among others |
| spore | a microscopic re productive cell; produced by fungi, mosses, ferns and in general plants that do not have seeds |
| static electricity | an electric charge that builds up on the surface of a material; this build-up can happen by rubbing one material against another; electrons are rubbed off one of the materials, which then becomes positively charged, while the other material, which gains the electrons, becomes negatively charged; the two materials then attract each other; thunderstorms are caused by static electricity |
| switch | a device used to make or break circuits; it stops the flow of electricity in a circuit |
| temperature | a measure of how hot it is; thermometers are used to measure temperature and are usually marked in degrees Celsius (C) |
| theory | a set of general statements that provide feasible explanations for certain phenomena; can be used to predict the occurrence of certain events |
| transect | a line of string or some other material along which vegetation or animals are studied |
translucent | a material that allows some light through it; objects cannot be seen clearly through such material; frosted glass is an example of a translucent material |
| transparent | material through which light passes and allows an object to be seen clearly |
| variable | the characteristic in an investigation that the investigator decides to change systematically |
| variation | the difference in characteristics that appear within a species: for example, humans have different-coloured hair, eyes, and skin and different size |
| vertebrate | animals with a backbone and a brain enclosed in a skull |
| voltage | potential difference; measured in vol ts (V) |
| water vapour | wa ter in the gaseous or vapour sta te |
| watts | a unit of power; 1 kW = 1,000 W |
| weight | the dow nwa rd force acting on a body due to the effect of grav i tational force; meas u red in new tons (N) |
These guidelines have been prepared under the direction of the Curriculum Committee for
Social, Environmental and Scientific Education established by the National Council for
Curriculum and Assessment.
To co-ordinate the work of the Curriculum Committees, the Primary Co-ordinating Committee was established by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment.