6th Grade Science Vocabulary Glossary

  1. Abuse: To use a substance improperly or in excess.
  1. Addiction: A Physical dependence to a drug, where stopping use can cause physical trauma.
  1. Alcohol: A liquid containing ethanol, an intoxicating substance that alters the processes of the mind and body.
  1. Analyze: To examine carefully and in detail so as to identify cuases, key factors, and possible results.
  1. Anatomy: The structure of an animal or plant, or of any of its parts.
  1. Asteroid: Small rocky body orbiting the Sun, sometimes called minor planet or planetoid.
  1. Average speed: The measure of distance that an object travels in a given time period.
  1. Balanced Force: The forces applied to an object are equal and in opposite direction so that the objects motion doesn't change.
  1. Cells: The basic unit of all living organisms found in both plants and animals, having a nucleus and surrounded by a very thin membrane.
  1. Cell Membrane: The semipermeable membrane enclosing the cytoplasm of a cell.
  1. Cell Wall: The rigid boundary or wall made of cellulose that is part of the outer structure of a plant cell.
  1. Characteristic of Life: In order for something to be considered living, it must be made of one or more cells, have organization, use energy, live in stable conditions, grow and reproduce.
  1. Chloroplast: An organelle found in plant cells that's function is to carry out photosynthesis.
  1. Cilia: Small hair like organelles that line the cell wall of some cells and provide for the cells locomotion.
  1. Circulatory System: The system of organs and tissues, including the heart, blood, blood vessels, involved in circulating blood through the body.
  1. Classification key: A method to group and categorize species of organisms.
  1. Classify: To arrange in some sort of order by categories or groupings.
  1. Comet: A small Solar System body that orbits the Sun and, when close enough to the Sun, exhibits a visible tail made of gas and/or dust.
  1. Compare: To examine two or more objects or events to establish similarities.
  1. Composition: The makeup of a material. A material formed from two or more substances.
  1. Conclusion: A final statement of the findings of an investigative process that is supported by investigative evidence (data).
  1. Contrast: To examine two or more objects or events to find differences.
  1. Control: In an experiment, this is the part of the experiment that does not change.
  1. Controlled experiment: A laboratory investigation in which the values of all variables are kept the same except for one that is changed from trial to trial and then compared to the rest.
  1. Crescent: The figure of the moon in its first or last quarter, resembling a segment of a ring tapering to points at the ends.
  1. Cytoplasm: The cell substance containing all the organelles outside of the nucleus and enclosed in the cell membrane.
  1. Dependent (responding) variable: The factor studied in a system that is expected to change when the manipulated (independent) variable is changed.
  1. Design: To prepare the plans for work to be executed, such as preparing steps to take to complete a lab.
  1. Dependency: The state of relying on something.
  1. Diabetes: A disease in which the body does not properly produce or use insulin.
  1. Digestive System: The system by which ingested food is acted upon by physical and chemical means to provide the body with absorbable nutrients and to excrete waste products.
  1. Distance: The amount of space between two points usually measured by length in metric or standard units.
  1. Drug: A chemical substance that affects the processes of the mind or body.
  1. Dwarf planet: A body gravitationally bound to the Sun with enough mass to be approximately spherical in shape, but not enough mass to have pulled in debris from the neighborhood of their orbit.
  1. Eclipse: An astronomical event that occurs when one celestial object moves into the shadow of another.
  1. External: The outside or outer part of a surface.
  1. Final Position: The end position as when comparing the distance of objects.
  1. Flagella: A long, lash like appendage serving as an organ of locomotion.
  1. Force: A push or pull that has both magnitude and direction.
  1. Friction: The force that acts to slow or stop the motion of objects.
  1. Gibbous: of the moon or a planet, more than half but less than fully illuminated.
  1. Galaxy: A collection of stars, gas, and dust bound together by gravity and isolated from similar systems by vast regions of space.
  1. Gravity: The force by which any two masses are attracted to one another and governs the motion of the Solar System.
  1. HDL: A lipoprotein that carries cholesterol in the blood. This is the good cholesterol and speeds up the clearance of bad cholesterol from the blood reducing the risk of build up of cholesterol in the arteries.
  1. Heart Disease: A structural or funcitonal abnormality of the heart, or of the blood vessels supplying the heart, that impairs its normal function.
  1. Hypertension: Disease of the arteries in which chronic high blood pressure is the main symptom.
  1. Hypothesis: A testable explanation for a specific problem or question based on what has already been learned.
  1. Independent (manipulated) variable: The factor of a system being investigated that is changed to determine that factor's relationship to the dependent (responding) variable.
  1. Inhalant: A vapor or aerosol that is an individual breaths in order to alter the state of mind.
  1. Initial Position: The start position as when comparing the distance of objects.
  1. Inference: A logical conclusion based on evidence.
  1. Inquiry: The diverse ways in which people study the natural world and propose explanations based on evidence derived from their work.
  1. Internal: The inside or inner part of the body or part.
  1. Investigation: A method of planning or conducting a scientific study to answer a question or problem.
  1. Lunar Eclipse: When the Earth comes between the sun and the moon. When the moon is in the Earth's shadow it is not visible, so the moon is blocked by the Earth.
  1. LDL: A lipoprotein that transports cholesterol in the blood. High levels are associated with atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease. Also called 'bad cholesterol.
  1. Locomotion: The act or power of moving from place to place.
  1. Mass: A measure of how much matter there is in an object.
  1. Matter: Anything that has mass and that takes up space.
  2. Measure: The act or process to determine the extent, dimension, quantity or length of something.
  1. Milky Way Galaxy: The galaxy containing the solar system; consists of millions of stars that can be seen as a diffuse band of light stretching across the night sky.
  2. Mitochondria: The organelle in the cytoplasm that functions in energy production.
  1. Moons: A natural satellite that is a celestial body that orbits a planet or smaller planetary body.
  1. Motion: A constant change in the location of an object.
  1. Multicellular: Composed of several or many cells.
  1. Nucleus (In biology): The central structure in a living cell enclosed in a membrane that includes most of the genetic information in the cell that controls growth and reproduction in most living things.
  1. Nutrients: A food or chemicals that an organism needs to live and grow, or a substance used in an organism's metabolism that must be taken in from its environment.
  1. Observation: The skill of recognizing and noting some fact or occurrence in the natural world using the senses
  1. Orbit: The gravitationally curved path of one object around a point or another body.
  1. Organ: A group of tissues in plants or animals that perform a particular task.
  1. Organelle:"Little organs." Small specialized cell parts that carry out functions within the cell.
  1. Organ system: A group of organs that work together to perform a particular task.
  1. Organism: A living thing such as an animal, plant, fungus, or microorganism.
  1. Phases of the Moon: Can be explained by its changing relative position as it orbits Earth.
  1. Planet: A round object that has its own orbit around a star, such as the sun.
  1. Plutoid: A dwarf planet outside the orbit of Neptune.
  1. Predict: Use prior knowledge to guess what will happen.
  1. Problem: A question or circumstance which can be solved using a scientific study or investigation
  1. Procedure: an organized series of steps to conduct a scientific investigation.
  1. Producer: An organism that produces complex organic compounds from simple inorganic molecules using energy from light or inorganic chemical reactions.
  1. Psuedopod: A foot-like extension of a single celled organism, used for moving about and for surrounding and taking in food.
  1. Question: A problem for discussion or under discussion.
  1. Research: Gathering of information for the study of an idea or a scientific problem .
  1. Respiratory System: The system for taking in oxygen and giving off carbon dioxide.
  1. Satellite: An object that orbits a planet or moon.
  1. Sliding Friction: When two solid surfaces slide against each other. Begins when the force on an object overcomes the force of static friction.
  1. Solar Eclipse: When the Moon comes between the sun and the Earth, so that a viewer is in the moon's shadow, blocking the view of the sun.
  1. Solar System: The Sun and those celestial objects bound to it by gravity, including eight planets, moons, dwarf planets, plutoids, asteroids, meteoroids, and other small bodies.
  1. Speed: The rate or measure of the rate of motion. The distance travel divided by the time of travel.
  1. Static Friction: A frictional force that prevents two surfaces from sliding past each other.
  1. Theory: An integrated, comprehensive explanation of many facts capable of generating hypotheses and testable predictions about the natural world.
  1. Time: Measuring system used to sequence events and to compare the how long events may take place.
  1. Tissue: A group or layer of cells that are alike and work together to perform a specific function.
  1. Trials: Repetitions of data collection protocols in an investigation.
  1. Unbalanced Forces: When acted upon an object, it changes the speed or direction of an object's motion.
  1. Unicellular Organism: Having or consisting of a single cell.
  2. Variable: Any changed or changing factor used to test a hypothesis or prediction in an investigation that could affect the results.
  1. Waning: The moon any time after a full moon where the illuminated area is decreasing.
  1. Waxing: The moon at any time after a new moon where the illuminated area is increasing.