Vocabulary Jan. 3 - 6
1. constructive force – a natural force that builds up or creates something
new
2. flow – the motion or movement of the liquid or gaseous state of a
substance
3. career – particular work that requires special training or skill; the
related series of jobs and education a person has throughout life
4. landform – feature on the surface of the Earth, such as a mountain, hill,
dune, ocean and river
5. volcanic eruption – when magma from inside the Earth reaches the surface
as lava
6. Pangaea – a supercontinent containing all of the Earth’s land that
existed about 225 million years ago
7. plate tectonics – a theory that describes and explains the way that
continents separated into today’s land masses from one large continent
8. fault – a break or fracture of a rock formation caused by the shifting of
pieces of the Earth’s crust
9. rock – mineral matter that makes up the Earth’s crust; a lump or mass of
stone
10. valid – supported by facts
11. destructive force – a natural force that tears down or destroys something
Vocabulary Jan. 9 - 13
1. planet – an object that orbits the Sun and is large enough for its own
gravity to make it round
2. solar flare – an eruption on the Sun’s surface; a brief burst of energy
from the Sun’s photosphere
3. corona – the Sun’s atmosphere
4. photosphere – the visible surface of the Sun
5. sunspot – a darker spot that sometimes appears on the Sun’s surface (or
photosphere) that is cooler than the surrounding photosphere
6. comet – a mountain-size chunk of ice and dust that orbits the Sun, often
with a cloudy tail that reflects sunlight; (like a dirty snowball)
7. star – a massive body of hot gases that radiates energy and appears as a
bright point in the sky at night
8. astronomer – a specialist who studies planets, stars, galaxies, and other
objects in the universe
9. solar system – the Sun and all of the planets, satellites, comets, and
other objects that revolve around it
10. solar prominence – bright loops or sheets of gas in the Sun’s corona
Vocabulary Jan. 17 - 20
1. galaxy – a massive collection of stars, gas, and dust bound together by
gravity
2. limitation – a point beyond which something cannot or should not go
3. sequence – a series or collection of things that follow an order
4. lunar cycle – all of the Moon’s phases as it orbits the Earth
approximately once a month
5. new moon – when the Moon lies between the Earth and the Sun, so that most
of the Moon’s surface cannot be seen because the Sun is shining on the its
far side
6. eclipse – the partial or complete obscuring of the visibility of one
object in space by another (for example, a lunar eclipse); one object in
space casting its shadow on another (for example, a solar eclipse)
7. tides – the repeated rise and fall in the level of the ocean
8. satellite – an object that orbits a planet; a moon
9. full moon – the Moon when it looks like a complete circle from Earth
10. moon phases – the Moon as it appears at certain periods of time
(including new moon, first quarter, full moon, and last quarter)
Vocabulary Jan. 23 - 27
1. axis – a line, real or imaginary, around which something spins
2. day – the time during the Earth’s rotation when that part of the Earth
faces the Sun and it is lighted
3. gravity – a natural force that causes two objects that have mass to pull
toward each other
4. night – the time during the Earth’s rotation when that side of the Earth
faces away from the Sun and it is dark
5. orbit – the path one object takes as it revolves around another object in
space
6. rotation – spinning around a central axis
7. shadow – an area without light
8. core – the central or innermost portion of the Earth
9. crust – the solid outer layer of the Earth
10. Earth – a planet in the Solar System that has life on it
Vocabulary Jan. 30 – Feb. 3
1. data – pieces of information
2. generalization – a rule or pattern based on limited proof
3. sundial – instrument that measures the time of day by using the position
of the Sun
4. surface – the out-most covering or layer
5. temperature – how hot or cold something is
6. trend – the direction in which something tends to move toward
7. typical – usual; average
8. weight – the heaviness of an object; weight is affected by the pull of
gravity
9. approximately – more or less accurate or correct
10. season – one of the four natural periods of the year (spring, summer,
fall, and winter)
Vocabulary Feb. 6 - 10
1. Celsius – a temperature scale that sets the freezing point of water at 0
degrees and the boiling point at 100 degrees
2. climate – the average weather conditions of a region year after year
3. compass – instrument that uses a magnet to show which direction is North
(N)
4. craters – bowl-shaped indents or cavities on the surface of a planet or
moon that are caused by collisions with other objects, such as meteorites
5. humidity – the amount of water vapor in the air
6. hemisphere – either of two halves of the Earth; half of any sphere
7. moon – a natural satellite that orbits a planet
8. precipitation – rain, snow, sleet, or hail that falls from clouds in the
sky
9. weather – describes the condition of the air outdoors, such as
temperature, cloud cover, wind speed and rainfall
10. revolution – one complete trip around the Sun
Vocabulary Feb. 13 - 17
1. adult – a fully grown organism that can reproduce
2. complete metamorphosis –four stages of development – eggs, larva, pupa
and adult
3. egg – the first stage in the life cycle of many organisms
4. incomplete metamorphosis – three stages of development – eggs, nymph and
adult
5. larva – the stage of complete metamorphosis during which the organism
resembles a worm
6. life cycle – the stages in an organism’s life from birth to death
7. metamorphosis – a change in the body, form, or structure of a living
thing during its life cycle
8. nymph – the stage of incomplete metamorphosis during which an insect eats
and grows, and looks like a smaller version of the adult
9. organism – a living thing
10. pupa – the stage of complete metamorphosis during which the organism
seems to be at rest and new body parts are forming
Vocabulary Feb. 21 - 24
1. adaptation – any characteristic that helps a plant or animal survive
2. camouflage – characteristics that blend in with the surrounding
environment and increase chances of survival
3. hibernation – when an animal becomes still in a closed space and reduces
bodily functions to save energy
4. migration – the seasonal movement of animals from one place to another
5. mimicry – the resemblance of an organism to another organism or to its
surroundings that gives it a better chance of survival
6. niche – the role an organism plays in its environment
7. predator – an organism that hunts and feeds on another organism
8. prey – an animal that is hunted for food
9. species – a group of organisms with similar characteristics that allow
them to reproduce
10. survive – stay alive
Vocabulary Feb. 27 – Mar. 2
1. habitat – the place or environment in which an organism naturally lives
2. heredity – the passing of traits from parents to offspring during
reproduction
3. offspring – new organisms that come from parents that have reproduced
4. reproduction – the act of making something new
5. stage – a specific time during life or growth
6. trait – a characteristic of an organism
7. human – a human being; a person
8. function – proper work; normal action or use; purpose
9. inherited trait – a characteristic that is passed from parents to
offspring during reproduction
10. learned behavior – animal behavior that develops from observation or
instruction rather than being passed down by heredity
Vocabulary Mar. 5 - 9
1. carnivore – an organism that gets energy by eating only other animals
2. consumer – an organism that gets energy by eating other organisms
3. decomposer – an organism that gets energy by eating dead organisms,
nonliving materials, or waste
4. ecosystem – a community of living and nonliving things in their natural
environment
5. environment – the living and nonliving things that are around an organism
6. food chain – the path of food energy from one organism to another in an
ecosystem
7. food web – a connection of food chains with many food energy paths in an
ecosystem
8. herbivore – an organism that gets energy by eating only plants
9. omnivore – an organism that gets energy by eating both plants and animals
10. producer – an organism that uses sunlight to make its own food for energy
Vocabulary Mar. 19 - 23
1. carbon cycle – the movement of carbon on Earth by the processes of
respiration and photosynthesis
2. carbon dioxide – a gas produced by animals during respiration that plants
use to make food, water and oxygen
3. carbon dioxide-oxygen cycle – a continuous cycle where carbon dioxide and
oxygen are exchanged between plants and animals
4. nonliving element – a part of an ecosystem that does not require energy
to survive and does not have basic needs like food and water
5. oxygen – a gas produced by plants during photosynthesis that animals use
for respiration
6. population – all the living things that belong to the same group and live
in the same area
7. transpiration – the process in which plants give off water through tiny
openings called stomata in their leaf surfaces; also in stems, flowers, and
roots
8. Sun – a typical star that is the source of light and heat for planets in
the solar system
9. grazer – an animal that eats grass growing in a field or pastureland
10. overpopulation – a condition in which a population of organisms is too
large to be sustained by the resources in a certain area
Vocabulary Apr. 2 - 5
1. advantage – the good or benefit that is gained from something
2. aquatic – found in the water
3. bubble – gas or air in a liquid
4. elodea – an aquatic plant
5. deplete – to lessen drastically; exhaust
6. impact – direct effect or change on
7. living element – a part of an ecosystem that requires energy to survive
and has basic needs that must be met
8. nocturnal – active at night
9. photosynthesis – the process by which plants use the Sun’s energy and
carbon dioxide from the air to make food, water and oxygen
10. respiration – a process by which animals use oxygen and food to make
energy and carbon dioxide
Vocabulary Apr. 30 – May 4
1. organelle – a small structure within a cell that has a specific function
and is usually separately enclosed
2. mitochondria – an organelle that releases energy from food
3. chloroplast – an organelle that makes food for a plant cell
4. cell wall – a rigid layer that supports and protects a plant cell
5. vacuole – an organelle that stores food, wastes, or water
6. cell membrane – the thin covering that encloses a cell and holds its
parts together
7. meiosis – the process that reduces the number of chromosomes in
reproductive cells
8. proton – a subatomic particle with a positive charge
9. neutron – a subatomic particle with no charge
10. electron – a subatomic particle with a negative charge
11. atom – the smallest unit of a substance that has all the properties of
that substance
Vocabulary May 7 - 11
1. chromosome – a threadlike strand of DNA inside a cell’s nucleus that
contains hereditary information (such as hair color, boy or girl, and eye
color)
2. mitosis – the process of cell division
3. chlorophyll – a pigment, or coloring matter, that helps plants use light
energy to produce sugars
4. cytoplasm – a jelly-like substance containing many chemicals that keep a
cell functioning
5. epidermis – the outer protective layer of cells covering a plant or
animal; it may be a single-layered group of cells (such as that which covers
the leaves, flowers, roots, and stems of most plants), or a complex multi-
layered group of cells (such as the skin covering the exterior body of most
vertebrate animals)
6. molecule – a grouping of two or more atoms joined together
7. nucleus – an organelle that controls all of a cell’s activities
8. cell – the basic unit of structure and function of all living things;
they may exist as individual organisms, form colonies, or make up tissues in
more complex plants and animals
9. tissue – a mass or layer of cells that form a basic structural element or
perform a specific function in an animal’s or plant’s body
Vocabulary May 14 - 18
1. ligament – one of the bands of connective tissue that hold a skeleton
together
2. tendon – one of the tough bands of connective tissue that attach muscles
to bones
3. joint – a place where bones meet and are attached to each other and to
muscles
4. organ – a relatively independent part of the body that carries out one or
more special functions
5. appendage – an external body part that projects from the body and is
attached to a larger part (such as an arm, leg, fin, or tail)
6. circulatory system – an organ system that transports blood, waste
products, and nutrients throughout the body
7. respiratory system – an organ system that takes oxygen into the body and
releases carbon dioxide and water
8. skeletal system – the bones and cartilage that support a vertebrate’s body
9. muscular system – all of the muscles of the body, especially those
involved in movement
10. digestive system – an organ system that breaks down food into substances
the body can use and absorbs those substances
11. excretory system – an organ system that removes waste from the body
12. nervous system – a system of organs and tissues that controls and
coordinates the body’s activities
13. endocrine system – an organ system that controls body activities through
chemical messengers