Reviewing this vocabulary may help you for the quizzes. You may not print off this page and use it on the quiz.

Lesson 1: Physical and Chemical Properties and Changes

1. Physical property – a property of an object that can be observed without changing the object’s chemical identity (ex: mass, volume, texture, density, etc.)
2. Physical change – a change in an object’s physical properties that does not change the object’s chemical identity.
3. Chemical property – a property of an object that can only be reveal by chemically changing the object; a property that describes how an object will chemically change.
4. Chemical change – a change that affects the object’s chemical identity; also causes a change to the object’s physical properties.

Lesson 2: Weathering

1. Weathering – the process that breaks rocks down over time.
2. Mechanical weathering – the process that breaks down rocks through physical changes.
3. Chemical weathering – the process that breaks down rocks through chemical changes.
4. Frost (ice) wedging – a type of mechanical weathering that breaks rocks apart when water freezes and expands in the openings of a rock.
5. Salt crystal growth – a type of mechanical weathering that breaks rocks apart when salt crystallizes in the openings of a rock.
   
6. Pressure release (unloading) – a type of mechanical weathering that breaks rocks apart when pressure is removed from a rock and the rock expands in that direction.
7. Abrasion – a type of mechanical weathering that breaks rocks apart through friction.
8. Biological activity – a type of mechanical weathering that breaks apart rocks through organisms causing physical changes.
9. Dissolving – a type of chemical weathering in which an acid (usually carbonic) changes the chemical composition of the rock.
10. Rusting – a type of chemical weathering in which water and oxygen cause changes to certain chemicals found in a rock producing iron oxide (rust)

Lesson 3: Rock Cycle
Vocabulary for this lesson will be posted when we study the rock cycle.

You may not use this sheet on your quiz.

Lesson 1: Rocks and Inside Earth
In this lesson we learned what rocks are, how they are different from minerals, and what earth's interior is like.

Rock: a naturally formed substance usually made of one or more minerals that makes up the crust of the earth.
Monominerallic: a rock made mostly of one mineral.
Crust: first layer of the earth; made of solid rock
Mantle: second layer of earth; thickest layer made of very thick but bendable solid rock.
Outer core: third layer of earth; made of molten (liquid) metal
Inner core: fourth layer of earth made of solid metal
Igneous rock: rock made from molten rock cooling and becoming solid
Sedimentary rock: rock made from other rocks, minerals, or once living things (like plants and animals). Can also form from evaporation.
Metamorphic rock: rock made when older rock changes into a new type of rock from heat or pressure.

Lesson 2: Rock Classification
In this lesson we learned how to identify a rock and classify it by looking at its texture.

Texture: the look and feel of a rock's surface
Origin: how and where a rock formed
Grain: particles of minerals and other rocks that make a rock
Grain size: how big or small the grains are
    Coarse grain: large, easy to see grains
    Fine grain: small hard to see grains
Grain shape: the shape of the edges of the grains
    Rounded: the grain edges are curved and smooth
    Jagged: grain edges are sharp and rough
Grain pattern: the arrangement of the grains
    Banded (sed.) or Foliated (met.): grains are in layers
    Non-banded (sed or ign.) or Non-foliated (met.): grains are random
No Visible Grain (NVG): rock has no grain and is smooth, shiny, and glassy.

Lesson 3: Igneous Rock
In this lesson we learned how igneous rocks are formed, how cooling time affects crystal size, and how igneous rocks look different based on where they form.

Igneous rock: rock made from the cooling of molten rock.
Molten rock: liquid rock; magma or lava.
Lava: molten rock found at earth's surface
Magma: molten rock found inside earth
Intrusive (plutonic): an igneous rock that forms inside earth
Extrusive: an igneous rock that forms at earth's surface
Crystal size (grain size): how large or small the grains are in an igneous rock
    Coarse grain: see above in lesson 2
    Fine grain: see above in lesson 2
    Porphyritic: a rock with both large and small crystals (grains)
    Glassy: a rock with no visible grain
Silica: a compound of silicon and oxygen
    Felsic: high in silica content (you are not required to memorize this word)
    Mafic: low in silica content (you are not required to memorize this word)

Lesson 4: Sedimentary Rock
In this lesson we learned about sedimentary rocks which are made out of sediments. The rocks are classified into three groups based on the sediments they are made out of.
Sedimentary Rock – rock made from sediments.
Sediments – any material that settles out of water or air that makes a sedimentary
rock. Examples include rocks, minerals, and plants/animals.
Lithification – the process that forms a sedimentary rock.
Weathering – first step of lithification; creates sediments.
Erosion – second step; transports sediments via wind/water.
Deposition – third step; sediments settle out of wind/water into layers.
Compaction – fourth step; sediments are pressed together.
Cementation – fifth step; sediments are glued together.
Clastic rock – sedimentary rock made of mineral and rock sediments.
Organic rock – sedimentary rock made of once-living things.
Chemical rock – sedimentary rock made of recrystallized minerals.

Lesson 5: Metamorphic Rock
In this lesson we learned about metamorphic rocks. Metamorphic rocks form from changes to other rocks. These changes are called metamorphism. Metamorphism is caused by heat and pressure.

Metamorphic Rock – a rock made from already existing rock that changes
Parent rock – the rock from which a metamorphic rock comes
Metamorphism – the process of changing a rock from one type to another
Recrystallization – the process by which a mineral’s crystal structure is changed. Often two things happen: crystal becomes larger and new minerals can form.
Foliation  – the arrangement of minerals in flay or wavy parallel bands.
Nonfoliation – the random arrangement of minerals in metamorphic rocks.

The following vocabulary terms were learned in lesson 2.1 and will appear on quiz 3.

Mineral: a naturally formed, inorganic solid with a definite chemical composition and crystal structure.
Naturally Formed: created by a process of nature (not involving humans)
Inorganic: created by non-living things and processes.
Solid: having a definite volume and a rigid shape.
Definite chemical composition - specific atoms in specific proportions
Crystal structure: an orderly, repeating, three dimensional pattern of atoms

The following vocabulary terms were learned in lesson 2.2 and will appear on quiz 3.

Property: a characteristic of a mineral used to identify a mineral.
Color: the color of the mineral's surface.
Streak: the color of the mineral's powder.
Luster: how light reflects off a mineral's surface. (6 lusters we learned: metallic; non-metallic: glassy, greasy, earthy, pearly, silky).
Mass: the amount of matter in an object (unit: grams).
Volume: the amount of space an object occupies (unit: cubic centimeters).
Density: the amount of matter in a given space (unit: grams per cubic centimeter).
Hardness: a mineral's resistance to being scratched.
Cleaving: Describes how a mineral breaks; breaks cleanly leaving a smooth surface.
Fracture: Describes how a mineral breaks; breaks rough leaving a jagged or curved surface.

The following vocabulary terms were learned in lesson 1.4 and will appear on quiz 2.

Observation: statements of face that are based on an event or object that are made using your senses or a measuring instrument.
Qualitative observations (or data): descriptions of the characteristics of an event or object that are usually made using your senses.
Quantitative observations (or data): descriptions of measurements of an event or object that are usually made using a scientific instrument.

Note: scientific instruments are tools such as rulers, beakers, scales, thermometers. Anything that helps you record numerical data.

Inferences: explanations for observations that may or may not be true.
Ockham's Razor: sometimes the simplest explanation is the best one.

The following vocabulary terms were learned in lesson 1.5 and will appear on quiz 2.

No vocabulary from lesson 1.5

The following were vocabulary terms learned in lesson 1.6 and will appear on quiz 2.

Atom: the smallest particle of a substance that keeps the properties of that substance.
Subatomic particle: a smaller part of an atom
Proton: a subatomic particle found in the nucleus that has a positive (+) charge.
Neutron: a subatomic particle found in the nucleus that has a neutral (0) charge.
Electron: a subatomic particle found around the nucleus that has a negative (-) charge.

The following were vocabulary terms learned in lesson 1.7 and will appear on quiz 2.

Valence: the outermost shell of an electron
Lewis Diagram: a diagram that shows the element symbol and how many electrons are in that element's valence.
Atomic mass: the mass of the atom's protons and neutrons (thanks to Nate for pointing out my earlier mistake!)
Atomic number: the number of protons in an atom's nucleus

The following were vocabulary terms learned in lesson 1.8 and will appear on quiz 2.

Period: a row of the periodic table
Group: a column of the periodic table

Note: for our understanding, all elements in a period have the same number of electron shells (period # = # of shells). All elements in a group have the same number of valence electrons (group # = # of valence electrons). We only focused on the first 18 elements.

Last updated: Tuesday, September 6th

Problem: A how statement that includes the independent and dependent variable.
Variable: A part of an experiment that changes.
Independent Variable: A variable that causes change in the lab; you have control over this variable
Dependent Variable: A variable that is changed by the independent variable (the result of the independent variable); you measure this to collect data
Control: Part of an experiment that remains constant; it does not receive the independent variable
Experimental Group: Part of an experiment that is changed; it does receive the independent variable
Hypothesis: An if/then/because statement that includes the independent variable and a predicted outcome of the dependent variable


9/1/11
Scientific Method: a series of steps some scientists use to solve a problem.


8/31/11
Science: the human effort to understand the natural world and how the natural world works with supporting evidence.
Life Science: a branch of science that focuses on organisms (ex: biology)
Physical Science: a branch of science that focuses on abiotic factors (ex: physics, astronomy, chemistry)

Note: life and physical science can be integrated (ex: biochemistry).