MAP Growth Math key terms

The value a digit has because of its position in a number. In 4,702 the 7 means 700, while in 7,420 the 7 means 7,000.

A way of writing a number as the sum of the values of each digit, such as 3,000 + 400 + 50 + 6 for 3,456.

Replacing a number with a nearby number of a chosen place value. Look at the digit to the right: 5 or more rounds up, 4 or less keeps the digit the same.

Finding an answer that is close enough rather than exact, often by rounding numbers first to judge whether a calculated result is reasonable.

Fractions that name the same amount even though the numerators and denominators differ, such as 1/2 and 4/8, which both describe half of a whole.

A shared multiple of the denominators of two or more fractions, used so the fractions can be added, subtracted, or compared piece by piece.

A comparison of two quantities by division, often written 3:5 or 3/5, telling how much of one quantity exists for each unit of another.

A rate expressed per one unit of the second quantity, found by dividing, such as 60 miles per hour or $3.50 per pound.

An equation stating that two ratios are equal, such as 2/3 = 8/12, which can be solved by cross-multiplying or scaling both quantities.

A letter or symbol standing for an unknown or changing number in an expression or equation, such as x in 3x + 5 = 20.

A mathematical phrase combining numbers, variables, and operations without an equals sign, such as 4n - 7, which can be evaluated but not solved.

A statement that two mathematical expressions are equal, such as 2x + 1 = 9, which can be solved for the value of the variable.

A relationship whose graph is a straight line and whose rule has the form y = mx + b, changing at a constant rate as the input changes.

The steepness of a line, measured as rise over run or the change in y divided by the change in x between two points on the line.

The point where a graph crosses the vertical axis, or the y-value at that point, which in y = mx + b equals b.

The number of square units needed to cover a flat surface, found for a rectangle by multiplying length by width and measured in square units.

The amount of space a three-dimensional figure occupies, measured in cubic units and found for a rectangular prism by multiplying length, width, and height.

The average of a data set, found by adding all the values and dividing by how many values there are, which is pulled toward unusually high or low values.

The middle value of a data set arranged in order, or the average of the two middle values when the count is even, unaffected by extreme outliers.

The difference between the greatest and least values in a data set, showing how spread out the data are, as in 90 - 40 = 50.

The most important point a passage makes about its topic, often stated in a topic sentence and supported by the details that follow.

A fact, example, or reason in a text that explains, proves, or develops the main idea rather than introducing a new central point.

A conclusion a reader draws by combining clues in the text with background knowledge, even though the author never states the point directly.

Specific words, facts, or examples from a text that support a claim, answer, or interpretation a reader makes about the passage.

The way an author organizes information, such as cause and effect, compare and contrast, chronological order, or problem and solution, to serve a purpose.

A brief statement of a text's main points in a reader's own words, leaving out minor details and keeping the author's meaning intact.

The underlying message or lesson about life that a literary work conveys, such as perseverance or loyalty, usually revealed through events and characters.

A word describing a character's lasting qualities, such as generous or stubborn, inferred from what the character says, does, and how others respond.

A word, phrase, or sentence near an unfamiliar word that helps a reader figure out its meaning, such as a definition, example, or contrast in the same passage.

The perspective from which a story is told, such as first person (I), third person limited, or third person omniscient, which shapes what the reader knows.

A position a writer or speaker argues for, which must be debatable and backed by reasons and evidence rather than stated as a plain fact.

An opposing view that a writer acknowledges and then answers, usually to show that the writer's own claim is stronger and better supported.

A single sentence, usually near the start of an essay, that states the writer's main claim and the reasons that the essay will develop.

The sentence that states the focus of a single paragraph, usually placed first, tying that paragraph's details back to the larger argument.

A word or phrase such as however, therefore, or in addition that links ideas and signals how sentences and paragraphs relate to one another.

Language that goes beyond literal meaning to create images or emphasis, including simile, metaphor, personification, and hyperbole.

The feeling or association a word carries beyond its dictionary meaning, as thin feels neutral while scrawny feels negative.

The rule that a pronoun must match its antecedent in number and gender, as in each student must bring his or her book, not their book.

The rule that a verb must match its subject in number, so a singular subject takes a singular verb and a plural subject takes a plural verb.

A testable prediction about the outcome of an experiment, stated before data are collected and revised if the evidence does not support it.

An investigation in which only one factor is changed at a time while all other conditions are held constant, so results can be attributed to that factor.

The factor in an experiment that is measured or observed and responds to changes in the independent variable, plotted on the vertical axis of a graph.

The factor an experimenter deliberately changes or manipulates to test its effect, plotted on the horizontal axis of a graph.

A sequence showing how energy passes from one organism to another, usually starting with a producer and continuing through consumers to decomposers.

An organism, such as a plant or alga, that makes its own food using sunlight and supplies energy to the rest of a food web.

An organism that cannot make its own food and must eat other organisms, classified as herbivore, carnivore, or omnivore by diet.

The process by which green plants use sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide to make sugar and release oxygen as a byproduct.

A community of living organisms interacting with one another and with the nonliving parts of their environment, such as soil, water, and air.

The continuous movement of water through evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and collection as it travels between Earth's surface and atmosphere.

A change in a substance's size, shape, or state that does not create a new substance, such as melting ice or tearing paper.

A change in which substances react to form new substances with different properties, often signaled by color change, gas, heat, or light.

The principle that matter is neither created nor destroyed in a closed system, so the mass of reactants equals the mass of products.