Second Grade Science Vocabulary
Unit - Investigation Design and Safety
Word
data
conclusion
predict
describe
observe
record
identify
investigate
evidence
analyze
recycle
dispose
reuse
goggles
Definition
Science information
The last part
To say what you think will happen
Saying or drawing what you see, hear, touch, taste or smell
To see, hear, touch, taste or smell
To write or draw
To tell what something is
To gather information
Information or facts that make you believe something is true
To observe something carefully in order to understand it
To use again, especially to reprocess
To place or set in a particular order; arrange
To use again, especially after salvaging or special treatment or
processing.
A pair of tight-fitting eyeglasses, often tinted or having side shields,
worn to protect the eyes from hazards such as wind, glare, water,
or flying debris.
Unit - Magnets
Word
magnet
Definition
an object that pulls on some metal objects
Unit – Motion
Word
force
motion
pattern
position
sliding
rolling
spinning
Definition
push or pull
the act of changing place or position
a repeating event
where an object is placed
to move from one place to another with the same part of an object
touching the surface
to move from one place to another by turning over and over
repeating motion that turns around a point
1
Second Grade Science Vocabulary
Unit - Heat
Word
condensation
cooling
energy
evaporation
freezing
heat energy
heating
melting
temperature
thermometer
Definition
the change from a gas to a liquid
to make less warm
the ability to cause movement or create change
the change from a liquid to a gas
to change from a liquid to a solid by losing heat
the energy of moving particles
to make warm or hot
to change from a solid to a liquid by adding heat
how hot or cold something is
a tool used to measure temperature
Unit - Light
Word
light energy
dim
bright
Definition
energy that you can see
less light
more light
Unit - Sound
Word
sound energy
vibrate
Definition
energy you can hear
to move back and forth quickly
Unit - Properties of Matter
Word
matter
physical property
shape
mass
temperature
texture
flexibility
state of matter
solid
liquid
Definition
anything that has mass and takes up space
attributes that can be observed and measured
the outward form of an object
the amount of matter in an object
a measure of the amount of heat
how a substance feels
ability to bend
a form that matter can take such as solid, liquid, or gas
a state of matter that has a definite shape and volume
a state of matter that has a definite volume but takes the shape of
its container
2
Second Grade Science Vocabulary
Unit - Changing Matter
Word
property
combine
folding
sanding
structure
Definition
an attribute that can be observed and measured
to put together
to bend so that one part covers another
the smoothing of a surface
a collection of parts held together
Unit – Water Cycle
Word
condensation
evaporation
model
precipitation
water cycle
Definition
the change from a gas to a liquid
the change from a liquid to a gas
something that helps us learn about the way it works
water or ice that falls to Earth in the form of rain, snow, sleet, and
hail
the movement of water between the air and Earth
Unit – Weather
Word
air
cloud
pattern
precipitation
rain gauge
season
temperature
thermometer
weather
wind
wind vane
Definition
gases that surround the Earth
a clump of tiny water drops that hangs in the air
a repeating event
water that falls from clouds in the sky, includes rain, snow, and hail
a tool used to measure how much rain has fallen
a time of year that shows a certain weather pattern
the measure of the amount of heat
a tool used to measure temperature
a description of the outside air in a certain place at a certain time
moving air
a tool used to show which direction the wind is blowing
Unit – Objects in the Sky
Word
moon
pattern
star
Sun
Definition
a natural object in space that orbits around a planet
events that repeat over and over again
a big ball of hot gases that gives off light
the star at the center of our solar system
Unit – Rocks
Word
mineral
property
rock
texture
Definition
a solid material found in nature that has never been alive
characteristic of a material that helps to identify or classify
something
a solid material made up of minerals
the appearance and feel of a substance
3
Second Grade Science Vocabulary
Unit – Water
Word
freshwater
natural resource
saltwater
water
Definition
water that does not have salt in it
something found in nature that people can use
water that has salt in it
a clear liquid that has no color, taste, or odor
Unit – Natural Resources
Word
conservation
natural resource
manmade resource
recycle
reuse
soil
Definition
the saving of resources by using them carefully
materials in nature that people use to make things
materials that people make
to collect things so they can be remade into new things
to use things again
made of broken down rock and once living things
Unit – Animals
Word
animal
environment
basic needs
factor
behavior
migration
hibernation
precipitation
temperature
Definition
a living thing that can move on its own, eats plants and other
animals for food and produces offspring
the living and nonliving things in an area where an organism lives
something an organism must have to survive and produce offspring
a cause of something changing
a response to a change in an organism’s environment that helps it
survive
when an animal moves to a new environment because the current
one is difficult to live in
a deep sleeplike state when an animal’s temperature, heart rate,
and breathing slow down
water or ice that falls to Earth in the form of rain, sleet, snow, or hail
a measure of the amount of heat
Unit – Plants
Word
environment
factor
basic needs
behavior
dormancy
plant
temperature
precipitation
Definition
the living and nonliving things in an area where an organism lives
a cause of something changing
something an organism must have to survive and produce offspring
a response to a change in an organism’s environment that helps it
survive
when plant growth is slowed down or stopped
a living thing that cannot move from place to place on its own,
makes its own food, and produces offspring
a measure of the amount of heat
water or ice that falls to Earth in the form of rain, sleet, snow, or hail
4
Second Grade Science Vocabulary
Unit – Life Cycles
Word
molt
larva
Definition
the process of shedding the outer skin of an insect as it grows
hatches out of an egg, often worm-like
series of stages that an organism passes through as it is born,
grows, and dies
hatches out of an egg, looks like a smaller adult but does not go
through a pupa stage
occurs as the larva changes completely inside a cocoon
fully developed and mature
life cycle
nymph
pupa
adult
Unit – Interdependence
Word
food chain
interdependence
Definition
transfer of energy from one organism to another
need for another living thing and the environment
5