ILEARN Science Grade 6 cheat sheet

A scientific question must be testable and answerable with evidence collected through observation or measurement.

An independent variable is the one factor deliberately changed; the dependent variable is the measured response; all other factors are controlled constants.

A valid investigation includes a control group or repeated trials so that results can be compared and variability estimated.

Quantitative data are numerical measurements; qualitative data are descriptive observations such as color, texture, or behavior.

A claim is strongest when supported by multiple lines of evidence and by reasoning that links the evidence to a scientific principle.

Models represent systems that are too large, small, slow, or fast to observe directly; all models have limits and simplifications.

Measurements should be reported with appropriate units and precision, and repeated measurements reduce the effect of random error.

Engineering design cycles through defining a problem, generating solutions, testing prototypes, and optimizing based on criteria and constraints.

Cause and effect: a change in one variable produces an observable result; correlation alone does not establish cause.

Systems and system models: a system is a set of interacting parts with boundaries, inputs, outputs, and feedback.

Energy and matter: energy flows through systems and is often transformed, while matter cycles and is conserved.

Scale, proportion, and quantity: phenomena can be described at different scales, and relative size affects how a system behaves.

Stability and change: systems tend toward stability, but feedback can push a system past a threshold into a new state.

Structure and function: the shape and arrangement of a part determine what it can do within a system.

Patterns: recurring observations can be used to classify objects and to predict future events in similar conditions.

Cells are the basic unit of life; organisms may be single-celled or organized into tissues, organs, and organ systems.

Photosynthesis uses light energy, carbon dioxide, and water to produce sugar and oxygen; cellular respiration releases energy from sugar.

In ecosystems, producers capture energy, consumers transfer it, and decomposers recycle matter; energy decreases at each trophic level.

Earth's interior is layered (crust, mantle, outer core, inner core), and plate motion causes earthquakes, volcanoes, and mountain building.

The water cycle moves water among the atmosphere, land, and oceans through evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and runoff.

Weather is short-term atmospheric condition; climate is the long-term pattern of weather in a region.

Matter is made of particles too small to see; in a closed system, mass is conserved through physical and chemical changes.

Forces act in pairs and change an object's motion; gravity, friction, and magnetism are common forces affecting objects.