4th Grade Science Vocabulary Words
TOOLS
Beaker
Camera
Collecting Net
Compass
Graduated Cylinder
Hand Lens
Hot Plate
Meter Stick
Microscope
Pan Balance Scale
Rain Gauge
Safety Goggles
Sieve
Spring Scale
Thermometer
Triple Beam Balance
a container with a pouring spout and marks for approximate
measurement
contains one or more lenses and “takes” pictures
a tool used to gathering living organisms
a tool with a needle that always points north
a container marked with a graded scale and used to measure the exact
volume of a liquid
a hand held magnifying glass
a tool used to heat liquids in the science lab
a tool used to measure length
an instrument that uses lenses to make small objects look larger
a scale that uses pans to measure approximate mass of an object
a tool to measure the amount for rainfall
a pair of glasses worn for protection during a science experiment
a science tool with holes through which smaller particles of a mixture of
different sizes may be passed to separate them from larger particles
a tool used to measure a force, such as gravity, on an object
a tool used to measure temperature in degrees
a scale that uses three-bars to measure the exact mass of an object
CORE AND NON-ACADEMIC VOCABULARY WORDS
Absorb
to take in, or soak up – like a sponge
Analyze
to study the parts of something carefully
Approximate
similar in nature, appearance, or amount; not exact
Capacity
the amount that can be held by a container or area
Characteristic
a trait or feature of a living thing
Classify
to sort or arrange according to characteristics
Conclusion
a statement telling the results of an investigation based on data and
observations
Constant
a factor that does not vary throughout an investigation or experiment
Control
to keep all the variables the same except the one variable being tested
Convert
to change from one form or function to another one
Cycle
a process that happens in repeating patterns
Diagram
a simple drawing showing the basic shape, layout, or how something
works
Direct
Economical
Evidence
Eye wash
Gram
Hypothesis
Infer /Inference
Investigation
straightforward and readily observed
managing one’s resources with care and without waste
information or proof that helps form a conclusion
safety equipment used to wash out eyes in the lab
the basic unit of mass in the metric system
a possible explanation or answer to a question; a testable question
an untested conclusion based on observations
a procedure carried out to gather data about an object or an event
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Magnify
Marine
Measuring
Method
Model
Observation
Pattern
Physical
Characteristic
Physical State
Process Skills
Properties
Result
Retain
Scientific Method
Sparse
Stationary
System
Theory
Timber
Valid
Variable
to make an object appear larger than it is using a science tool
relating to things in the saltwater ecosystems
a system that is used to determine the dimensions, area, volume, mass, or
weight of something
a process used for doing something
a representation of something real that is too big, too small, too far away,
or has to many parts to investigate directly
information collected by using the five senses
something that is repeated or occurs at regular times
a physical feature of an object
a form of matter
those things scientists do in order to solve problems or answer questions
EX: measuring, observing, inferring, making a hypothesis, making
models, classifying, communicating
a characteristic that you can see, feel, smell, hear, or taste
outcome of an investigation
to keep or hold in a particular place or position
step-by-step process used to find answers to questions about the world
around us
having few or a limited amount
not changing; stable
a collection of structures that interact
an explanation of how or why something happens based on observations
and investigations
growing trees or their wood
reasonable and justifiable
the one condition or factor you change in an investigation so the effects
can be observed
ORGANISMS AND ENVIRONMENT
Acquired traits
traits that occur in response to the environment
Adaptation
a structure or behavior that enables an organism to survive in its
environment
Basic needs
the things an organism needs to live such as air, water, food, and shelter
Behavioral
Something an animal does that helps it survive
Adaptation
Biologist
a scientist who studies plants and animals
Biome
a large region that has a specific climate and specific types of plants and
animals
Botanist
a scientist who studies plants
Botany
the study of plants
Burrow
a hole in the ground made by an animal for shelter and habitation
Camouflage
a color, shape or pattern that helps an animal blend into its surroundings
Carbon Dioxide/
the continual movement of carbon dioxide and oxygen among plants,
Oxygen Cycle
animals, and nonliving parts of the environment
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Carnivore
Cell
Chaparral
a consumer that eats only other animals
the basic unit of structure of all living things
a thicket of dense shrubs, bushes, and small trees
Chrysalis
Cocoon
Community
Complete
Metamorphosis
Consumer
Decay
Deciduous Forest
the pupa stage of a butterfly, occurring between the larva and adult stages
a case which hold the larva of some insects during the pupa stage
a group of organisms that live together in the same environment and
depend on one another
the life cycle of an organism whose appearance changes substantially at
each of the four stages
animals that eat plants or other animals to get energy
to rot or go through decomposition
a forest containing trees which lose their leaves in fall
Deforestation
Desert
to cut down trees in a forest
an environment with very little rain
Ecosystem
Egg
Extinct/ Extinction
Endangered
Energy Pyramid
an area in which living and nonliving things interact
the first stage in the life cycle of some animals
no longer living as a species./ the death of all members of a species
in danger of becoming extinct
a diagram showing the flow of energy through a food chain in an
ecosystem
all the living and nonliving things that surround and affect an organism
the transfer of food energy in a sequence of living things
a diagram that shows the relationships among different food chains in an
ecosystem
the sprouting of a seed
Environment
Food Chain
Food Web
Germination/
Germinate
Gene
Genetic Trait
Glucose
Grassland
Habitat
Herbivore
Heredity
Hibernation
Human Impact
Incomplete
Metamorphosis
Inherited Trait
the specific section of a chromosome that determines the inherited traits
of an organism
an inherited characteristics determined by the combination of genes from
the parent organisms
sugar produced by plants through photosynthesis
an area of land consisting mainly of grasses, such as prairie, meadow, or
savanna
the place where an organism lives and gets what it needs
a consumer that eats only plants or other producers
the process by which traits are passed from parents to offspring
a survival behavior in which some animals go into a deep sleep for the
winter
the effect humans have on the environment
the life cycle of an organism whose appearance does not change
substantially at each of its three growth stages
a characteristic passed from parent to offspring through genes Ex: color
of eyes
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Instinct
Interdependent
Larva
Learned Behavior
Living Organism
Life Cycle
Marsh
Migration/Migrate
Mimicry
Niche
Nocturnal
Nonliving Object
Nutrients
Nymph
Ocean
Omnivore
Organism
Photosynthesis
Pollination
Population
Prairie
Prey
Producer
Pupa
Rainforest
Savanna
Taiga
Temperate Forest
Tundra
Webbed Feet
EARTH AND SPACE
Accumulation/
Collection
Agents of Erosion
Air Mass
Air Pressure
Apparent Movement
a behavior an animal knows how to do without having to learn it
when organisms depend on each other for survival
an early stage in the life cycle of an insect
behavior that is taught or acquired through experience
something that grows, changes, and makes other living things
the stages an organism goes through from the beginning of life to
adulthood
an area of water-logged land
the seasonal movement of some animals from one place to another
an animal’s resemblance to another organism or object in color, shape, or
design in order to escape predators or attract prey
the role that each species plays in a community
active at night
an object that is not alive
a material used by living things for growth and for other life functions
immature form of an insect that undergoes incomplete metamorphosis
a large body of saltwater
an organism that eats both plants and animals
a living system
the process in which plants use energy from the sun to change carbon
dioxide and water into sugar and oxygen
the transfer of pollen from a male plant part to a female plant part of seed
plants
all the members of a species living in the same environment
a grassland area found in North America
an animal that is hunted and eaten by a predator
an organism that makes its own food through photosynthesis
the stage of metamorphosis in which an insect changes from a larva to an
adult
a tropical forest where rain falls almost every day
a flat grassland found in tropical and subtropical areas
a subarctic forest consisting mainly of coniferous evergreen
a forest with a moderate climate
a flat, cold area with no trees
feet with toes which are connected by a membrane
a part of the water cycle in which water collects in large bodies of water
forces that carry away sediment: wind, ice, gravity
a large body of air having similar temperature and moisture content
the weight of the atmosphere pressing down on Earth
movement of an object when no movement is actually taking place
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Asteroid Belt
Astronomer
Atmosphere
Axis
Bedrock
Blizzard
Canyon
Clay
Climate
Coal
Cold Front
Comet
Condensation
Conservation
Constellation
Deposition
Drought
Earthquake
Eclipse
Energy Transfer
Erosion
Eruption
Evaporation
Fault
Fertilize
First Quarter Moon
Fog
Front
Full Moon
Galaxy
Gas Giant
Glacier
Gravity
Groundwater
Hail
Hemisphere
High Pressure
High Tide
Humidity
Humus
Hurricane
Igneous Rock
the area in space between Mars and Jupiter where asteroids orbit
a scientist who studies the celestial bodies in the universe
the mixture of gases that surrounds Earth
the imaginary line around which Earth rotates
solid rock found under soil
a heavy snowstorm
area between two steep cliffs; sides formed by running water (river)
type of soil with very fine particles, bendable when wet-hard when dry
pattern of weather conditions in a region over a period of many years
fossil fuel formed from the remains of plants that lived in swamps
the leading edge of a cooler air mass
large mass of ice and dust that orbits the Sun
the process by which a gas changes into a liquid
the use of less of something to make its supply last longer
a group of stars that seems to form a picture or design in the sky
process by which wind or water drops sediment in a new location
a long period of time without precipitation
sudden tremor of Earth’s surface caused by movement of the crust and
mantle
when one object in space blocks light from reaching another object
change of energy from one form to another ex; solar to electric
process of moving weathered rock & sediment from one place to another
an ejection of material such as lava
the process by which a liquid changes into a gas
a place where a break in Earth’s crust causes movement
to add needed nutrients to the soil
moon phase occurring monthly in which the right half is reflecting the
Sun’s light appears lit and is visible from Earth
water vapor which has condensed close to the ground
the boundary between two air masses
a moon phase occurring monthly in which the entire side of the Moon
facing Earth is reflecting the Sun’s light and is visible from Earth
a large systems of stars, dust and gas
a large, gaseous planet in the outer solar system
a large mass of slowly moving ice and snow that carves new features and
deposits sediments
a force that pulls objects towards each other
water located within the gaps and pores in rocks below Earth’s surface
form of precipitation made from lumps of ice
half of the globe ex: northern, southern, eastern, western
an area where the air pressure is higher than it is in surrounding areas
the time when the inflowing water reaches its highest level
the amount of water vapor in the air
the remains of decayed plants or animals in the soil
a powerful storm with strong winds and heavy rains
hot, liquid rock cools and becomes hard
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Landforms
Landslide
Lava
Low Pressure
Low Tide
Lunar
Magma
Metamorphic Rock
Meteorologist
Moon
Natural Gas
Natural Resource
New Moon
Nonrenewable
Resource
Oil
Orbit
Phases of Moon/
Lunar Cycle
Pole
Precipitation
Radiation
Renewable Resource
Retain
Revolves
Revolution
Rotate
Rotation
Runoff
Seasons
Sediment
Seismograph
Shadow
Silt
Soil
Solar Energy
Stationary Front
Sun
Third Quarter Moon/
Last Quarter
a physical feature on Earth’s surface
sudden collapse of land causing a rapid change to Earth’s surface
molten rock above Earth’s surface that erupts from a volcano
an area where the atmospheric pressure is lower than the pressure of the
surrounding areas
the time when ocean water reaches its lowest level
having to do with the moon
liquid, molten rock beneath Earth’s surface
rock that has changed to another under the influence of heat & pressure
a scientist who studies weather, climate, and Earth’s atmosphere
a natural satellite in space that revolves around a planet
formed when layers of buried plants, gases, and animals are exposed to
intense pressure over thousands of years
a material found in nature that people and other living things use
a moon phase occurring monthly in which none of the side of the moon
facing the Earth can be seen
a natural resource that cannot be replaced in a reasonable amount of time
liquid fossil fuel used for energy which was formed, through heat and
pressure, from the remains of ancient plants and animals
the path of one object in space around another object
a change in the appearance of the moon’s shape as it orbits Earth
the place on a magnet where the force is the strongest
any form of water falling from the clouds to Earth
the transfer, or movement, of heat without matter to carry it
natural resource that can be replaced within a reasonable amount of time
to hold in or keep
to travel in a path around another object
the movement of an object around another object
to turn on an axis
the act of spinning or turning around a center or an axis
water that does not soak into the ground & flows across the surface
earth’s tilt on its axis causes the sun’s rays to strike some places on Earth
more directly during certain times of the year
sand, bits of rock, fossils, and other matter carried and deposited by
water, wind, or ice
a tool used to detect the seismic waves caused by an earthquake
an image cause when light is blocked by an opaque object
a type of soil made of find-grained sediment
a mixture of water, air, tiny pieces of rock, and humus
energy from the sun
the line between a cold front and a warn front does not move
the star at the center of our solar system that supplies all energy
a moon phase occurring monthly in which the left half of the moon is
reflecting light from the Sun and is visible from Earth
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Tides
Tilt
Valley
Volcano
Waning Moon
Warm Front
Water Cycle
Waxing Moon
Weather
Weathering
the rise and fall in the water level of the ocean
the Earth leans to the side, this gives us oceans
a large wave caused by an underwater earthquake
rupture on the curst that allows lava, ash, and gases to escape
moon appears to decrease in size between the full moon and new moon
opening in Earth’s crust through which lava and ash erupt
process in which water continuously moves from Earth’s surface into the
atmosphere
moon appears to increase in size between the new moon an full moon
condition of the atmosphere at a certain place and time
the breaking down of rocks by water, wind, and ice into smaller pieces
Force, Motion, and Energy
Air Pressure
weight of the atmosphere pressing down on Earth
Attract
pull together
Boiling Point
the temperature at which a liquid boils ex: 100°C
Buoyancy
the ability of an object to float or rise in a liquid or gas
Capacity
the amount that can be held by a container
Chemical Energy
energy that can be released by a chemical change
Circuit
a path along which electric charges can flow
Closed circuit
an electrical path with no breaks or gaps
Conduction
the transfer, or movement, of heat between two objects that are touching
Conductor
a material that easily transfers heat or electricity
Convection
the transfer of heat through currents in gas or liquid
Dissolve
to mix completely with another substance to form a solution
Dense
marked by closeness or crowding together of parts
Density
the amount of matter compacted into a given volume of a substance
Electric Circuit
a complete or partial path over which electric currents may flow
Electric Current
the path that electricity flows through a circuit
Electrical Energy
a form of energy that comes from electric current
Electromagnet
a temporary magnet caused by an electric current
Energy
ability or capacity to do work or cause change
Evaporation
the process by which a liquid changes into a gas
Force
a push or pull
Freezing Point
temperature at which a liquid changes to a solid ex: 0°C
Friction
the force that resists motion when two surfaces rub against each other
Gas
state of matter that does not have a definite volume or a definite shape
Generator
device that makes electricity; converts mechanical energy to electrical
energy
Insulator
material that does not allow heat or electricity to move through easily
Kinetic Energy
energy that something has because of its motion
Lever
type of simple machine that consists of a rigid bar that pivots
Liquid
matter that has a definite volume but no definite shape
Light Energy
form of energy that travels in waves
Magnet
an object that attracts iron and a few other-but not all-metals
Magnetism
the physical property of being magnetic
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Mass
Matter
Mechanical Energy
Melting Point
Mixture
Newton
Open Circuit
Parallel Circuit
Physical Change
Physical Property
Potential Energy
Repel
Series Circuit
Solid
Soluble
Solution
Sound Energy
Thermal/Heat Energy
Volume
Water Vapor
Weight
Wheel and Axle
the amount of matter in an object
anything that takes up space and has mass
the total potential and kinetic energy of an object
temperature at which a solid changes to a liquid ex: 0°C
combination of two or more different substances that keep their identity
the unit of measurement that measures force
a broken or incomplete electrical path; the light is off
an electric circuit that has more than one path for the electric charges to
follow
a change in which a new substance is not formed
a characteristic of matter than you can observe or measure directly
energy an object has because of its position or its condition
move apart
an electric circuit in which the electrical charges have only one path
matter that has a definite shape and a definite volume
able to be dissolved in or by a liquid
a mixture of two or more substances evenly distributed (or dissolved) in
another substance
energy that travels through matter and can be heard
the energy of moving particles that produces heat
1. measure of the amount of space occupied 2. loudness of sound
water that has changed into gas
a measure of the pull of gravity on an object
a simple machine made of a wheel that turns around a center rod
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