Absorb-to take in(darker colors absorb more light=more heat)
Adaptations-something an animal inherits or behaves in a way to survive(ex. Camoflauge, migrating)
Alternative Energy-energy we use so that we do not run out of fossil fuels, provide electricity for us, and
produce much less pollution(GOING GREEN-wind, solar, hydropower,etc..)
Attract-when the opposite ends of a magnet line up and PULL together
Benefit-something positive that happens
Biomass Energy/Biofuel Energy-an alternative energy that is created from organic matter and using
certain plants as fuel
Boiling Point of water in Celsius-100 degrees
Boiling-the process of a liquid turning into a gas from heat(usually happens rapidly)
Camouflage-animals blending in with their surroundings
Canyons-a landform from the result of water, weathering, and erosion. Typically there is a river at the
bottom(slow process of changing the surface)
CO2 cycle-the cycling of carbon and oxygen through our atmosphere by plants and animals
Carbon Dioxide-gas released/exhaled by humans and animals that is taken in/inhaled by plants
Carnivores-animals that only eat meat
Circuit-the path electricity has to follow
Climate-the average temperature of a region( ex. Long term, the rainforest is hot and humid, wet
climate)
Closed Circuit-a circuit where electricity can completely flow through it and it is working
Compaction-squeezing together of an object(Ex: formation of sedimentary rocks)
Complete Metamorphosis-when an organism goes through all FOUR stages of development and a BIG
change happens(egg-larva-pupa-adult)ex. Butterflies, frogs, mosquitos
Condensation-the process where water vapor is cooled down to a liquid(ex. Cloud formation, water
droplets forming on the outside of a soda can or glass of water)
Conduction-the transfer of heat between two objects directly touching
Conductors-objects that can carry an electrical current(Metals are great conductors of electricity)
Conserve-to save
Consumers-organims that have to get food from another source(PLANTS ARE NOT CONSUMERS)
Convert-to change(plants convert sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide in their leaves to make sugar/food
for themselves)
Convection-the transfer of heat particles mixing in a liquid or a gas-ex: pot of water boiling on a stove
Current-the flow of electricity
Day/Night cycle-happens because of the Earth’s rotation every 24 hours
Decomposers-organisms that break down the remains of dead stuff and return nutrients back to the soil
for plants to use
Decreasing-to reduce or have less of
Delta-the depositing of sediment where a river meets a new body of water(google Mississippi River
Delta)
Demonstrate-to show or model something
Density-how the close the matter is packed into an object(a wood block will float in water because it is
less dense. Water is more dense than a wood block….so things that are more dense sink, things that are
less dense float)
Deposition-the building up of sediment by natural processes of wind, water, and ice
Direct Development-the birth and growth of an animal into an adult that doesn’t grow wings or go
through some BIG change(ex. Birds, reptiles, people, fish)
Dissolving-the breaking down a substance to mix evenly and form a solution(Ex: kool-aid packet in
water)
Dry Cell-fancy word for a battery
Ecosystem-the interaction of living and nonliving things in an environment
Electromagnet-an object that uses an electric current and metal containing iron to create a magnet
Erosion-the movement of sediment by wind, water, and ice(could be fast or slow process, Erosion has
the motion)
Evaporation-the process where water turns from a liquid into a gas from heat(typically the sun)
Full Moon Phase-the phase of the moon where it APPEARS the whole moon is illuminated but it is really
just the half of the moon facing Earth
Fault-a crack or break in the Earth’s crust
Food Chain-the connection of animals to show how they transfer energy to each other(look at the
arrows backwards to show who eats who, look at the arrows forward to show who gives energy to who)
Force- a push or a pull
Fossils-the remains or traces of once living organisms(not just animal bones)
Fossil Fuels-the formation of fuels from prehistoric plants and animals that died(ex. Oil, coal, natural
gas)
Freezing-the process of a liquid turning into a solid(like water freezing)
Freezing point of water in Celsius-0 degrees
Friction-rubbing together of two objects against each other
Gas-the state of matter that has no definite shape and no definite volume
Geothermal Energy-an alternative energy that is created by heat coming up as steam from within the
Earth’s surface(geo=Earth thermal=heat)
Glaciers-large chunks of ice found in water and land(when they slowly melt on land they form U-shaped
valleys)
Gravity-the pulling on an object(The earth has more gravity than the moon. The sun has more gravity
than the Earth and the moon)
Heat transfer-objects either lose or gain heat-goes from hot to cold
Herbivores-animals that eat only plants
Hibernate-when animals sleep for the winter in order to conserve energy
Hydropower energy-an alternative energy created by the power of moving of water through a dam to
produce electricity
Incomplete Metamorphosis-when a bug undergoes a change and typically grows wings but there are
only 3 stages. Egg, Nymph, Adult (Ex: Dragonflies)
Increasing-to get more of
Inference-to make an educated statement based off of your observations
Inherited Instincts-a behavior an animal does that it received from its parents(doesn’t have to be
taught, birds migrating, a spider spinning a web, etc…)
Inherited Traits-physical features or characteristics that make up who you are. They are passed down
from parent to offspring through your genes. Ex: Eye color, hair color, height, skin color
Insulators-objects that do not carry the source of energy Ex. Electrical insulators-foam, rubber, plastic,
Thermal Energy insulators-plastic, foam, wood
Learned Behaviors-something an organism learns to do, they did NOT inherit it from their parents(Ex:
riding a bike, dolphins jumping through hoops at sea world)
Light-energy that travels in a straight line and can be reflected, refracted, or absorbed
Liquid-the state of matter that has no definite shape but has a definite volume
Melting-the process of a solid turning into a liquid(like an ice cube turning into a liquid)
Moon-Earth’s nearest natural satellite, reflects light from the sun
Moon’s Phases-the amount of light we see being reflected off the moon from the sun. It changes due to
the positioning of the Earth, moon, and sun. Usually takes about 28days or 1 month for it to go through
all of its phases
Magnetism-the attracting and repelling of objects-if it contains IRON it can be magnetized
Mass-the amount of matter/stuff in an object
Mechanical Energy-push or pull of an object(usually some sort of machine)
Migrate-when an organism moves to a new location for winter to survive
Mixture-when you combine two or more objects together and their physical properties do not change
Most Likely-trying to make you think there is more than one answer(Pick BEST CHOICE)
Natural Resources-resources found in nature and they are NOT man-made
New Moon-phase of the moon where all the sun is shining on the side we don’t see(appears that the
moon has disappeared for a couple days)
Nonrenewable-the type of resource that cannot be made again because it takes too long to form(Ex:
fossil fuels, minerals, diamonds, etc.)
NOT-just keep an eye out for this word in any STAAR type questions
Observation-noticing and observing specific objects and their details
Offspring-the children or young kiddos of the parents (ex: bear cubs)
Omnivores-animals that eat both plants and animals
Opaque-materials that do NOT let any light pass through them
Open Circuit-when a circuit is not working for some reason OPEN=OFF, electricity can NOT completely
flow through the circuit
Orbit-the path a planet or object follows in space
Overpopulation-too many organisms in an area
Oxygen-gas produced by plants that is inhaled by people and animals
Parents-where you inherit your traits from
Photosynthesis-the process where plants take in water, sunlight, and carbon dioxide into their leaves to
make sugar/food in the form of glucose for themselves.
Physical Properties-the describing characteristics of an object
Physical State-the states of matter that objects can be(solid, liquid, gas)
Pitch-the speed at which sound waves travel(higher pitch=faster lower pitch=slower)
Planets-Know the order(My, Very, Eager, Mother, Just, Served, Us, Nachos)
Plant Structures and Functions-roots are for absorbing nutrients and water, leaves are for absorbing
sunlight, stem holds up the plant and carries nutrients throughout it
Poles-the ends of a magnet that can attract or repel from each other(Earth has poles)
Precipitation-any form of falling water(Ex: rain, snow, sleet, ice, hail)
Predator-the hunter
Pressure-the squeezing together on an object(Ex: formation of sedimentary rocks)
Prey-the animal being hunted or about to be eaten
Producers-organisms that create food for themselves(PLANTS ARE THE ONLY ORGANISMS THAT CAN DO
THIS)
Radiation-a type of thermal energy that is transferred in waves(Ex: Sun radiates heat to the Earth)
Reflection-the bouncing off of light rays(smooth, shiny objects reflect light well)
Refraction-the bending of light rays(Ex: looking through a prism or a beaker of water)
Renewable-the type of resource that can be made again within a natural lifetime(fresh water, corn,
trees, etc…)
Repel-the pushing away of two magnets that have the same poles
Revolve-the movement of one object around another(Ex: the Earth revolves once around the sun every
year or 365 days)
Rock Layers-Oldest layers are found at the bottom and youngest layers are found at the top.
Rotate-the spinning of an object on its axis(Ex: the Earth rotates on its axis once every 24 hours)
Sand Dunes-land formations in deserts that constantly change from wind erosion
Seasons-caused by the tilting of the Earth’s axis(know order)
Sediment-bits and pieces of broken down rock
Sedimentary Rocks-bits and pieces of rocks that have been compacted and squeezed together by
pressure over time(Ex: Sandstone)
Shadows-change in size due to the Earth rotating(Sunrise and Sunset will be when your shadow is the
longest, noon will be when your shadow is the shortest)
Solar Energy-an alternative form of energy from the sun
Solid-the state of matter that has definite shape and definite volume
Solubility-the ability of a substance to dissolve( salt and sugar will dissolve in water, pepper will not)
Solution-when two or more substances combine together and their physical properties change(salt and
water, sugar and water)-usually involves liquids and something dissolving
Sound-energy produced by vibrations
Stalactites-formations in a cave due to deposition of limestone and minerals in water(C in the word is
for ceiling)
Stalagmites-formation in a cave due to deposition of limestone and minerals in water(G is for formed on
the ground)
Sun-star at the center of our solar system made mostly of hydrogen and helium
Sunspots-darker, cooler areas(NOT COLD) on the sun
Tectonic Plates-giant pieces of the Earth’s crust that slowly move and shift around underneath our feetcan cause earthquakes, tsunamis, etc….when enough pressure and energy is released
Thermal energy-energy dealing with Heat(conduction, convection, and radiation)
Tides- the rising and falling of the Earth’s oceans caused by the pull of gravity from the moon and sun.
Happens mostly due to the moon’s gravity than the sun’s gravity because it is closer(High tides and low
tides occur daily)
Translucent-materials that let some of the light pass through them
Transparent-materials that let ALL of the light pass through them
Transpiration-where plants lose water out their leaves into the atmosphere
Valleys-an area of land between two mountains or large hills
Volume-the amount of space an object takes up
Volume w/Sound- the loudness of a sound
Waning-the phases of the moon where the amount of sunlight we see from Earth decreases
Water Cycle-the cycling of water through our atmosphere and on to the Earth’s surface over and over
Waxing-the phases of the moon where the amount of sunlight we see from Earth increases
Weather-the short term everyday conditions of the atmosphere(rainy, hot, cold, cloudy, etc…)
Weathering-the breaking down of rock
Weight-a number due to the pull of gravity on an object( can change depending on where you are in our
solar system. If you went to the moon you would weigh less than here on the Earth because it has less
gravity)
Wind Energy-an alternative form of energy created by the uneven heating of the Earth’s surface