UNIT 13. ENERGY 4º E.P

UNIT 13. ENERGY

ENERGY

·        What is energy?

Energy is the capacity to produce changes. These changes can be produced by heat, light, electricity, etc. Energy is always changing from one to another.

SOME FORMS OF ENERGY

-         Heat energy

-         Electrical energy

-         Kinetic energy

-         Light energy

-         Chemical energy

LIGHT ENERGY

·        Light and light sources

A light source is anything which emits light.

·        The properties of light

-         It moves in a straight line.

-         It moves in all directions.

-         It travels very fast.

-         It interacts with the objects it reaches.

SOME PHENOMENA OF LIGHT

-         Shadow: it is a dark area produced because light can´t pass through an opaque object.

-         Reflection: when light can´t pass through an object it bounces off the object.

-         The composition of light: it is a mixture of different colours (red, orange, ywlloe, green, blue, indigo and violet.

ENERGY SOURCES

·        What are energy sources?

An energy source is an object from which we obtain energy. Enery sources can be:

-         Renewable: they do not finish with the use. An example is wind energy. Wind turbines produce electricity and they do not pollute. Other example is solar energy. Solar panels produce heat and electricity and they do not pollute.

-         Non-renewable: they can finish. For example, coal, which is excavated in mines and it pollutes. Other example is oil, which is extracted from oil Wells. Petrol is made from oil. It causes pollution.

THE EFFICIENT USE OF ENERGY

·        We need energy

We use a lot of non-renewable sources of energy and it damages the environment. We must use energy more efficiently:

-         We must use less non-renewable energy because it pollutes and can run out.

-         We must use more renewable energy because it does not pollute and it can not run out.

-         We must save energy: using more efficient motors, recycling and reusing materials, etc.

UNIT 12 (NATURAL SCIENCE 4º)

UNIT 12

THINGS: WHAT THEY ARE LIKE AND HOW THEY CHANGE

v WHAT ARE THINGS MADE OF?

·         MATTER

Matter is everything which occupies space and has a weight, or mass.

Matter can be in one of these states:

-          Solid: usually have a fixed shape and stay the same size.

-          Liquid: adapt their shape but do not expand. They flow.

-          Gas: expand and are invisible.

Every object and substance around us is made of matter. Most of them are made of a mixture of different types of matter (components). Mixtures and their components can be visible  or invisible.

·         THERE ARE MANY MIXTURES IN NATURE

Many things in nature are mixtures:

-          Air is a mixture of gases: oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide…

-          Salt water is the water in seas and oceans, it contains salt.

-          Rocks are formed from minerals.

-          Milk contains water, sugars, proteins and fats.

·         MIXTURES CAN BE SEPARATED

A mixture can be separated into individual components.

How to separate mixtures

- Sieving using a sieve.

- Filtering using a filter.

v WHY DO THINGS MOVE?

·         FORCES CAUSE MOVEMENTS

A force is anything capable of moving a stationary object, or stopping a moving object.

An object can only move or stop if a force acts on it. If there is no force, the object cannot move.

·         SOME FORCES ACT THROUGH CONTACT

An object can move or change direction if someone or something touches it.

For example: a ball moves or change direction with the action of a racket, air, water…

·         SOME FORCES ACT AT A DISTANCE

Some forces act without touching the object:

-          Gravity: the Sun, the Earth and all celestial bodies exercise this force. All matter around them is attracted.

-          Magnetism: a magnet exercises a force at a distance. It attracts all objects around it that are made of iron.

v WHY DO THINGS DEFORM?

·         FORCES DEFORM THINGS

Solids can deform if a force acts on them. Some objects deform very little and can break and others deform and do not break.

·         RIGID AND DEFORMABLE MATERIALS

A rigid material is something which breaks and does not deform when a force acts on it. Ex: glass, granite, slate…

A deformable material is something which deforms and does not break when a force acts on it. Ex: plasticine, paper, rubber…

Deformable materials classify in two types:

-          Elastic: returns to its original shape when a force stops acting on it.

-          Plastic: stays deformed then a force stops acting on it.

UNIT 9 (SOCIAL SCIENCE 4º)

UNIT 9

THE ORGANISATION OF SPAIN

·         PROVINCES

A province is a group of communities related by geography and history. In Spain there are 50 provinces.

·         AUTONOMOUS COMMUNITIES

An autonomous community is a group of provinces, related by geography, history and language. Each autonomous community has a capital and a goverment.

In Spain there are 17 autonomous communities and two autonomous cities: Ceuta and Melilla.

The government of the  Spanish State is elected every four years in the general elections. Citizens elect the memebers of the Parliament. The Parliament is formed from:

-                     The Congress (makes the laws)

-                     The Senate (approves or rejects the laws)

The Congress elects the President of the goverment and he elects his ministers. The King appoints them.

·         SPAIN AND THE EUROPEAN UNION

Spain is in Europe and in the European Union. The organs of government of the European Union are: the European Parliament, the European Commision, Te Council of Europe and the European Courts of justice.

The advantages of being a memeber of the EU are:

-          There no borders between countries.

-          There is a common currency, the Euro.

-          The Union promotes economic equality between its members.

CITIZENS: RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS

·         We are citizens with rights

We have the right to:

-          Elect the members of the goverment.

-          Use public services.

-          An education (study).

-          Work.

-          Be protected by laws.

-          Have a place to live.

·         We are citizens with obligations

-          Respect publi welfare.

-          Contribute to maintaining public services (by paying taxes).

-          Collaborate in wellbeing and security.

-          Respect differences (political, cultural and religious)

UNIT 8 (SOCIAL SCIENCE 4º E.P.)

UNIT 8: WE LIVE, WE WORK, WE HAVE FUN

THE POPULATION AND HOW IT CHANGES

·         Population

The population of a place is the people who live there. There are different categories:

-          Children: less tan 16 years old.

-          Adults: between 17 and 64 years old.

-          Old people: older tan 65 years old.

·         The population changes

Population changes because of:

-          Birth rate: is the number of people who are born. It increases the population.

-          Death rate: is the number of people who die. It decreases the population.

-          Immigration: is when people arrive from other countries. They are immigrants and it increases the population.

-          Emigration rate: is when people go t olive in another country. They are emigrants and it decreases the population.

HOLIDAYS AND TRADITIONS

·       Customs and traditions

A place has different customs that depend on:

-         The type of place

-         The climate.

-         The history and legends.

-         The work.

A tradition is a custom which passes down from generation to generation.

Some types of traditions are: gastronomy, holidays and festivals, traditional costumes and music, craft and sports.

WORK

·         People and work

Work is the combinatoion of the activities we do to obtain things we need or want. There are two types of work:

-          Ppaid work: people receive Money.

-          Unpaid work: people do not receive Money.

Population is divided into:

-          Active population: adults who are able to work. It includes:

§  Workers who do paid work.

§  Unemployed workers who do not have a job.

-          Inactive population: people who do unpaid work or who do not work. It includes:

§  Children, students, people who are retired ori ll people who can not work.

§  People who do unpaid work.

·         Types of work

There are three sectors:

-          The primary sector: workers obtain natural products (agricultura, stock farming, etc)

-          The secondary sector: workers transform natural products (craft and industry).

-          The tertiary sector: workers give services (education, transport, etc)

UNIT 7 NATURAL SCIENCE 4º

UNIT 7  -  WE INTERACT WITH THE WORLD

■ The interaction function in human beings

• How does our body react?

The interaction function uses three types of apparatus: receptors, controllers and effectors.

Receptors, controllers and effectors

The receptors

The receptors are the sense organs. They capture what is happening outside or inside our bodies and send the information to the controllers.

The controllers

The controllers are the organs of the nervous system: ● The brain is inside the skull. It receives information from the receptors, interprets the information and produces a response. It collects information in its memory and coordinates all the organs of the body. ● The spinal cord is inside the spinal column. It controls the organs of the body and produces quick and simple order and responses. ● The nerves connect the sense organs to the brain and spinal cord.

The effectors

The effectors are the organs which carry out the orders from the controllers.

• What else can we do?

Human beings are the animal with the most complex and advanced interaction function, because our brains are very developed.

Because of brain:

-  We have memory.

-  We can learn everything

-  We can communicate.

-  We have a highly developed sensibility.

-  We can have feelings for other people and notice feelings other people have for us.

■ How our senses work

• Senses and the senses organs

Sight and the eyes

The eyes are the sense organs of sight. They work like a camera:

·         Light enters through the pupil.

·         The lens focuses the light and forms an image on the retina.

·         The retina converts the image into signals which it sends to the brain through the optic nerve.

·         The brain interprets the signals and permits us to perceive the shape, colour, etc.

Hearing and the ears

The ears are the sense organs of hearing and they detect vibrations.

·         Vibrations enter through the auditory canal.

·         The eardrum vibrates and transmits the vibration to the cochlea.

·         The cochlea transforms the vibrations into signals and they are sent to the brain through the auditory nerve.

·         The brain interprets the signals as sounds.

Taste and the taste buds on the tongue

The taste buds are the sense organs of taste.

·         For each substance, the taste buds send different signals to the taste nerve.

·         The brain interprets these signals as different tastes.

Smell and nose

The nose is the sense organ of smell.

·         For each substance, the receptors in the nose send different signals to the brain through the olfactory nerve.

·         The brain interprets the signals as different smells.

Touch and receptors in the skin

Skin is the sense organ of touch. It contains a lot of receptors thatare sensitive to temperature and pressure.

·         When the receptors feel something, they send signals to the brain through the nerves.

·         The brain interprets the signals as cold, heat, pain, etc.

NATURAL SCIENCE 4º (UNIT 5 - ECOSYSTEMS)

UNIT 5:  ECOSYSTEMS

■ What is an ecosystem?

● Living things and their surroundings

Where living things live is their habitat.

Each habitat has different physical conditions.

Living things have characteristics and adaptations which permit them to survive in their habitat.

An ecosystem is the combination of a habitat, the living things which live there, and the interaction between them.

● Protecting Ecosystems

In an ecosystem everything is connected and in equilibrium. To protect ecosystems we create protected areas. In these areas is forbidden to pick the plants and flowers, hunt the animals, steal the baby animals, drop litter, etc.

This means that the equilibrium of the ecosystem is not broken.

■ Survival in an ecosystem

● Living things must feed

Living things in and ecosystem must feed to obtain energy and carry out their vital functions.

Living things in food chains:

1. The producers of food

Plants and algae are the producers which use the light from The Sun to transform inorganic substances (water, carbon dioxide) into organic substances, which are their food. This process is photosynthesis.

2. The consumers of food.

They are animals. They feed on plants and algae and other animals. They use the food to obtain energy and grow.

3. The decomposers of food.

They are fungi and bacteria. They obtain energy to live and grow by decomposing the organic substances of other living things. They release inorganic substances which can be used again by the producers of food.

  

● Living things and their adaptations

Every living thing has adaptations which help it to survive and reproduce in its ecosystem.

Adaptations like:

*  A cactus is adapted to living in a desert with little water. Its stem is thick and contains lots of water. It loses little water through evaporation because its leaves are prickles, which are impermeable.

*  A fish is adapted to breathe underwater because of its gills. The gills take oxygen from the water. It is also adapted to swim underwater, because its limbs are fins.

*  A mantis is adapted to live and feed in plants. It is the same colour as the plant and it has spines on its legs to help catch its food.

*  A seal is adapted to live in the polar seas. It has a thick layer of fat to keep it warm and feet like fins to swim.

UNIT 6 LIVING THINGS AND HOW WE USE THEM (4º E.P.)

UNIT 6

LIVING THINGS AND HOW WE USE THEM

■ Human beings and other living things

• Primitive societies and other living things

 In primitive societies, human beings:

*  Collected fruit, roots, leaves, grain, etc.

*  Hunted and fished with simple tools.

*  Cut wood to make fire.

• The development of agriculture and fishing

Later, human beings..

*  They learnt to cultivate plants for food.

*  They domesticated animals for their meat, milk, eggs, wool, skin, etc.

*  They used animals for transport and for ploughing fields.

*  They invented more efficient ways of fishing with nets.

Fishing can take place in rivers, which is fluvial fishing, or in the sea, which is maritime fishing. Today, fish are also cultivated in special water farms; this is called aquaculture.

• Modern society and other living things

Today, the population of the world is very large and we cultivate on a massive scale.

We damage the environment and cause some problems. The problems of modern society are:

-  We cut down forests.

-  We cultivate land so intensively that the soil becomes infertile.

-  We use too many fertilizers and pesticides which pollute the soil and the water.

-  Agriculture and stock farming can change or destroy ecosystems.

-  We fish so much that in many places the fish are running out.

-  Some stocks farms produce waste which is very polluting.

■ Agriculture

• Types of crop farming

*  Cereals like wheat, maize and rice.

*  Fruit and vegetables. We cultivate fruit trees in orchards

*  Vines and olive trees.

*  Crops with industrial uses. We also cultivate sunflowers, sugar beet and cotton. They are used to supply the industries which produce oils, sugar and textiles.

■ Stock farming

• Types of stock farming

*  Sheep and goat farming (ganado ovino). We farm sheep and goats for their meat, milk, wool and skin.

*  Cattle farming (ganado vacuno). We farm cows and bulls for their meat, milk and skin.

*  Pig farming (ganado porcino). We farm pigs for their meat which we eat fresh or cured.

*  Poultry farming (ganado avícola). We farm chickens and ducks for their meat and eggs.

*  Other types of stock farming. We also farm rabbits, pheasants and even exotic animals like ostriches.