Mrs. Sweat's Sail Science - Richardson Middle School
  • Home
  • Homework
  • Contact Me
  • Science Fair
  • Vocabulary
  • Test
  • Class Policy
  • Links
  • LIFE Program
Picture

    You will have a vocabulary quiz every week. Below is the list of words that you will need to know for the week. Plus the additional five  words from the previous weeks list  will be added for the quiz. Study all the words, from the previous weeks list.

    You will also find a link to the Quizlet a practice quiz. Please take the time to use this to study the words.

 

         Vocabulary List

                                 WEEK 1
Absorb

To take up and store energy without reflecting or transmitting that energy. 

Adaptation

 A characteristic of an organism that increases its chances of survival in its environment. 

Analyze
To examine methodically by separating into parts and studying their interrelatedness.

Asteroid
An object that is found in the solar system, orbits the Sun, and is much smaller than a planet. 

Attraction

A term used to describe the magnetic force exerted by oppositely charged objects or to describe the gravitational force that pulls objects toward each other.
 

Balanced Forces
Forces that are equal in size but opposite in direction. See also force and unbalanced forces. 

Behavior

A plant or animal action, reaction, or activity that occurs in response to stimuli (e.g., gravity, light, temperature)

Carnivore

An animal that obtains nutrients from eating other animals. 
       
Characteristic

A feature, quality, property, or trait of an object or organism.

Science
The investigation and exploration of natural event and of the new information that results from those invesitigations.

                                 
                             WEEK 2
Chemical  Change
Process by which substances are changed into different substances with different properties. 

Classify

To arrange in a specific order or group by categories based on similarities. 

Cleavage
A property used to describe how easily a mineral breaks apart along smooth surfaces. 

Climate
The average pattern of weather that occurs in a certain location over many years.

Comet

An object made of rock, ice, dust, and gas that revolves around the Sun. 

Community
Populations of different species of organisms living together in the same geographic area.

Complete Metamorphosis
Type of insect development characterized by the presence of a larval stage with different feeding habits. 

Conclusion
A statement that tells what an investigation showed, based on observations and data. 

Condensation
The process by which water is changed from a gas (water vapor) to a liquid; a stage of the water cycle. 

Repitition
When the same scientist repeats a study in the same location.


                                WEEK 3
Conduct
To transmit heat or electricity through a medium. 

Consumer
An organism in a food chain that obtains nutrients from producers or other consumers; consumers may be herbivores or carnivores. 

Control group

A group in a scientific experiment that serves as a reference for comparison to the experimental group; a group that is untreated by the factor being tested.

Data

Measurements or observations collected and recorded in an experiment or investigation. 

Ecosystem
All the living and nonliving things that interact with each other in an environment.

Endangered species

A species whose population is so small that it is in danger of extinction.

Environment

An area that includes all living organisms and the surrounding physical features such as air, water, soil, weather, and landforms.

Erosion

The process by which rock, soil, and other weathered earth materials are moved from one place to another. 

Evaporation
The process by which water is changed from a liquid to a gas (water vapor); a stage of the water cycle. 

Experiment
A scientific test or procedure that is carried out under controlled conditions to answer a scientific question.

                                WEEK 4
Extinct species
A species that no longer exists. 

Fertilization
The process by which the female reproductive cell (egg) is united with the male reproductive cell (sperm or pollen). 

Food chain

A diagram representing the transfer of energy from the Sun through producers and a series of consumers.

Force

A push or a pull that one object exerts on another object with or without direct contact (e.g., friction, gravity). See also balanced forces and unbalanced forces.

Friction

A force that opposes motion through direct contact. 

Germination

The process by which plants begin to grow from seed to spore or from seed to bud. 

Hardness
A property of a mineral that describes how easily it can be scratched. 

Hemisphere
Half of Earth (i.e., Northern, Southern, Eastern, Western). 

Herbivore
An animal that obtains nutrients only from plants. 

Humidity
A measure of the amount of water vapor in the air. 

                                 WEEK 5
Igneous Rock
A type of rock that forms from cooled magma or lava.

Incomplete Metamorphosis

Type of insect development characterized by the similar appearance of pre-adults and adults. 

Inference
An explanation based on evidence that is not directly observed.

Inherited trait
A trait or characteristic that is passed from parent to offspring. 

Insulator
A material used to reduce or prevent the transfer of electricity, heat, or sound.
                                 
Invertebrate
An animal that lacks a backbone.

Investigation

An organized scientific study of the natural world that may include making systematic observations, asking questions, gathering information, analyzing data, summarizing results, drawing conclusions, and/or communicating results

Larva
An early stage in the life cycle of an organism that will undergo complete metamorphosis.

Life cycle
The stages of an organism’s growth and development. 

Luster
A property of a mineral that describes how it appears when it reflects light. 

                                  WEEK 6
Mass
The amount of matter a substance or object has. 
Matter
Anything that takes up space and has mass.

Mechanical Energy

A type of energy an object has due to its motion or position. 

Metamorphic rock
A type of rock that is formed over time from existing rock due to extreme pressure and/or heat.

Mineral
A solid material formed in nature on or in Earth’s crust with its own properties.

Moon

A natural object that orbits a planet. 

Nutrient
A substance that an organism needs to survive and grow. 

Nymph
A pre-adult insect undergoing incomplete metamorphosis.

Observation

Information about the natural world gathered through the senses and/or scientific instruments.

Omnivore
An organism that obtains nutrients from both plants and animals. 

                                WEEK 7
Organism
A living thing. 

Ovary
The female reproductive organ that produces and contains egg cells. 

Physical change

A type of change that involves the physical properties of a substance.

Pistil
The female reproductive structure of a flowering plant.

Pitch

The relative frequency (high or low) of a sound as perceived by a listener. 

Planet
A large body in space that orbits a star and does not produce its own light. 

Polar Zone
A climate zone characterized by very little precipitation and extremely cold temperatures.

Pollen
The fine dustlike powder that contains the male reproductive cells of seed-bearing plants. 

Pollinate
To transfer the pollen from the male reproductive structure to the female reproductive structure to fertilize flowering plants. 

Population

All members of the same species living together at the same time in the same area

                         WEEK 8
Precipitation
A form of water (e.g., hail, rain, sleet, snow) that condenses in the atmosphere and falls to Earth’s surface. 

Predator
An organism that obtains nutrients from other organisms. 

Predict
To state what one thinks will happen under certain conditions based on data or observation.

Prey
An organism that is hunted and/or eaten by another organism (predator).

Producer
An organism that produces its own food.

Pupa
A stage in the life cycle of an insect that occurs between larva and adult.

Reflect
To bounce light, sound, or heat off of a surface

Repel
To force away or apart. 

Reproduction
The process of making more organisms of the same kind.


Replication: to copy an experiment under the same conditions and to get the same results


                                     WEEK 10
Revolution

The motion of one object around another object.

Rotation
The turning of an object on its axis. 

Sedimentary rock
A type of rock formed from layers of sediment

Soil
The loose top layer of Earth’s surface made of weathered rock and organic matter. 

Solar system

A system of planets and other bodies that orbits a star. 

Species
A group of the same kind of organisms that can mate and produce offspring that can reproduce.

Speed
The distance traveled by an object in a given amount of time.

Spore
A seedlike structure that produces a new plant (e.g., ferns or mosses). 

                                 WEEK 11
Stamen
The male reproductive structure of a flowering plant. 

Star

A large object in space that is made of gas and produces its own light. 

State of matter
The form matter can take (e.g., solid, liquid, gas). 

Streak

The color of the powder of a mineral when it is rubbed on a streak plate. 

Technology
The use of scientific knowledge and processes to solve practical problems.


Temperate Zone
A climate zone located between the tropics and the polar circles generally characterized by moderate temperatures rather than extremely hot or cold temperatures.

Testable (scientifically testable)
A term used to describe a question that can be answered through an experiment or observation.

Claim
A testable statement about what happened. Expresses what the author is trying to help the audience understand and believe.

Evidence:
The evidence consists of the data used to support the claim. Tells the audience the support the author has collected that makes the claim convincing.

Reasoning:
The reasoning presents the logic that leads from the evidence to the claim and, if possible, connects it with a scientific principle. Says why the claim makes sense, given what we understand so far.

                                 WEEK 12

Texture
A physical property of a solid used to describe its surface.
                       
Trials
Multiple sets of measurements or observations in a scientific investigation. 

Tropical Zone

A climate zone near the equator characterized by warm temperatures. 

Unbalanced Forces
Forces that are unequal in size and may or may not be opposite in direction. See also balanced forces and force. 

Valid
A term used to describe the certainty of data or results of an investigation or experiment. 

Variable
An event, condition, or factor that can be changed or controlled in order to study or test a hypothesis in a scientific experiment. 

Vertebrate

An animal that has a backbone. 

Volume
The amount of space an object or substance occupies.

Water cycle
The continuous movement of water through the environment by evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and runoff.

Water vapor
The gas state of water.
                                 WEEK 13


Weather
The condition of the atmosphere at a given time and place. 
                                   
Weathering
The process by which rocks and other surfaces are broken down.

Weight

A measure of the force of gravity on an object

                            
Acceleration
The rate at which velocity is changing. The change may involve an increase or decrease in speed and/or a change in direction. The change may be positive or negative. 

Allele
Any of two or more alternate forms of a gene that an organism may have for a particular trait. 

Amplitude
The maximum absolute variation of any periodic function (e.g., a wave). 

Astronomical Unit
A unit used to measure distances in the solar system equal to the average distance between the Sun and Earth, approximately 150 million kilometers, and abbreviated AU.


Autotroph
An organism that can produce food from inorganic materials (e.g., carbon dioxide, sunlight, water).

Binary Fission
An asexual reproductive process in which a single cell divides into two cells.
        
Binomial Nomenclature
A system used to name organisms using two words: the genus name and the species name.                        
                                    WEEK 14


                                 

Boiling Point
The temperature at which a liquid changes to a gas. The boiling point of water at sea level is 100°C (212°F). 

Budding
An asexual reproductive process in which an outgrowth of a parent organism detaches and forms a new individual of the same species. 
Chemical Properties
Characteristics of substances that describe their composition, reactivity, and how the substance changes into different substances. 

Controlled Variable
A factor or condition in a scientific experiment that is purposefully kept the same. 

Dominant
The form of a trait that is expressed or shown when the combination of alleles for this trait is heterozygous. 

Dwarf Planet
A celestial body similar to a planet but orbiting in a zone that has many other objects in it (e.g., Ceres, Pluto)


Evidence
Evidence based on observations or experiments rather than theory. 

Eukaryote
An organism whose cells contain a nucleus surrounded by a membrane.       
                        
Evolution (scientific theory of evolution)
A cumulative change in the characteristics of organisms or populations over time from generation to generation.

F1 generation
The first generation of offspring from the mating of parental organisms (P generation).

                                 WEEK 15

Fault
A crack in Earth’s crust along which movement has occurred. 

Fold
A bend in a layer or several layers of rock. 

Heterogeneous
A type of mixture in which different parts can be easily distinguished.

Heterotroph

An organism that cannot produce its own food.

Heterozygous

A cell or organism that has two different alleles for a particular trait

Homeostasis
The tendency of a cell, organism, or population to maintain internal stability. 

                                 WEEK 16
Homogeneous
A type of mixture in which the different parts are blended evenly so that the mixture is the same throughout. 

Homozygous
A type of cell or organism that has identical rather than different alleles for a particular trait. 
                               
Hypothesis
A statement that can be tested scientifically through experiments and/or other scientific investigations. 

Infiltration
A process in which water soaks into the soil.

Kingdom
The highest Linnaean classification into which organisms are grouped; above phylum.
                                 
Law (scientific law)
A scientific principle based on many observations of naturally occurring events that demonstrate it to be without exception under certain stated conditions. See also theory. 

Light-year
The distance a ray of light travels in a vacuum in one year. 

Melting point
The temperature at which a solid changes to a liquid. The melting point of ice at sea level is 0°C (32°F).

Model (scientific model)
A replica or description designed to show the workings or structure of an object or system. 

Molecule
The smallest unit of matter of a substance that retains all the physical and chemical properties of that substance; consists of a single atom or a group of atoms bonded together. 

                                 WEEK 17
Nebula
A large cloudlike mass of gas and dust in space that may lead to the formation of a star.

Net force
The sum of all the forces acting on an object. When forces are balanced, the net force is zero and the object’s motion will remain the same. When forces are unbalanced, the net force is nonzero and the object’s motion will change. 

Niche
The unique position occupied by a particular species in terms of the area it inhabits and the function it performs within the community.

Nucleus
The center region of an atom where protons and neutrons are located; also, the cell structure that contains a cell’s genetic material. 

Opaque
A term used to describe a material that absorbs and/or reflects light and does not allow light to pass through. 

Outcome Variable (Dependent Variable)
A factor, usually being measured or observed, that responds to, or depends on, another factor (test variable). 

P Generation
The parental generation in a genetic cross. 

                              WEEK 19

Percolation
The movement of water through rock or soil. 

pH
A measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a solution based on a scale from zero to fourteen. 

Pressure
The force exerted per unit area. 

Prokaryote
An organism whose cells are characterized by the lack of a defined nucleus. 

Recessive
The form of a trait that will be masked unless the organism is homozygous for this trait. 

Regeneration
The growth of new tissues or organs to replace those lost or damaged by injury. 

Repetition
Making multiple sets of measurements or observations in a scientific investigation. 

Replication
The reproduction of a scientific investigation by another person to ensure accuracy. 

Saturation
A condition of a solution whereby it has reached a maximum amount of solute under the given conditions. 

Solute
A substance that is being dissolved by another substance.

                                 WEEK 20
Solvent
A substance that dissolves another substance. 

Systematic observations
Observations obtained by following a preplanned method of observation.

Temperature
A measure of how hot or cold a substance is; a measure of the average kinetic energy of the particles of a substance. 

 Test variable (independent variable)
The variable manipulated by the experimenter in order to study changes in the outcome variable. 

Theory (scientific theory)
An explanation for some naturally occurring event developed from extensive observations, experimentation, and reasoning.

Translucent
A term used to describe a material that cannot be clearly seen through but that allows some light to pass through it.

Transparent
A term used to describe a material that can be clearly seen through because it allows light waves to pass through in straight lines.

              Quizlet Link

                      WEEK 1
                      WEEK 2
                      WEEK 3
                      WEEK 4
                      WEEK 5
                      WEEK 6
                      WEEK 7
                      WEEK 8
           9 WEEK Vocabulary Test

                       WEEK 10
                       WEEK 11
                       WEEK 12
                       WEEK 13
                       WEEK 14
                       WEEK 15
                       WEEK 16
                       WEEK 17
          9 WEEK  Vocabulary Test

                       WEEK 19
                       WEEK 20
            9 WEEK  Vocabulary Test

                        
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.