3rd Grade Science Vocabulary Words

Goal 1
1)*chlorophyll: the green coloring of leaves and plants
2) germinate: to begin to grow, as when the right conditions allow a seed to

develop

3) *oxygen: a gas that is in air and water

4) *plant: a living organism
5) root: a plant part that takes in water and grows under the ground
6) stem: a plant part that supports the plant
7) seed: a source for development or growth in a plant
8) seed Coat: the outer protective covering of a seed
9) seedling: a young plant
10) nutrients: providing nourishment
11) light: something that makes things visible
12) water: a transparent, odorless, tasteless liquid
13) *environment: the things that make up an area, such as land, water, and air
14) *investigate: to examine, study, or inquire
15) *adaptation: the act of adapting or adjusting
16) pollinate: to transfer pollen
17) carbon monoxide: a colorless, odorless gas
18) **lifecycle: all the stages in an organisms life
19) growth: the process of developing
20) survival: to continue to live regardless of difficult conditions
21) reproduction: the way organisms make more of their own kind
22) **ecosystem: all the living and nonliving things in an environment and all their interactions
23) **producers: an organism such as a plant that makes its own food
Goal 2
24) *soil: a mixture of tiny rock particles, minerals, and decayed plant and animal materials.

25) color: a tint of shade that is not black or white. Red, blue, and yellow are the main colors from which all
other colors are made.
26) *properties: any characteristic of matter that you can observe.
27) *texture: how the surface of an object feels to the touch.
28) *capacity: the volume of a container measured in liquid units.
29) *classify: to place materials that share properties together in groups.
30) *compare: 1. to examine how two or more people or things are alike or different.
2. to tell how one thing is like something else.
31) *characteristic: making one thing different from another; typical of a certain kind. (Adjective) A quality
or item that makes a person or thing different from another.
(Noun)
32) clay: a type of soil made up of very small grains; it holds water well.
33) sand: tiny grains of worn or crushed rock, found mainly on seashores and in deserts.
34) *humus: the part of the soil made up of decayed parts of once-living things.
35) loam: a type of topsoil that is rich in minerals and has lots of humus.
36) topsoil: the top layer of soil made up of the smallest grains and the most humus.
37) discard: to throw away or give up something that is useless.
38) *recycle: to treat something so it can be used again.
39) compost: A mix of decaying leaves, vegetables, and other living matter.
40) *decay: n a slow rotting of plant matter: The decay was on the
v to rot slowly: The oranges began to decay.

ground.

41) *decomposer: n -an organism that breaks down dead plant and animal material.
Decomposers recycle chemicals so they can be used again.
42) *sediment: n small pieces of matter that settle at the bottom of a liquid.
Dead leaves and other sediment lay at the bottom of the pond.
43) *erosion: n a slow wearing, washing, or eating away
The trees and grass helped prevent the erosion of soil on the hill.
44) *deposition: n - the laying down of matter by a natural process
The deposition of leaves during fall happens every year
Goal 3
45) moon: n a satellite of any planet.
The earths moon shines because it reflects light from the Sun.

46) stars: n huge, hot spheres of gases, like the Sun, that give off their own light
Stars shine very brightly.
47) sun: n a star around which Earth and other plants revolve
The Sun is extremely hot during the summer.
48) planet: n any of the eight large bodies that orbit the Sun. In order from the Sun outward, they are
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
We live on the planet Earth.
49) rotate: v to turn or cause to turn around on an axis.
The moon rotates around the Earth from west to east once every

29 days.

50) axis: n a real or imaginary line through the center of a spinning object
The earth rotates around its axis.
51) Equator: n an imaginary line around the earth located half way between the North and South Poles.
The U.S. and Canada are located north of the equator.
52) phase: n an apparent change in the Moons shape
The first phase of the moon is the New Moon.
53) revolution: n movement in a circle around a central point or object.
The earth made one revolution around the Sun.

54) rotation: n the act or process of turning on an axis.

The rotation of the earth takes twenty-four hours.
55) Solar System: n the Sun and all the objects that orbit it:
Our solar system has eight planets.
56) tilt: to slope or slant
57) constellation: a group of stars that is shaped somewhat like an animal, person, or object
58) atmosphere: gases that surround a body in space (ie. Earth)
59) galaxy: a very large group of stars
60) gravitation: the force that makes all the objects in the universe tend to move toward one another
61) moon phase: (or lunar phase) refers to the appearance of the illuminated
portion of the moon as seen by an observer
62) universe: everything that exists, including the earth, the planets, and the

stars

63) reflect: the bouncing of light off a surface

64) absorb: to soak up (to take in)
65) observe: to use one or more of the senses to identify or learn about an object or event

66) crescent: the shape of the moon as it appears in its first or last quarter, with curved edges ending in points
67) waning: describes the moon between full moon and new moon, when the sunlit portion is decreasing in
size
68) waxing: describes the moon between new moon and full moon, when the sunlit portion is increasing in
size
69) telescope: a device that gives a clearer view of something far away
Goal 4
70) function: to serve a certain purpose
71) bones: a hard material that supports the skeletal system
72) support: to hold up or in position
73) protection: to cover or shield from
74) locomotion: the power to move from place to place
75) joints: place where two or more bones join together
76) hinge: allows movement in one area
77) ball and socket: allows bones to swing in almost any direction
78) gliding: formed when two bones that can move separately meet
79) movement: the act or process of moving
80) mechanical device: made or operated by a machine
81) muscles: tissue that is attached to bones to help them move
82)ligament: connect the bones in the joints of the body and help to keep them in place