Download Page 1 of 4 FOSS California Pebbles, Sand and Silt Module

FOSS California Pebbles, Sand and Silt Module
Glossary
2007 Edition
Alike: Similar; in the same way.
Amount: A number; a sum or total.
Asphalt: A material used to pave roads.
Balance: A tool used to measure weight.
Balance base: The bottom part of a balance.
Balance beam: The part of a balance in which objects are placed to be weighed. It
balances on the base.
Basalt: A gray, smooth rock that was once the hot, liquid lava that came out of a volcano.
Bead: A small, rounded object with a hole through which a thread can be passed; a piece
of jewelry.
Boulder: A very large rock that is bigger than a cobble.
Brick: A rectangular material made of clay that is used to build walls.
Build: To make or form something.
Cement: A finely ground powder that sets and hardens when mixed with water.
Clay: A rock that is so small it is hard to see just one.
Coarse: Made up of larger, rough particles.
Cobble: A rock that is smaller than a boulder, but bigger than a pebble.
Collection: A group of objects to be seen, studied or kept together.
Color: A pigment or hue.
Concrete: A mixture of cement, gravel, and/or sand that, when mixed with water, will set
and harden.
Decay: When dead plants or animals break down into small pieces.
Different: Unlike; not alike, or not the same.
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Dinosaur: A type of animal that lived millions of years ago that was similar to some
modern reptiles and birds.
Drain: To flow out of something.
Dry: Free of wetness; not wet; lacking moisture.
Dull: Not sharp or shiny.
Dust: Fine pieces of rock.
Earth material: Any of the solid, liquid, or gaseous materials that make up Earth.
Evidence: Something that provides proof.
Fine: Made up of very small particles, such as a powder.
Flat: Level, smooth or even; not raised.
Fossil: A part of a plant or animal that lived long ago and has turned to rock.
Geologist: A scientist who studies Earth and rocks.
Graduated cylinder: A tool used to measure volume.
Gram: The basic unit of weight in the metric system.
Granite: The name of a kind of rock. Pink granite is made of four minerals. Those
minerals are hornblende (black), mica (black), feldspar (pink), and quartz (white).
Gravel: rock that is smaller than a pebble, but bigger than sand.
Harden: To dry up and become stronger.
Humus: Bits of dead plant and animal parts in the soil.
Ingredient: A piece of a mixture.
Large: Big in size.
Layer: A material that likes evenly over or under a different material.
Matrix: Something that connects other parts together.
Medium: Made up of middle-sized particles.
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Milliliter: A unit of volume equal to one thousandth of a liter.
Minerals: The ingredients that make up rocks.
Mixture: Two or more things mixed together.
Mortar: Lime or cement or a combination of both, mixed with sand and water and used as
a bonding agent between bricks or rocks.
Mountain: A high, rocky landform with steep or sloping sides.
Museum: A building in which collections of scientific, historical or artistic value are studied
and exhibited.
Nutrient: Something that living things need to grow and stay healthy.
Particle: A piece of rock.
Pebble: a rock that is smaller than a cobble, but bigger than gravel.
Pointed: Having sharp edges or corners.
Property: Something that you can observe about an object or material. Size, color, shape,
texture, and smell are examples of properties.
Retain: Keep or hold in a place or position.
River rock: Rock found in a riverbed or bank, usually smooth and rounded.
Rock: A solid earth material. Rocks are made of combinations of minerals.
Round: Moving in or forming a circle.
Rough: Bumpy; not smooth.
Sample: A small part of portion of a material
Sand: rock that is smaller than gravel, but bigger than silt.
Sandpaper: Sand that is glued to paper to create different surface textures on wood.
Scoria: A reddish, bubbly rock that was once the bubbly top of lava.
Screen: A piece of mesh used to separate a mixture.
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Sculpture: A three-dimensional work of art.
Separate: To take apart the ingredients of a mixture.
Settle: To establish a place or position.
Shake: To move back and forth rapidly.
Shape: Form or outline of something’s form.
Shiny: Smooth and glossy, polished and bright, filled with light.
Sidewalk: A paved walkway along the side of the street.
Silt: A rock that is smaller than sand, but bigger than clay.
Sink: To move downward usually so as to be below the surface or swallowed up; to
descend gradually lower and lower.
Size: How large or small something is.
Skeleton: A framework of bones.
Small: Not large.
Smooth: Flat, level; not rough.
Soak: to make something completely wet.
Soil: A mix of sand, silt, clay, gravel, pebbles, and humus.
Sort: To arrange by property.
Speckled: Having a pattern of many small spots or patches, often in a different color.
Striped: Having lines of different shades or colors.
Texture: How something feels, such as rough or smooth.
Tuff: A light, soft rock that has ashes in it from the fires of a volcano.
Water: A clear liquid made of hydrogen and oxygen.
Weathering: The breakdown of rocks and minerals by natural processes.
Wet: Containing or covered with a liquid; not dry.
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