Transcript Science Vocabulary Words

Science Vocabulary
Words
Third Grade
by
Serena Georges
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
forest
A 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