CERTIFICATE

10 MONEY IDIOMS

PREPOSITIONS OF TIME

BRITISH ENGLISH VS. AMERICAN ENGLISH

10 FOOD IDIOMS

One Simple Method to Learn Any Language | Scott Young & Vat Jaiswal | TEDxEastsidePrep

MANAGING A CLASSROOM

INTERACTIVE SITES FOR EDUCATION

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EASY WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR VOCABULARY

1. Read, read, and read. The more you read -- especially novels and literary works, but also magazines and newspapers -- the more words you'll be exposed to. As you read and uncover new words, use a combination of attempting to derive meaning from the context of the sentence as well as from looking up the definition in a dictionary.

2. Keep a dictionary and thesaurus handy. Use whatever versions you prefer -- in print, software, or online. When you uncover a new word, look it up in the dictionary to get both its pronunciation and its meaning(s). Next, go to the thesaurus and find similar words and phrases -- and their opposites (synonyms and antonyms, respectively) -- and learn the nuances among the words.

3. Use a journal. It's a good idea to keep a running list of the new words you discover so that you can refer back to the list and slowly build them into your everyday vocabulary. Plus, keeping a journal of all your new words can provide positive reinforcement for learning even more words -- especially when you can see how many new words you've already learned.

4. Learn a word a day. Using a word-a-day calendar or Website -- or developing your own list of words to learn -- is a great technique many people use to learn new words. This approach may be too rigid for some, so even if you do use this method, don't feel you must learn a new word every day. (Find some word-a-day Websites at the end of this article.)

5. Go back to your roots. One of the most powerful tools for learning new words -- and for deciphering the meaning of other new words -- is studying Latin and Greek roots. Latin and Greek elements (prefixes, roots, and suffixes) are a significant part of the English language and a great tool for learning new words. (Follow these links for the sections of this site that provide English Vocabulary Derived from Latin and English Vocabulary Derived from Greek.)

6. Play some games. Word games that challenge you and help you discover new meanings and new words are a great and fun tool in your quest for expanding your vocabulary. Examples include crossword puzzles, anagrams, word jumble, Scrabble, and Boggle. (Find some word-game Websites at the end of this article.)

7. Engage in conversations. Simply talking with other people can help you learn discover new words. As with reading, once you hear a new word, remember to jot it down so that you can study it later -- and then slowly add the new word to your vocabulary.

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5 techniques to speak any language | Sid Efromovich | TEDxUpperEastSide

How to Improve Your Memory

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How to Improve Your Memory

Tips and Exercises to Sharpen Your Mind and Boost Brainpower

A strong memory depends on the health and vitality of your brain. Whether you're a student studying for final exams, a working professional interested in doing all you can to stay mentally sharp, or a senior looking to preserve and enhance your grey matter as you age, there are lots of things you can do to improve your memory and mental performance.

You can boost your brain power at any age

They say that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but when it comes to the brain, scientists have discovered that this old adage simply isn’t true. The human brain has an astonishing ability to adapt and change—even into old age. This ability is known as neuroplasticity. With the right stimulation, your brain can form new neural pathways, alter existing connections, and adapt and react in ever-changing ways.
The brain’s incredible ability to reshape itself holds true when it comes to learning and memory. You can harness the natural power of neuroplasticity to increase your cognitive abilities, enhance your ability to learn new information, and improve your memory at any age.

Improving memory tip 1: Give your brain a workout

By the time you’ve reached adulthood, your brain has developed millions of neural pathways that help you process and recall information quickly, solve familiar problems, and execute familiar tasks with a minimum of mental effort. But if you always stick to these well-worn paths, you aren’t giving your brain the stimulation it needs to keep growing and developing. You have to shake things up from time to time!
Memory, like muscular strength, requires you to “use it or lose it.” The more you work out your brain, the better you’ll be able to process and remember information. But not all activities are equal. The best brain exercises break your routine and challenge you to use and develop new brain pathways.

Four key elements of a good brain-boosting activity

1. It teaches you something new. No matter how intellectually demanding the activity, if it’s something you’re already good at, it’s not a good brain exercise. The activity needs to be something that’s unfamiliar and out of your comfort zone. To strengthen the brain, you need to keep learning and developing new skills.
2. It’s challenging. The best brain-boosting activities demand your full and close attention. It’s not enough that you found the activity challenging at one point. It must still be something that requires mental effort. For example, learning to play a challenging new piece of music counts. Playing a difficult piece you’ve already memorized does not.
3. It’s a skill you can build on. Look for activities that allow you to start at an easy level and work your way up as your skills improve —always pushing the envelope so you continue to stretch your capabilities. When a previously difficult level starts to feel comfortable, that means it’s time to tackle the next level of performance.
4. It’s rewarding. Rewards support the brain’s learning process. The more interested and engaged you are in the activity, the more likely you’ll be to continue doing it and the greater the benefits you’ll experience. So choose activities that, while challenging, are still enjoyable and satisfying.

Think of something new you’ve always wanted to try, like learning how to play the guitar, make pottery, juggle, play chess, speak French, dance the tango, or master your golf swing. Any of these activities can help you improve your memory, so long as they keep you challenged and engaged.

What about brain-training programs?

There are countless brain-training apps and online programs that promise to boost memory, problem-solving, attention, and even IQ with daily practice. But do they really work? Increasingly, the evidence says no. While these brain-training programs may lead to short-term improvements in whatever task or specific game you’ve been practicing, they don’t appear to do anything to strengthen or improve overall intelligence, memory, or other cognitive abilities.

Improving memory tip 2: Don't skip the physical exercise

While mental exercise is important for brain health, that doesn’t mean you never need to break a sweat.Physical exercise helps your brain stay sharp. It increases oxygen to your brain and reduces the risk for disorders that lead to memory loss, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Exercise also enhances the effects of helpful brain chemicals and reduces stress hormones. Perhaps most importantly, exercise plays an important role in neuroplasticity by boosting growth factors and stimulating new neuronal connections.

Brain-boosting exercise tips

• Aerobic exercise is particularly good for the brain, so choose activities that keep your blood pumping. In general, anything that is good for your heart is great for your brain.
• Does it take you long time to clear out the sleep fog when you wake up? If so, you may find that exercising in the morning before you start your day makes a big difference. In addition to clearing out the cobwebs, it also primes you for learning throughout the day.
• Physical activities that require hand-eye coordination or complex motor skills are particularly beneficial for brain building.
• Exercise breaks can help you get past mental fatigue and afternoon slumps. Even a short walk or a few jumping jacks can be enough to reboot your brain.

If you are experiencing traumatic stress or find yourself stuck in repetitive, unhealthy behavior...

...Try exercising the muscles connected to fight-or-flight with attention. Exercises that use both your arms and legs—and are done in a focused way with mindful awareness of your physical and emotional experience—are especially good at reducing traumatic stress. Exercises like walking, running, swimming, or rock-climbing, activate your senses and make you more aware of yourself and others when they are done with focused attention.

Improving memory tip 3: Get your Zs

There is a big difference between the amount of sleep you can get by on and the amount you need to function at your best. The truth is that over 95% of adults need between 7.5 to 9 hours of sleep every night in order to avoid sleep deprivation. Even skimping on a few hours makes a difference! Memory, creativity, problem-solving abilities, and critical thinking skills are all compromised.
But sleep is critical to learning and memory in an even more fundamental way. Research shows that sleep is necessary for memory consolidation, with the key memory-enhancing activity occurring during the deepest stages of sleep.

• Get on a regular sleep schedule. Go to bed at the same time every night and get up at the same time each morning. Try not to break your routine, even on weekends and holidays.
• Avoid all screens for at least an hour before bed. The blue light emitted by TVs, tablets, phones, and computers trigger wakefulness and suppress hormones such as melatonin that make you sleepy.
• Cut back on caffeine. Caffeine affects people differently. Some people are highly sensitive, and even morning coffee may interfere with sleep at night. Try reducing your intake or cutting it out entirely if you suspect it’s keeping you up.

Improving memory tip 4: Make time for friends

When you think of ways to improve memory, do you think of “serious” activities such as wrestling with the New York Times crossword puzzle or mastering chess strategy, or do more lighthearted pastimes—hanging out with friends or enjoying a funny movie—come to mind? If you’re like most of us, it’s probably the former. But countless studies show that a life full of friends and fun comes with cognitive benefits.

Healthy relationships: the ultimate brain booster

Humans are highly social animals. We’re not meant to survive, let alone thrive, in isolation. Relationships stimulate our brains—in fact, interacting with others may be the best kind of brain exercise.
Research shows that having meaningful friendships and a strong support system are vital not only to emotional health, but also to brain health. In one recent study from the Harvard School of Public Health, for example, researchers found that people with the most active social lives had the slowest rate of memory decline.
There are many ways to start taking advantage of the brain and memory-boosting benefits of socializing. Volunteer, join a club, make it a point to see friends more often, or reach out over the phone. And if a human isn’t handy, don’t overlook the value of a pet—especially the highly-social dog.

Improving memory tip 5: Keep stress in check

Stress is one of the brain’s worst enemies. Over time, chronic stress destroys brain cells and damages the hippocampus, the region of the brain involved in the formation of new memories and the retrieval of old ones. Studies have also linked stress to memory loss.

Tips for managing and minimilizing stress

• Set realistic expectations (and be willing to say no!)
• Take breaks throughout the day
• Express your feelings instead of bottling them up
• Set healthy a balance between work and leisure time
• Focus on one task at a time, rather than trying to multi-task

The stress-busting, memory-boosting benefits of meditation

The scientific evidence for the mental health benefits of meditation continues to pile up. Studies show that meditation helps improve many different types of conditions, including depression, anxiety, chronic pain, diabetes, and high blood pressure. Meditation also can improve focus, concentration, creativity, memory, and learning and reasoning skills.
Meditation works its “magic” by changing the actual brain. Brain images show that regular meditators have more activity in the left prefrontal cortex, an area of the brain associated with feelings of joy and equanimity. Meditation also increases the thickness of the cerebral cortex and encourages more connections between brain cells—all of which increases mental sharpness and memory ability.

Improving memory tip 6: Have a laugh

You’ve heard that laughter is the best medicine, and that holds true for the brain and the memory, as well as the body. Unlike emotional responses, which are limited to specific areas of the brain, laughter engages multiple regions across the whole brain.
Furthermore, listening to jokes and working out punch lines activates areas of the brain vital to learning and creativity. As psychologist Daniel Goleman notes in his book Emotional Intelligence, “laughter… seems to help people think more broadly and associate more freely.”
Looking for ways to bring more laughter in your life? Start with these basics:

• Laugh at yourself. Share your embarrassing moments. The best way to take ourselves less seriously is to talk about the times when we took ourselves too seriously.
• When you hear laughter, move toward it. Most of the time, people are very happy to share something funny because it gives them an opportunity to laugh again and feed off the humor you find in it. When you hear laughter, seek it out and try to join in.
• Spend time with fun, playful people. These are people who laugh easily—both at themselves and at life’s absurdities—and who routinely find the humor in everyday events. Their playful point of view and laughter are contagious.
• Surround yourself with reminders to lighten up. Keep a toy on your desk or in your car. Put up a funny poster in your office. Choose a computer screensaver that makes you laugh. Frame photos of you and your loved oneshaving fun.
• Pay attention to children and emulate them. They are the experts on playing, taking life lightly, and laughing.

Improving memory tip 7: Eat a brain-boosting diet

Just as the body needs fuel, so does the brain. You probably already know that a diet based on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, “healthy” fats (such as olive oil, nuts, fish) and lean protein will provide lots of health benefits, but such a diet can also improve memory. For brain health, though, it’s not just what you eat—it’s also what you don’t eat. The following nutritional tips will help boost your brainpower and reduce your risk of dementia:

• Get your omega-3s. Research shows that omega-3 fatty acids are particularly beneficial for brain health. Fish is a particularly rich source of omega-3, especially cold water “fatty fish” such as salmon, tuna, halibut, trout, mackerel, sardines, and herring.
• If you’re not a fan of seafood, consider non-fish sources of omega-3s such as walnuts, ground flaxseed, flaxseed oil, winter squash, kidney and pinto beans, spinach, broccoli, pumpkin seeds, and soybeans.
• Limit calories and saturated fat. Research shows that diets high in saturated fat (from sources such as red meat, whole milk, butter, cheese, cream, and ice cream) increase your risk of dementia and impair concentration and memory.
• Eat more fruit and vegetables. Produce is packed with antioxidants, substances that protect your brain cells from damage. Colorful fruits and vegetables are particularly good antioxidant "superfood" sources.
• Drink green tea. Green tea contains polyphenols, powerful antioxidants that protect against free radicals that can damage brain cells. Among many other benefits, regular consumption of green tea may enhance memory and mental alertness and slow brain aging.
• Drink wine (or grape juice) in moderation. Keeping your alcohol consumption in check is key, since alcohol kills brain cells. But in moderation (around 1 glass a day for women; 2 for men), alcohol may actually improve memory and cognition. Red wine appears to be the best option, as it is rich in resveratrol, a flavonoid that boosts blood flow in the brain and reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Other resveratrol-packed options include grape juice, cranberry juice, fresh grapes and berries, and peanuts.

For mental energy, choose complex carbohydrates

Just as a racecar needs gas, your brain needs fuel to perform at its best. When you need to be at the top of your mental game, carbohydrates can keep you going. But the type of carbs you choose makes all the difference. Carbohydrates fuel your brain, but simple carbs (sugar, white bread, refined grains) give a quick boost followed by an equally rapid crash. There is also evidence to suggest that diets high in simple carbs can greatly increase the risk for cognitive impairment in older adults. For healthy energy that lasts, choose complex carbohydrates such as whole-wheat bread, brown rice, oatmeal, high-fiber cereal, lentils, and whole beans. Avoid processed foods and limit starches (potato, pasta, rice) to no more than one quarter of your plate.

Improving memory tip 8: Identify and treat health problems

Do you feel that your memory has taken an unexplainable dip? If so, there may be a health or lifestyle problem to blame.
It’s not just dementia or Alzheimer’s disease that causes memory loss. There are many diseases, mental health disorders, and medications that can interfere with memory:

• Heart disease and its risk factors. Cardiovascular disease and its risk factors, including high cholesterol and high blood pressure, have been linked to mild cognitive impairment.
• Diabetes. Studies show that people with diabetes experience far greater cognitive decline than those who don’t suffer from the disease.
• Hormone imbalance. Women going through menopause often experience memory problems when their estrogen dips. In men, low testosterone can cause issues. Thyroid imbalances can also cause forgetfulness, sluggish thinking, or confusion.
• Medications. Many prescription and over-the-counter medications can get in the way of memory and clear thinking. Common culprits include cold and allergy medications, sleep aids, and antidepressants. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about possible side effects.

Is depression to blame?

Emotional difficulties can take just as heavy of a toll on the brain as physical problems. In fact, mental sluggishness, difficulty concentrating, and forgetfulness are common symptoms of depression. The memory issues can be particularly bad in older people who are depressed—so much so that it is sometimes mistaken for dementia. The good news is that when the depression is treated, memory should return to normal.

Practical tips for supporting learning and memory

• Pay attention. You can’t remember something if you never learned it, and you can’t learn something—that is, encode it into your brain—if you don’t pay enough attention to it. It takes about eight seconds of intense focus to process a piece of information into your memory. If you’re easily distracted, pick a quiet place where you won’t be interrupted.
• Involve as many senses as possible. Try to relate information to colors, textures, smells, and tastes. The physical act of rewriting information can help imprint it onto your brain. Even if you’re a visual learner, read out loud what you want to remember. If you can recite it rhythmically, even better.
• Relate information to what you already know. Connect new data to information you already remember, whether it’s new material that builds on previous knowledge, or something as simple as an address of someone who lives on a street where you already know someone.
• For more complex material, focus on understanding basic ideas rather than memorizing isolated details. Practice explaining the ideas to someone else in your own words.
• Rehearse information you’ve already learned. Review what you’ve learned the same day you learn it, and at intervals thereafter. This “spaced rehearsal” is more effective than cramming, especially for retaining what you’ve learned.
• Use mnemonic devices to make memorization easier. Mnemonics (the initial “m” is silent) are clues of any kind that help us remember something, usually by helping us associate the information we want to remember with a visual image, a sentence, or a word.

Mnemonic device	Example
Visual image – Associate a visual image with a word or name to help you remember them better. Positive, pleasant images that are vivid, colorful, and three-dimensional will be easier to remember.	To remember the name Rosa Parks and what she’s known for, picture a woman sitting on a park bench surrounded by roses, waiting as her bus pulls up.
Acrostic (or sentence) – Make up a sentence in which the first letter of each word is part of or represents the initial of what you want to remember.	The sentence “Every good boy does fine” to memorize the lines of the treble clef, representing the notes E, G, B, D, and F.
Acronym – An acronym is a word that is made up by taking the first letters of all the key words or ideas you need to remember and creating a new word out of them.	The word “HOMES” to remember the names of the Great Lakes: Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior.
Rhymes and alliteration – Rhymes, alliteration (a repeating sound or syllable), and even jokes are a memorable way to remember more mundane facts and figures.	The rhyme “Thirty days hath September, April, June, and November” to remember the months of the year with only 30 days in them.
Chunking – Chunking breaks a long list of numbers or other types of information into smaller, more manageable chunks.	Remembering a 10-digit phone number by breaking it down into three sets of numbers: 555-867-5309 (as opposed to 5558675309).
Method of loci – Imagine placing the items you want to remember along a route you know well, or in specific locations in a familiar room or building.	For a shopping list, imagine bananas in the entryway to your home, a puddle of milk in the middle of the sofa, eggs going up the stairs, and bread on your bed.

5 Simple Tricks to Sharpen Thinking and Memory Skills

Using these memory-enhancing techniques can help improve your ability to learn new information and retain it over time.
1. Repeat
One of the golden rules of learning and memory is repeat, repeat, repeat. The brain also responds to novelty, so repeating something in a different way or at a different time will make the most of the novelty effect and allow you to build stronger memories. Examples of using repetition include:

• Taking notes
• Repeating a name after you hear it for the first time
• Repeating or paraphrasing what someone says to you

2. Organize
A day planner or smart phone calendar can help you keep track of appointments and activities and can also serve as a journal in which you write anything that you would like to remember. Writing down and organizing information reinforces learning.

• Try jotting down conversations, thoughts, experiences.
• Review current and previous day’s entries at breakfast and dinner.
• If you use a planner and not a smart phone, keep it in the same spot at home and take it with you whenever you leave.

3. Visualize
Learning faces and names is a particularly hard task for most people. In addition to repeating a person’s name, you can also associate the name with an image. Visualization strengthens the association you are making between the face and the name. For example:

• Link the name Sandy with the image of a beach, and imagine Sandy on the beach.

4. Cue
When you are having difficulty recalling a particular word or fact, you can cue yourself by giving related details or “talking around” the word, name, or fact. Other practical ways to cue include:

• Using alarms or a kitchen timer to remind you of tasks or appointments.
• Placing an object associated with the task you must do in a prominent place at home. For example, if you want to order tickets to a play, leave a newspaper ad for the play near your telephone or computer.

5. Group
When you’re trying to remember a long list of items, it can help to group the items in sets of three to five, just as you would to remember a phone number. This strategy capitalizes on organization and building associations, and helps to extend the capacity of our short-term memory by chunking information together instead of trying to remember each piece of information independently. For example:

• If you have a list of 15 things on your grocery list, you can group the items by category, such as dairy, produce, canned goods, and frozen foods.

How to learn any language in six months | Chris Lonsdale | TEDxLingnanUniversity

50 Popular English Idioms to Sound Like a Native Speaker

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FRENCH PHRASES HIDDEN IN ENGLISH WORDS

Breaking the language barrier | Tim Doner | TEDxTeen 2014

Using ICT in the English classroom

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Using ICT in the English classroom

There is no doubt that almost everything we do nowadays is somehow connected with technology. Without technology, life would be more difficult than it already is, knowledge would be limited and more difficult to achieve. The incorporation of ICTat schools has changed the education a lot. Computers represent an inexhaustible source of material for teachers and pupils.

Teachers, for example, can find all kind of valuable, beautiful and incredible material (flashcards, crosswords, pictures, bingos …) if they surf the Internet. This can help them to prepare the lessons better and to save time to devote to doing other things.

Our pupils like working with ICT, because it is very motivating and enjoyable; we all know computers are a very useful support for teaching the curriculum, and the students also perceive this idea.

In my opinion, those teachers involved in the innovative practices in both primary and secondary schools can see how their classroom practice had become less didactic and their role within the classroom had become more that of a guide or facilitator, able to offer one-to-one support to individual students as required, achieving so a  number of positive impacts on the students.

So,  not only students but also most of the teachers have a positive attitude about ICT. The students perceive ICT as an interesting and motivating learning environment because interacting through blogs helps with the critical thinking and peer feedback facets of their writing projects. We also find that social interaction helps students improve their writing skills, such as:

• Improvements in the  students’ motivation.
• Students’ presentation of work also improves, as a result of using ICT
• Their ability to work independently also increases, as well as their ability to organise their own work (i.e. prioritise) .
• Their Social skills,  self-esteem, self-discipline and confidence  in communicating with others outside their school and family circles  enhance too.
• ICT improve group working and cooperative skillsndance at school
• They also increase  responsibility for their own learning, changing interactions within the classroom and  involving others outside the physical classroom in learning/social activities.

In conclusion, we can see that integrating ICT into the curriculum means more than teaching basic computer skills and using software programs. It must support the main key components of learning, that is:  active engagement,  participation in groups,  frequent interaction and feedback, and connection to real-world.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ADVANCED VOCABULARY

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ADVANCED VOCABULARY

Bernoulli's principle.
A law that states that, for a fluid that is flowing steadily, its pressure is low when its velocity is high and its pressure is high when its velocity is low.

Biogeochemical cycle.
The cycling of matter within the biosphere (e.g., the water cycle).

Biome.
An area with a characteristic geographic and climatic pattern that supports characteristic animal and plant populations (e.g., boreal forest).

Biosphere.
The portion of the planet that supports life and the living organisms within it.

Buoyant force.
The upward force on objects submerged in fluids. For some objects it can be sufficient to overcome completely the force of gravity and cause the object to float.

Cam and cam follower.
A mechanism that changes rotary (circular) motion into linear motion (motion in a straight line).

Capacity.
The greatest amount that a container can hold. Capacity is usually measured in litres or millilitres.

Chemical change.
A process in which new substances with new properties are formed.

Classification (or biological) key.
A list of alternatives (e.g., backbone or no backbone) used by scientists as an aid in identifying an unknown plant or animal. (There are other kinds of classification keys but this is the most common.)

Community.
A group of all the interdependent plant and animal species found in a habitat.

Concept map.
A diagram that shows various relationships among concepts. A concept map can also contain references to events, objects, laws, themes, classroom activities, or other items related to the concepts.

Concrete materials.
Objects and materials that can be handled. Students make use of these in their explorations and investigations.

Conductivity.
The ability of a substance to transmit electricity or heat.

Conductor.
A substance that can transmit electricity or heat.

Conservation of energy.
The principle that energy can neither be created nor destroyed, but can only be changed from one form into another.

Cumulonimbus cloud.
A principal cloud type, exceptionally dense and vertically developed, occurring either as isolated clouds or as a line or wall of clouds with separated upper portions.

Data.
Facts or information.

Database.
An organized or sorted list of facts or information, usually generated by a computer.

Decomposer.
An organism that breaks down dead organic matter.

Density.
The mass per unit volume of a substance (density = mass ÷ volume).

Diffusion.
The net movement of molecules from an area of higher concentration of molecules to an area of lower concentration of molecules.

Displacement.
The amount of fluid displaced by an object that is put into the fluid.

Dissolve.
Mix a solute completely with a solvent to form a solution.

Ecological niche.
The pattern of relationships between a species and all the living and non-living things within its habitat.

Ecology.
The study of all the interactions that occur within the biosphere.

Ecosystem.
A group of living organisms that, along with their abiotic environment, form a self-regulating system through which energy and materials are transferred.

Efficiency.
The comparison of the useful work or energy provided by a machine or system with the actual work or energy supplied to the machine or system. Efficiency is usually stated as a percentage.

Effort.
The force supplied to a machine in order to produce an action.

Expectations.
The knowledge and skills that students are expected to develop and to demonstrate in their class work, on tests, and in various other activities on which their achievement is assessed. The new Ontario curriculum for Science and Technology identifies expectations for each grade from Grade 1 to Grade 8.

Fair test.
Investigation carried out under strictly controlled conditions to ensure accuracy and reliability of results. In a fair test, all variables are controlled except the one under investigation.

Food chain.
A sequence of feeding relationships between organisms in an ecosystem.

Food web.
A network of feeding relationships in an ecosystem that develops because few organisms confine themselves to a single source of food.

Fossil fuel.
A fuel formed from the partially decomposed remains of plants and animals buried in the earth over an extremely long period of time (e.g., coal, oil, natural gas).

Frequency.
The number of cycles completed by a periodic quantity (e.g., a vibrating object) in a unit of time. Frequency is usually expressed as cycles per second.

Fulcrum.
The point of rotation of a lever. The fulcrum is also called the pivot.

Gear.
A rotating wheel-like object with teeth around its rim. A gear is used to transmit force to another gear with matching teeth.

Geothermal energy.
An energy source derived from the heat of the earth.

Habitat.
The area in which a species lives.

Hydraulic power.
Power that comes from the pressure of a liquid, usually oil. The liquid is forced through hoses to the area where the force is needed.

Hydraulics.
The study of pressure in liquids.

Input.
Anything that is put into a system. Sources of input include people, materials, and energy.

Insulation.
Material that does not conduct heat or electricity very well.

Lift.
Upward force on a forward-moving object that results when the air flow around the top of the object is faster than the air flow beneath it.

Linkage.
A system of levers used to transmit motion.

Load.
The weight of an object that is moved by a machine, or the resistance to movement that a machine has to overcome.

Mass.
The amount of matter in an object. Mass is usually measured in grams or kilograms.

Mass concentration.
The mass of solute dissolved in a given volume of solution. May be expressed in grams per millilitre or grams per litre.

Mechanical advantage.
The ratio of the force produced by a machine or system (sometimes called the load) to the force applied to the machine or system (sometimes called the effort force).

Mechanical mixture.
A mixture made up of two or more easily identifiable parts that can be easily separated, for example, a mixture of sand and iron filings.

Media works.
Forms of communication that include written or spoken words, sound, and/or pictures, such as brochures, posters, magazines, newspapers, documentary films, videos, advertisements, cartoons, commercials, news reports, nature programs, and travelogues. Audio elements include speech, music, background sounds, sound effects, volume, silence, narration, pace, and sequence of sounds. Compositional elements include form (structure), theme, setting, atmosphere, and point of view. Visual elements include lighting, colour, images, size and type of lettering, size of images, sequence of images, symbols, graphics, camera angles, logos, speed of presentation, shape of design, credits, details of sponsorship, animation, and live action.

Multi-media.
A variety of different media, such as written text, sound, graphics, and video.

Non-renewable energy sources.
Energy sources that are limited and that cannot be replaced once they are used up (e.g., coal, oil, natural gas).

Nucleus.
The control organelle of a living cell.

Organelle.
A structure within a cell that has a specific function.

Osmosis.
Diffusion of a solvent, usually water, through a selectively permeable membrane.

Output.
The actual result obtained from a system (e.g., the light that comes on when the light switch on an electrical system is pressed).

Pascal's law or principle.
A law that states that pressure exerted on a contained fluid is transmitted undiminished in all directions throughout the fluid and perpendicular to the walls of the container.

Physical change.
A change of properties that does not change the type of substance.

Pitch.
The quality of a sound that is determined by the frequency of the wave. The term pitch is often substituted for the term frequency of vibration in reference to sound waves (e.g., in musical instruments).

Pneumatics.
The study of pressure in gases.

Population.
All of the members of one species found in a particular area at a particular time.

Pressure.
The force acting perpendicular to a unit area (pressure = force ÷ area).

Producer.
An organism that produces its own food. In an ecosystem, a producer is an organism that is capable of carrying out photosynthesis.

Qualitative data.
Information gathered in observations in which no measurement takes place.

Qualitative property.
A characteristic of a substance that can be described but not measured.

Quantitative data.
Data that consist of numbers and/or units of measurement. Quantitative data are obtained through measurement and through mathematical calculations.

Quantitative property.
A characteristic of a substance that can be measured.

Renewable energy sources.
Natural energy sources that can be replaced. For example, when trees are cut down for lumber, new trees can be planted in their place.

Saturated solution.
A solution in which no more solute can be dissolved at a particular temperature.

Scatter plot.
A graph that attempts to show a relationship between two variables by means of points plotted on a coordinate grid. Also called scatter diagram.

Scientific notation.
The writing of a number as the product of a number between 1 and 10 and a power of 10 (e.g., in scientific notation, 58 000 000 is written 5.8 x 107).

Shear.
Two forces that act on an object in opposite directions along the same line or plane (e.g., the movement of the two blades of a pair of scissors).

SI.
The international system of measurement units, including such terms as centimetre and kilogram. (From the French Système international d'unités).

Solubility.
The property of being able to dissolve. More specifically, it refers to the mass of a solute that can dissolve in a given amount of solvent to form a saturated solution at a particular temperature.

Solute.
The substance that dissolves in a solvent to form a solution.

Solvent.
The substance that dissolves a solute to form a solution.

Stress.
Forces created inside a material or an object by other forces acting on it from the outside.

Structure.
A supporting framework (e.g., a bridge or building that is built to sustain a load).

Strut.
A part of a structure whose function is to resist compressive forces. It may also be said that a strut is "under compression".

Succession.
The slow, orderly, progressive replacement of one community by another during the development of vegetation in an area.

Survey.
A sampling of information, often compiled by asking people questions or interviewing them.

Sustainable development.
Development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.

Table.
An orderly arrangement of facts set out for easy reference (e.g., an arrangement of numerical values in vertical or horizontal columns).

Tally chart.
A chart that uses tally marks to count data and record frequencies.

Tension.
A force that stretches an object.

Thrust.
Pushing power that is based on the principle that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Tie.
A part of a structure that is under tension.

Torque.
The product of a force and the perpendicular distance to a turning axis.

Torsion.
A force that causes an object to twist along its axis.

Triangulation.
A means of strengthening a structure that involves the use of the triangle as a strong, rigid shape.

Truss.
A structural element made up of a series of triangular frames.

Variable.
A factor that affects the results of an investigation. Variables are things that could change during an investigation or experiment (e.g., the amount of sunlight received by a plant).

Volume.
The amount of space occupied by an object. Volume is measured in cubic units such as cubic centimetres.

Wavelength.
The distance between the crests of a wave of light as it travels through space.

Weight.
The pull of gravity on an object. Unlike mass, weight changes with location.