KINETIC AND POTENTIAL ENERGY

• Energy may exist in two states: kinetic or potential.
• Kinetic energy is the energy of motion.

FORCES

• A force is any push or pull that causes an object to move, stop, or change speed or direction.

• The greater the force, the greater the change in motion will be. The more massive an object, the less effect a given force will have on the object.
• Unless acted on by a force, objects in motion tend to stay in motion and objects at rest remain at rest.

FRICTION

• Friction is the resistance to motion created by two objects moving against each other.
• Friction creates heat.

CIRCUITS

• A continuous flow of negative charges (electrons) creates an electric current.
• The pathway taken by an electric current is a circuit.
• Closed circuits allow the movement of electrical energy.
• Open circuits prevent the movement of electrical energy.
• In a series circuit, there is only one pathway for the current, but in a parallel circuit there are two or more pathways for it.

CONDUCTORS AND INSULATORS

• Electrical energy moves through materials that are conductors (metals). Insulators (rubber, plastic, wood) do not conduct electricity well.
• Among conducting materials, the rate at which energy flows depends on the material’s resistance.

STATIC ELECTRICITY

• Rubbing certain materials together creates static electricity.
• Lightning is the discharge of static electricity in the atmosphere.

ENERGY TRANSFORMATIONS

• Electrical energy can be transformed into light or motion, and can produce thermal energy.
• describe the types of energies (i.e., thermal, radiant, and mechanical) that are transformed by various household appliances (e.g., lamp, toaster, fan).

ENERGY TRANSFORMATIONS
electrical to mechanical (motion)	electrical to light (radiant)	electrical to thermal (heat)

MAGNETIC FIELDS

• Certain iron-bearing metals attract other such metals (also nickel and cobalt).
• Lines of force extend from the poles of a magnet in an arched pattern defining the area over which magnetic force is exerted.
• An electric current creates a magnetic field.
• A  moving magnetic field creates an electric current.
• A current flowing through a wire creates a magnetic field.
• Wrapping a wire around certain iron-bearing metals (iron nail) and creating a closed circuit is an example of a simple electromagnet.

HISTORICAL CONTRIBUTIONS

• Benjamin Franklin, Michael Faraday, and Thomas Edison made important discoveries about electricity.     

VIBRATING MATTER - COMPRESSION WAVES

• Sound is a form of energy produced and transmitted by vibrating matter.
• Sound waves are compression (longitudinal) waves. 
• When compression (longitudinal) waves move through matter (solid, liquid, or a gas), the molecules of the matter move backward and forward in the direction in which the wave is traveling. As sound waves travel, molecules are pressed together in some parts (compression) and in some parts are spread out (rarefaction). A child’s toy in the form of a coil is a good tool to demonstrate a compression (longitudinal) wave.

FREQUENCY, WAVELENGTH, PITCH & AMPLITUDE

• The frequency of sound is the number of wavelengths in a given unit of time.
• The wavelength of sound is the distance between two compressions or between two rarefactions. The wavelength can be measured from any point on a wave as long as it is measured to the same point on the next wave.
• Pitch is determined by the frequency of a vibrating object. Objects vibrating faster have a higher pitch than objects vibrating slower. A change in frequency of sound waves causes an audible sensation—a difference in pitch.

• be sure you can explain the relationship between frequency and pitch.
• be sure you understand what factors affect the pitch of certain vibrating objects, including vibrating strings, rubber bands, beakers/bottles of air and water, tubes (as in wind chimes), and other common materials.
• Amplitude is the amount of energy in a compression (longitudinal) wave and is related to intensity and volume. For example, when a loud sound is heard, it is because many molecules have been vibrated with much force. A soft sound is made with fewer molecules being vibrated with less force.

THE MEDIUM

• When we talk, sound waves travel in air. Sound also travels in liquids and solids. Sound waves must have a medium through which to travel. In a vacuum sound cannot travel because there is no matter for it to move through.
• Sound travels more quickly through solids than through liquids and gases because the molecules of a solid are closer together. Sound travels the slowest through gases because the molecules of a gas are farthest apart.

ANIMALS

• Some animals make and hear ranges of sound vibrations different from those that humans can make and hear.
• compare and contrast the sound (voice) that humans make and hear to those of other animals. This includes bats, dogs, and whales.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

• Musical instruments vibrate to produce sound. There are many different types of musical instruments and each instrument causes the vibrations in different ways.
• The most widely accepted way to classify musical instruments is to classify them by the way in which the sound is produced by the instrument.
• The four basic classifications are percussion instruments (e.g., drums, cymbals), stringed instruments (e.g., violin, piano, guitar), wind instruments (e.g., flute, clarinet, trumpet, trombone), and electronic instruments (e.g., electronic organ, electric guitar).
• compare and contrast how different kinds of musical instruments make sound. This includes string instruments, woodwinds, percussion instruments, and brass instruments.

Students will be expected to know/do the following:

• diagram and label a representation of a light wave, including wavelength, crest, and trough.
• explain the relationships between wavelength and the color of light. Name the colors of the visible spectrum.
• explain the terms transparent, translucent, and opaque, and give an example of each.
• compare and contrast reflection and refraction, using water, prisms, and mirrors.
• analyze the effects of a prism on white light and describe why this occurs.
• explain the relationship between the refraction of light and the formation of a rainbow.

The Virginia Department of Education provides instructors with a more detailed explanation of these standards, which we have included below. Students and parents may also find this guidance useful.

WAVES & PARTICLES

• Light has properties of both a wave and a particle. Recent theory identifies light as a small particle, called a photon. A photon moves in a straight line. In both the light wave and photon descriptions, light is energy.
• Because light has both electric and magnetic fields, it is referred to as electromagnetic radiation. Light waves move as transverse waves and travel through a vacuum at a speed of approximately 186,000 miles per second (2.99 x 108 meters per second). Compared to sound, light travels extremely fast. It takes light from the sun less than 8½ minutes to travel 93 million miles (150 million kilometers) to reach Earth. 
• Unlike sound, light waves travel in straight paths called rays and do not need a medium through which to move. A ray is the straight line that represents the path of light. A beam is a group of parallel rays.

WAVELENGTH & FREQUENCY

• Light waves are characterized by their wavelengths and the frequency of their wavelengths
• The size of a wave is measured as its wavelength, which is the distance between any two corresponding points on successive waves, usually crest-to-crest or trough-to-trough. The wavelength can be measured from any point on a wave as long as it is measured to the same point on the next wave.
• Frequency is the number of waves passing a given point every second. The greater the frequency, the greater the amount of energy.

ELECTROMAGNETIC SPECTRUM

• Light waves are waves of energy. The amount of energy in a light wave is proportionally related to its frequency: high frequency light has high energy; low frequency light has low energy. The more wavelengths in a light wave in a given period of time, the higher the energy level. Thus gamma rays have the most energy, and radio waves have the least. Of visible light, violet has the most energy and red the least.
• The entire range of electromagnetic radiation (light) is called the electromagnetic spectrum. 
• The only difference between the various types of electromagnetic radiation is the amount of energy. Sunlight consists of the entire electromagnetic spectrum.
• The wavelengths detectible by the human eye represent only a very small part of the total electromagnetic spectrum.
• We see visible light as the colors of the rainbow. Each color has a different wavelength. Red has the longest wavelength and violet has the shortest wavelength. The colors of the visible spectrum from the longest wavelength to the shortest wavelength are: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet (ROYGBV). Most scientists no longer include the color indigo, which used to be included between blue and violet.

• Black and white are not spectral colors. Black is when a material absorbs all the visible light and no light is reflected back. Black is a total absence of reflected light. White is a reflection of all visible light together.

REFLECTION (BOUNCING BACK)

• Light travels in straight paths until it hits an object, where it bounces off (is reflected), is bent (is refracted), passes through the object (is transmitted), or is absorbed as heat.
• The term reflected light refers to light waves that are neither transmitted nor absorbed, but are thrown back from the surface of the medium they encounter. If the surface of the medium contacted by the wave is smooth and polished (e.g., a mirror), each reflected wave will be reflected back at the same angle as the incident wave. The wave that strikes the surface of the medium (e.g., a mirror) is called the incident wave, and the one that bounces back is called the reflected wave.

REFRACTION (BENDING)

• Refraction means the bending of a wave resulting from a change in its velocity (speed) as it moves from one medium to another (e.g., light moving from the air into water). The frequency of the wave does not change.
• The amount of bending of the light wave (refraction) depends on:
  • The density of the material it is entering; 
  • The wavelength of the light wave; and
  • The angle at which the original light wave enters the new medium.
• Some examples of refraction are when:
  • Refraction causes a setting sun to look flat.
  • A spoon appears to bend when it is immersed in a cup of water. The bending seems to take place at the surface of the water, or exactly at the point where there is a change of density.
  • Shadows on the bottom of a pool are caused because air and water have different densities.
  • A glass prism disperses white light into its individual colors. As visible light exits the prism, it is refracted and separated into a display of colors. 
• A rainbow is an example of both refraction and reflection. Sunlight is first refracted when it enters the surface of a spherical raindrop, it is then reflected off the back of the raindrop, and once again refracted as it leaves the raindrop.
• A prism can be used to refract and disperse visible light. When the different wavelengths of light in visible light pass through a prism, they are bent at different angles (refracted). Dispersion occurs when we see the light separated into a display of colors: ROYGBV.
• Dispersion is the separation of light. Dispersion occurs with transparent surfaces that are not parallel to each other, such as a prism or gemstone facets.

TRANSPARENT, TRANSLUCENT, OPAQUE

• Light passes through some materials easily (transparent materials), through some materials partially (translucent materials), and through some not at all (opaque materials). The relative terms transparent, translucent, and opaque indicate the amount of light that passes through an object.
  • Examples of transparent materials include clear glass, clear plastic food wrap, clean water, and air.
  • Examples of translucent materials include wax paper, frosted glass, thin fabrics, some plastics, and thin paper.
  • Examples of opaque materials include metal, wood, bricks, aluminum foil, and thick paper.

In order to meet this standard, it is expected that students will

• construct and interpret a sequence of models (diagrams) showing the activity of molecules in all three basic phases of matter.
• construct and interpret models of atoms and molecules.
• identify substances as being an element or a compound.
• design an investigation to determine how a change in temperature affects the phases of matter (e.g., water). Include in the design ways information will be recorded, what measures will be made, what instruments will be used, and ways the data will be graphed
• compare and contrast mixtures and solutions.

WHAT IS MATTER?

• Matter is anything that has mass and volume.
• Mass is the amount of matter in an object. The mass of an object does not change. (Weight of an object changes based on the gravitational pull on it. A person will have the same mass on Earth, Mars, and our moon. However, his or her weight on our moon will be 1/6 of what it is on Earth and will be 1/3 as much on Mars.)

PHASES OF MATTER : SOLID, LIQUID, GAS

• Matter can exist in several distinct forms which are called phases. The three basic phases of matter generally found on Earth are gas, liquid, and solid. (Though other phases of matter have been identified, these are the phases of matter that fifth-grade students are expected to know.)

• As its temperature increases, many kinds of matter change from a solid to a liquid to a gas. As its temperature decreases, that matter changes from a gas to a liquid to a solid.

ATOMS, MOLECULES, ELEMENTS

• All matter, regardless of its size, shape, or color, is made of particles (atoms and molecules) that are too small to be seen by the unaided eye.
• There are more than 100 known elements that make up all matter. A few of the more familiar elements include: hydrogen (H), oxygen (O), helium (He), carbon (C), sodium (Na), and potassium (K).  The smallest part of an element is an atom.

MIXTURES & COMPOUNDS

• A mixture is a combination of two or more substances that do not lose their identifying characteristics when combined. A solution is a mixture in which one substance dissolves in another.
• When two or more elements combine to form a new substance, it is called a compound. There are many different types of compounds because atoms of elements combine in many different ways (and in different whole number ratios) to form different compounds. Examples include water (H2O) and table salt (NaCl). The smallest part of a compound is a molecule.

NANOTECHNOLOGY

• Nanotechnology is the study of materials at the molecular (atomic) scale. Items at this scale are so small they are no longer visible with the naked eye. Nanotechnology has shown that the behavior and properties of some substances at the nanoscale (a nanometer is one-billionth of a meter) contradict how they behave and what their properties are at the visible scale. Many products on the market today are already benefiting from nanotechnology such as sunscreens, scratch-resistant coatings, and medical procedures.

• Living things are made of cells. Cells carry out all life processes.
  • New cells come from existing cells.
  • Cells are too small to be seen with the eye alone. By using a microscope, many parts of a cell can be seen.
• For plant and animal cells, identify the following structures and their functions
  • For plants: the nucleus, cell wall, cell membrane, vacuole, chloroplasts, cytoplasm.
  • For animal:, the nucleus, cell membrane, vacuole, cytoplasm.
• Plant cells and animal cells are similar but different in shape and some parts. (Students should be able to identifya cell image as either plant or animal)
  • Plant cells (but not animal cells) have cell walls, chloroplasts, and a large central vacuole
  • Plant cells tend to be rectangular, while animal cells tend to be spherical or at times irregular.
• Organisms that share similar characteristics can be organized into groups in order to help understand similarities and differences.
• Plants can be categorized as vascular or nonvascular
  • Vascular (having special tissues to transport food and water — for example, trees and flowering plants)
  • Nonvascular (not having tissues to transport food and water — for example, moss, liverworts, hornworts).
  • Most plants are vascular.
• Animals can be categorized as vertebrates or invertebrates
  • vertebrates (having backbones) (fish, frogs, reptiles, birds, people)
  • invertebrates (not having backbones). (insects, worms, crabs, spiders)

OCEAN FEATURES

• Oceans cover about 70 percent of the surface of Earth.
• Important features of the ocean floor near the continents are the continental shelf, the continental slope, and the continental rise. These areas are covered with thick layers of sediments (sand, mud, rocks).
• The depth of the ocean varies. Ocean trenches are very deep, and the continental shelf is relatively shallow.
• create and interpret a model of the ocean floor and label and describe each of the major features.
• Be sure you know the relative depths of the continental shelf, slope, rise, the abyssal plain, and ocean trenches.

OCEAN WATER;

• Ocean water is a complex mixture of gases (air) and dissolved solids (salts, especially sodium chloride).
  • Marine organisms are dependent on dissolved gases for survival.
  • The salinity of ocean water varies in some places depending on rates of evaporation and amount of runoff from nearby land.

OCEAN MOTION

• The basic motions of ocean water are the waves, currents, and tides.
  • Ocean currents, including the Gulf Stream, are caused by wind patterns and the differences in water densities (due to salinity and temperature differences).
  • Ocean currents affect the mixing of ocean waters. This can affect plant and animal populations. Currents also affect navigation routes.
  • explain the formation of ocean currents and describe and locate the Gulf Stream.
  • design an investigation (including models and simulations) related to physical characteristics of the ocean environment (depth, salinity, formation of waves, causes of tides, and currents, such as the Gulf Stream).

OCEAN LIFE

• As the depth of ocean water increases, the temperature decreases, the pressure increases, and the amount of light decreases. These factors influence the type of life forms that are present at a given depth.
• analyze how the physical characteristics (depth, salinity, and temperature) of the ocean affect where marine organism can live.
• interpret graphical data related to the ecological characteristics of the ocean, such as the number of organisms vs. the depth of the water.
• Plankton are tiny free-floating organisms that live in water.
  • Plankton may be animal-like or plant-like.
  • Animal-like plankton are called zooplankton.
  • Plant-like plankton (phytoplankton) carry out most of the photosynthesis on Earth. Therefore, they provide much of Earth’s oxygen. Phytoplankton form the base of the ocean food web.
  • Plankton flourish in areas where nutrient-rich water upwells from the deep.
  • Be sure you understand a basic marine food web, including floating organisms (plankton), swimming organisms, and organisms living on the ocean floor.

ROCK IDENTIFICATION

• Rocks have properties that can be observed, tested, and described.
• Composition, grain size and textural features, color, and the presence of fossils help with identification.
• Classification keys (5.1) can aid this process
  • Be sure you can identify rock samples of granite, gneiss, slate, limestone, shale, sandstone, and coal using a rock classification key.

ROCK CYCLE

• Rocks move and change over time due to heat and pressure within Earth and due to weathering, erosion, and deposition at the surface. These and other processes constantly change rock from one type to another.
• Depending on how rocks are formed, they are classified as
  • sedimentary (layers of sediment cemented together)
  • igneous (melted and cooled, e.g., lava and magma)
  • metamorphic (changed by heat and pressure)
• Be sure you can draw and label the rock cycle and explain how the three rock types are formed.

ANCIENT EARTH - FOSSILS

• Scientific evidence indicates Earth is ancient — approximately 4.6 billion years old.
  • The age of many rocks can be determined very reliably.
  • Fossils provide information about life and conditions of the past.
  • Be sure you can make inferences based on fossil evidence, i.e. shell fossils in sedimentary rock indicate that area was once under water.

EARTH'S LAYERS

• Scientific evidence indicates that Earth is composed of four concentric layers — crust, mantle, outer core, and inner core — each with its own distinct characteristics.
  • The outer two layers are composed primarily of rocky material.
  • The innermost layers are composed mostly of iron and nickel.
  • Pressure and temperature increase with depth beneath the surface.

PLATE MOVEMENT

• Earth’s thermal energy causes movement of material within Earth. Large continent-size blocks (plates) move slowly about Earth’s surface, driven by that thermal energy.
• Most earthquakes and volcanoes are located at the boundaries of the plates (faults).
• Plates can
  • move together (convergent boundaries),
  • apart (divergent boundaries),
  • or slip past each other horizontally (transform boundaries, also called strike-slip or sliding boundaries).
• Geological features in the oceans (including trenches and mid-ocean ridges) and on the continents (mountain ranges, including the Appalachian Mountains) are caused by current and past plate movements.
• Be sure you can differentiate among the three types of plate tectonic boundaries (divergent, convergent, and transform) and how these relate to the changing surface of Earth and the ocean floor (5.6).
• Be sure you understand the origin of earthquakes and volcanoes and how they affect Earth's surface.

WEATHERING & EROSION

• Rocks and other materials on Earth’s surface are constantly being broken down both chemically and physically. The products of weathering include clay, sand, rock fragments, and soluble substances.
• Materials can be moved by water and wind (eroded) and deposited in new locations as sediment (deposition).

HUMAN IMPACT

• Humans have varying degrees of impact on Earth’s surface through their everyday activities. With careful planning, the impact on the land can be controlled.