Third Gradeby
Serena Georges
Science Vocabulary Words
adaptations
A part of animal’s body or way that an animal behaves that helps it survive
carnivore
An animal that eats other animals
chemical
change When a screw or nail begins to rust it is a
chemical change
A change that forms a different kind of matter
classify
Group items by specific characteristics, color, shape, size, etc.
community
A population of organisms that live in an ecosystem
condensation
The changing of a gas into liquid
consumer
A living thing that eats other living things as food
core
The center of the Earth
crust
The Earth’s outermost surface
decomposer
A living thing that breaks down dead organisms for food
desert
An ecosystem where there is very little rain
Earth
The third planet from the Sun
earthquake
The shaken of the Earth caused by movement of the crust and mantle
ecosystem
The living and nonliving things in an environment
environment
The things, living and nonliving, that surround a living thing
evaporation
The process by which a liquid changes into a gas
extinct
Describes a species that is gone forever
food
chain
The path of food from one living thing to another
food
web
A model that shows how a food chain overlaps
force
A push or pull
forest
An areas in which the main plants are trees
fossil
Something that lasted from a living thing that died long ago
fossil
fuels
A fuel formed from the remains of once living organisms
fresh water
Water that has very little salt in it
gas
A form of matter that does not have a definite shape or a definite volume
glaciers
A large, slow-moving river of ice, form by compacted layers of snow
grassland
An ecosystem made up of large, flat areas of land that are covered with grass
gravity
A force that pulls objects towards each other
habitat
A place where a population lives in an ecosystem
herbivore
An animal that eats plants
hibernate
To enter a deep sleep in which life activities slow down
humus
The part of the soil made up of the decayed parts of once living things
inclined
plane
A simple machine that has a flat surface set at an angle to another surface
inexhaustible resource
A natural resource such as air or water that can be used over and over and can’t be used up
inner
core
The central part of the Earth’s core
inclined plane
A simple machine made of a flat surface set at an angle to another surface
inherit
To receive traits from parents
instinct
A behavior an animal knows how to do without being taught
landform
A natural shape or feature of the Earth’s surface
lever
A bar that moves on or around a fixed point
liquid
A form of matter that has volume that stays the same, but can change its shape
loam
A type of topsoil that is rich in minerals and has lots of humus
magnet
An object that attracts certain materials, such as iron, steel, nickel or cobalt
magnetism
The force of repulsion (pushing) or attraction (pulling) between poles of magnets
magnetic pole
The end of a magnet
magnetic field
The space all around a magnet where the force of the magnet can act
mantle
The layer of the Earth between the crust and the core
matter
Anything that takes up space
mass
The amount of matter in an object
migrate
To travel as a group from one place to live in another
mimicry
An animal’s imitation of another animal or object in order to avoid predators
mineral
An object that is solid, is formed by nature and has never been alive
motion
A change in position
mountain
A landform; a place on Earth’s surface that is much higher than the land around it
natural
resource
Material found in nature and that is used by people
nonrenewable
resource
A resource such as coal or oil that can be used up
omnivore
An animal that eats both plants an animals
observation
When you observe an object using your senses or record data about the object using scientific instruments.
orbit
The path an object takes as it moves around another object in space
Earth orbits the Sun.
predict
To say what will happen using clues to support my guess
physical
change
A change to matter in which no new matter is formed
physical
property
Anything you can observe about an object using your senses
plain
A landform; a flat area of Earth’s surface
planet
A large body of rock or gas that orbits the sun
plates
Part of the Earth’s crust that is broken up into huge areas that drift atop the mantle
plateau
A landform; a flat area higher than the land around it
population
A group of the same kind of living thing that all live in one place at the same time
precipitation
The water that falls to Earth as rain, snow, sleet or hail
predator
An animal that hunts another animal for food
prey
An animal that hunted by a predator
producer
A living thing that makes its own food
push
A force used to move or change an object’s position
pull
A force used to move or change an object’s position
recycle
To reuse a resource to make something new
reflection
The bouncing of a light off an object
refraction
The bending of light when it moves from one kind of matter to another
renewable
resources
A resource that can be replaced in a human lifetime
revolution
The movement of one object around another object
reusable
resources
A resource that can be used over and over and can’t get used up like air and water
rotation
The spinning of an object on its axis
salt water
Water that has a lot of salt in it
scientific
method
Steps scientists take to answer a question or solve a problem.
simple
machines
A tool that helps people do work
solar
system
The Sun and the objects that orbit around it
solid
A form of matter that takes up a specific amount of space and has a definite shape
soil
A loose material in which plants can grow in the upper layer of the Earth
speed
The measure of how fast something moves over a certain distance
star
A hot ball of glowing gases, like our sun
temperature
A measure of how hot or cold something is
thermometer
A tool used to measure temperature
topsoil
The top layer of soil made up of the smallest grains and the most humus
trait
A body feature that an animal inherits; it can also be some things an animal does
tropical rain
forestA hot, wet forest where trees grow very tall and their leaves stay green all year
valley
A landform; a lowland area between higher lands, such as mountains
vibrate
To move quickly back and forth, producing sound
volcano
An opening in Earth’s surface from which lava flows
volume
The amount of space matter takes up
water cycle
The movement of water from Earth’s surface into the air and back to the surface again
weathering
The process by which rock is worn and broken down
weight
The measure of the pull of gravity on an object
wind
The movement of air
work
The measure of force that it takes to move an object a certain distance