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6th Grade Science Content Vocabulary The Universe Key Terms Scientific models - is a scientific activity the aim of which is to make a particular part or feature of the world easier to understand, define, quantify, visualize, or simulate Geocentric - having or relating to the earth as center Heliocentric - having or relating to the sun as center Big Bang Theory - the Big Bang is a THEORY about the creation of the UNIVERSE Big Crunch Theory- a theory that says that the universe will stop expanding outward, reverse direction, and pull back on itself to the single point Nebular Hypothesis - the theory that the solar system evolved from a mass of nebular matter Milky Way - the galaxy to which Earth and other components of our Solar System belong Gravity - the force that pulls an apple to the ground, pulls the moon toward Earth, keeps the planets in orbit and attract objects towards each other Law of Universal Gravitation - states that every object in the universe attracts every other object Mass - the amount of matter in an object Weight - the measure of the force of gravity on an object Comet - a ball of ice and dust who orbits around the sun in a long, narrow ellipse Asteroids- objects revolving around the sun that are too small and too numerous to be considered planets Meteors - the streak of light in the sky produced by the burning of a meteoroid in Earth's atmosphere Meteorite- when a meteoroid burns in the atmosphere and hits the ground Meteoroid - a chunk of rock or dust in space that comes from comets or asteroids Planet - any consolidated, large object which orbits a star Revolution - the movement of one object around another, Earth around the sun, year; 365 1/4 days Rotation - the spinning of the Earth on its axis, day and night (24 hours) Celestial Sphere - giant spinning dome that the Greeks thought surrounded the Earth Core - also called the Solar Core, is considered to extend from the center to about 0.2 to 0.25 solar radius. It is the hottest part of the Sun and of the Solar System. It is approx. 15,000,000°C if we convert that to Farhenheit that would be 27,000,000°F Photosphere - the visible surface of the Sun; the upper surface of a convecting layer of gases in the outer portion of the sun whose temperature causes it to radiate light at visible wavelengths; sunspots and faculae are observed in the photosphere Corona - the outer atmosphere of the Sun made up of thin gases and can only be seen during a solar eclipse without telescopes its temperature is 1 - 2,000,000°C Chromosphere - the lower level of the solar atmosphere between the photosphere and the corona Solar Wind - streams of charged particles constantly given off by the Sun 6th Grade Science Content Vocabulary Solar System Key Terms asteroid - an irregularly shaped rock that orbits the Sun. comet - a space object made of ice and dust that orbits a star and develops a long, bright tail as it nears its star. core - the center of an object. crater - a hole in the ground caused by the impact of an object from space. dwarf planet - a nearly round object that orbits a star, is smaller than a planet, and is not a satellite of another object. gas giant - a large planet that is mainly made up of gases. gravity - the force that pulls all objects toward each other. moon - a huge ball of rock that travels around a planet; a natural satellite. orbit - to revolve around another object. planet - a very large object that orbits a star. satellite - a natural or human-made object that orbits Earth or another object in space. solar system - a group of objects in space that orbit a star. star - a body in outer space, made of hot gases, that shines in the night sky. terrestrial - like Earth; describes planets that are rocky and Earthlike in size. asteroid belt - the area in space between Mars and Jupiter where most asteroids orbit. atmosphere - a layer of gases surrounding a planet, star, or moon. gas - a substance with no fixed volume or shape that can expand freely. helium - the second lightest chemical element; often a gas. hydrogen - the lightest chemical element; often a gas. mass- the measure of the amount of matter in an object. methane - a colorless, odorless, flammable gas commonly called "natural gas". oxygen - a gas that has no color, taste, or smell, and which people need to live. 6th Grade Science Content Vocabulary Earth, Moon and Sun Key Terms asteroid - an irregularly shaped rock that orbits the Sun. comet - a space object made of ice and dust that orbits a star and develops a long, bright tail as it nears its star. core - the center of an object. crater - a hole in the ground caused by the impact of an object from space. dwarf planet - a nearly round object that orbits a star, is smaller than a planet, and is not a satellite of another object. gas giant - a large planet that is mainly made up of gases. gravity - the force that pulls all objects toward each other. moon - a huge ball of rock that travels around a planet; a natural satellite. orbit - to revolve around another object. planet - a very large object that orbits a star. satellite - a natural or human-made object that orbits Earth or another object in space. solar system - a group of objects in space that orbit a star. star - a body in outer space, made of hot gases, that shines in the night sky. terrestrial - like Earth; describes planets that are rocky and Earthlike in size. asteroid belt - the area in space between Mars and Jupiter where most asteroids orbit. atmosphere - a layer of gases surrounding a planet, star, or moon. gas - a substance with no fixed volume or shape that can expand freely. helium - the second lightest chemical element; often a gas. hydrogen - the lightest chemical element; often a gas. mass- the measure of the amount of matter in an object. methane - a colorless, odorless, flammable gas commonly called "natural gas". oxygen - a gas that has no color, taste, or smell, and which people need to live. 6th Grade Science Content Vocabulary Water on Earth Key Terms Water vapor - The invisible, gaseous form of water. Groundwater - Water that fills the cracks and pores in underground soil and rock layers. Water cycle - The continuous process by which water moves from Earth's surface to the atmosphere and back, passing through the living and nonliving parts of the environment. Evaporation - The process by which molecules at the surface of a liquid, such as water, absorb enough energy to change to a gaseous state, such as water vapor. Transpiration - The process by which plants release water vapor through their leaves. Precipitation - Forms of water such as rain, snow, sleet, or hail that fall from clouds and reach Earth's surface. Irrigation - The process of supplying water in areas of land to make them suitable for growing crops. Aquifer - An underground layer of rock or soil that holds water. Wave - The movement of energy through a body of water. Crest - The highest point of a wave. Wavelength - The horizontal distance between two wave crests. Frequency - The number of waves that pass a specific point in a given amount of time. Trough - The lowest point of a wave. Wave height - The vertical distance from the crest of a wave to the trough. Tides - The daily rise and fall of Earth's waters on shores. Spring tide - A tide with the greatest difference between high and low tide that occurs when the sun and the moon are aligned in a line with Earth. Neap tide - A tide with the least difference between low and high tide that occurs when the sun and moon pull at right angles to each other. Continental shelf - A gently sloping, shallow area of the ocean floor that extends outward from the edge of a continent. Continental slope - An incline leading down from the edge of the continental shelf. Mid ocean ridge - The undersea mountain chain where new ocean floor is produced; a divergent plate boundary. Trench - A deep canyon in the ocean floor. Estuary - A coastal inlet or bay where fresh water mixes with salty ocean water. Surface current - Horizontal, streamlike movements of water that occur at or near the surface. 6th Grade Science Content Vocabulary Weather and Climate Key Terms atmosphere - Mixture of gases that surrounds Earth. air pressure - The weight of air pressing down on an area. troposphere - The bottom layer of the Earth's atmosphere. stratosphere - The layer of the atmosphere in which ozone is present. mesosphere - The layer of atmosphere where air is thin and most meteors burn up. thermosphere - The outer most layer of the atmosphere. radiation - The direct transfer of energy by electromagnetic waves. conduction - The transfer of thermal energy that results from the collision of particles. thermal energy - The total energy of motion in the molecules of a substance. convection - The transfer of thermal energy through liquids and gases. global warming - Is the rise in the average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans since the late 19th century and its projected continuation. greenhouse effect - The process by which gases hold heat in the air. temperature - The average amount of energy of motion of each molecule of a substance; a measure to determine a substances level of hot or cold. global winds - Winds that blow steadily from specific directions over long distances. local winds - Winds that blow over short distances. coriolis effect - The way Earth's rotation makes winds in the Northern Hemisphere curve to the right and winds in the Southern Hemisphere curve to the left. water cycle - The natural sequence through which water passes into the atmosphere as water vapor, precipitates to earth in liquid or solid form, and ultimately returns to the atmosphere through evaporation. jet stream - A high-speed, meandering wind current, generally moving from a westerly direction at speeds often exceeding 400 kilometers (250 miles) per hour at altitudes of 10 to 15 kilometers (6 to 9 miles). humidity - A measure of the amount of water vapor in the air. relative humidity - A comparison of the actual amount of moisture in the air to the greatest possible amount that could be in the air at the same temperature and pressure. evaporation - The change of water from liquid water to water vapor. condensation - The process by which water vapor changes from a gas to a liquid. cumulus - Clouds that form less than 2 kilometers above the ground and look like fluffy, rounded piles of cotton. stratus - Clouds that form in flat layers. cirrus - Wispy, feathery clouds made mostly of ice crystals that form at high levels, above about 6 kilometers. barometer - An instrument that is used to measure air pressure and predict changes in the weather. Meteorologist - A science that deals with the atmosphere and with weather. precipitation - The liquid water that returns to Earth's surface, usually as rain or snow. air mass - A huge body of air that has similar temperature, pressure, and humidity throughout. front - The border between two air masses that collide. climate - The average, year-after-year conditions of temperature, precipitation, winds, and clouds in an area. anemometer - An instrument used to measure wind speed. 6th Grade Science Content Vocabulary thunderstorm - A very strong storm with a lot of rain, thunder, and lightning. tornado - An intense windstorm that often forms within a severe thunderstorm. hurricane - A large, spiraling storm system that can be a much as 600 km across. heat - The transfer of thermal energy. 6th Grade Science Content Vocabulary Plate Tectonics Key Terms lithosphere - the outer part of the earth, consisting of the crust and upper mantle, approximately 100 km thick asthenosphere - a zone of the earth's mantle that lies beneath the lithosphere and consists of several hundred kilometers of deformable rock convection current - current in Earth's mantle that transfers heat in Earth's interior and is the driving force for plate tectonics density - the mass per unit volume of a substance under specified conditions of pressure and temperature basalt - a hard, dense, dark volcanic rock magnetic field - a condition found in the region around a magnet or an electric current crust - outermost solid part of the earth mantle - the layer of the earth between the crust and the core upper mantle - the portion of the mantle below a depth of about 600 miles inner core - the central part of the earth's core outer core - the upper zone of the earth's core oceanic plates – a thick mass of igneous rock which lies under the ocean floor continental plates – thick continental crust fossil – a remnant or trace of an organism or a past geologic age pangea – a hypothetical supercontinent that included all the landmasses of the earth before the Triassic Period Theory of Tectonic Plates – describes the large scale motions of earth's lithosphere tectonic plates – any one of the internally rigid crustal blocks of the lithosphere which move horizontally across the earth's surface relative to one another continental drift – the movement, formation, or re-formation of continents described by the theory of plate tectonics convergent boundary - tectonic plates collide with each other divergent boundary - tectonic plates are moving away from each other transform boundary - tectonic plates are not moving directly toward or directly away from each other but rather two tectonic plates grind past each other in a horizontal direction 6th Grade Science Content Vocabulary Rocks & Minerals Key Terms igneous rock - a type of rock that forms from the cooling of molten rock at or below the surface sedimentary rock - a type of rock that forms when particles from other rocks or the remains of plants and animals are pressed and cemented together metamorphic rock- a type of rock that forms from an existing rock that is changed by heat, pressure, or chemical reactions rock cycle - a slow process that recycles rocks fossil - are the preserved remains or traces of animals, plants, and other organisms from the remote past lithification - the process in which sediments compact under pressure, fluids fill in between spaces of particles crystallize and create rock by cementation sediment - bits of sand, rocks, shells, dirt extrusive - igneous rock that formed outside of the Earth intrusive - igneous rock that formed inside the Earth cleavage - to break into a smooth surface mineral - a natural inorganic substance with a definite chemical make up granite - common intrusive igneous rock basalt - the most common igneous rock made from lava gritty - small hard particles of stone crystallized - to form or cause to form crystals molten - made liquid by great heat atoms - the smallest particle of an element element - one of the simple substances, such as gold iron, carbon, sulfur, oxygen and vapors graphite - one of the softest minerals able to leave a mark stone - chalky sedimentary rock gypsum - sedimentary rock formed by evaporation of salt water zinc - ore found in deposits of sedimentary volcanic rocks ore - source of most useful metals conglomerate - rounded rocks (pebbles, boulders) cemented together in a matrix compaction - the process that presses sediments together cementation - the process in which dissolved minerals crystallize and glue particles of sediment together 6th Grade Science Content Vocabulary Weathering, Erosion and Soil Key Terms weathering - any of the chemical or mechanical processes by which rocks exposed to the weather undergo changes in character and break down mechanical weathering - any of the destructive effects of the atmosphere and the exposure of rocks to the extremes of the surface chemical weathering - chemical effects of water, carbon dioxide, and oxygen attacking and destroying the minerals that are near the surface of the Earth frost wedging - a collective term for several mechanical weathering processes induced by stresses created by the freezing of water into ice exfoliation - the sheeting of rocks and their disintegration, thought to be due to thermal expansion, at least on small structures oxidation - the absorption by a mineral of one or more oxygen ions. The major type of chemical weathering, particularly in rocks containing iron acid rain - acid precipitation falling as rain weathering rates - a measurement of the amount of weathering over a given time period surface area - measurement of the extent of the area covered by a surface topography - detailed, precise description of a place or region climate - the meteorological conditions, including temperature, precipitation, and wind, that characteristically prevail in a particular region soil - the top layer of the Earth's surface, consisting or rock and mineral particles mixed with organic matter soil profile - the vertical section of soil showing the nature and sequence of the various layers, as developed by deposition or weathering, or both soil horizon - a layer of soil, approximately horizontal, which differs in structure and composition from the adjacent layers humus - the amorphous, ordinarily dark colored, colloidal matter in soil; a complex of the fractions of organic matter of plant, animal, and microbial origin that are most resistant to decomposition regolith - the layer of loose rock resting on bedrock, constituting the surface of most land parent bedrock - the original rock from which something else was formed deposition - the dropping of material which has been picked up and transported by wind, water, or ice erosion - a group of natural processes, including weathering, dissolution, abrasion, corrosion, and transportation, by which material is worn away from the Earth's surface rill erosion - the formation of numerous, closely spaced rills due to the uneven removal of surface soil by stream-lets of running water gully erosion - erosion of soil by running water wave erosion - erosion of the ocean floor by sediment moved by ocean waves glacial erosion - movement of soil or rock from one point to another by the action of the moving ice of a glacier dust bowl - a region reduced to aridity by drought and dust storms mass movement - the movement downslope of rock fragments and soil under the influence of gravity slides - a form of mass movement in which material slides in a relatively straight plane flows - the mass movement of material held in suspension by water 6th Grade Science Content Vocabulary creeps - the slow movement of rock debris and soil down a weathered slope abrasion - the process of wearing down or rubbing away by means of friction deflation - the erosion of soil by the wind ventifact - a stone that has been shaped, polished, or faceted by wind-driven sand deforestation - the act process of removing trees from or clearing a forest erosion - a group of natural processes, including weathering, dissolution, abrasion, corrosion, and transportation, by which material is worn away from the Earth's surface tillage erosion - erosion that moves soil from the top of the field downward, exposing subsoil at the crest while burying soil at the bottom contour farming - cultivation of land along lines connecting points of equal elevation, to prevent water erosion slash and burn - a form of agriculture in which an area of forest is cleared by cutting and burning, and is then planted, usually for several seasons, before being left to return to forest fallowing - plowed but left unseeded during a growing season soil conservation - management of soil to prevent or reduce soil erosion and depletion by wind and water terracing - a method of shaping land to control erosion on slopes of rolling land used for cropping and other purposes strip cropping - the growing of a cultivated crop, such as cotton, and a sod-forming crop, such as alfalfa, in alternating strips following the contour of the land, in order to minimize erosion contour plowing - farming practice of plowing across a slope following its elevation contour lines no-till farming - cultivation technique in which the soil is disturbed only along the slit or hole into which seeds are planted wind breaks - a hedge, fence, or row of trees serving to lessen or break the force of the wind ground cover - a low-growing dense growth of plants planted to prevent soil erosion in areas where turf is difficult to grow, as in deep shade, or on a steep slope 6th Grade Science Content Vocabulary Resources and Human Impact on Earth Key Terms desertification - is the expansion of desert conditions in areas where the natural plant cover has been destroyed pollutant - harmful material that can enter the biosphere through land, water, or air acid rain - rain containing nitric and sulfuric acids caused by burning fossil fuels conservation - the wise management of natural resources, including the preservation of habitats and wildlife smog - a mixture of chemicals (smoke + fog) that occurs as a gray-brown haze in the atmosphere ozone layer - atmospheric layer in which ozone (03) gas is relatively concentrated which protects us from the sun's ultra-violet radiation alternative energy - energy generated in ways that do not deplete natural resources or harm the environment, esp. by avoiding the use of fossil fuels and nuclear power greenhouse effect - natural process in which atmospheric gases trap energy from sunlight as heat deposition - is the geological process by which sediments, soil, and rocks are added to a landform or land mass. sustainable development - way of using natural resources without depleting them and of providing for human needs without causing long term harm to the environment renewable - a necessity of life (resource) which can regenerate quickly and that is replaceable; Ex: trees, water nonrenewable - a necessity of life (resource) which can NOT be replenished by natural means; Ex: fossil fuels monoculture - farming strategy in which large fields are planted with a single crop variety year after year thermal energy (or heat): the ability to do work through the release of heat Internal energy - the energy associated with molecular motion (or temperature) latent energy - the energy associated with the evaporation/condensation of water vapor kinetic energy : the ability to do work due to motion gravitational (or potential) energy: the ability to do work through changes in a body's location within a gravitational field electromagnetic wave energy: energy embedded in electromagnetic wave motion (such as light, microwaves, or x-rays). when this kind of energy impinges on matter part or all of is converted to heat chemical energy: the ability to do work via a chemical interaction (i.e., change in molecular structure) energy - the ability to do work or cause change nuclear fission - the splitting of an atom's nucleus into smaller nuclei nuclear fusion - the combining of two atomic nuclei into a single larger nucleus, as when two hydrogen atoms join together to form helium, releasing energy heat - the energy transferred from a hotter object to a cooler one heat transfer - the movement of energy from a warmer object to a cooler object chemical energy - that part of the energy in a substance that can be released by a chemical reaction nuclear energy - the energy released by a nuclear reaction, especially by fission or fusion kinetic energy - the energy possessed by a body because of its motion, equal to one half the mass of the body times the square of its speed 6th Grade Science Content Vocabulary potential energy - the energy of a particle or system of particles derived from position, or condition, rather than motion. A raised weight, coiled spring, or charged battery has potential energy Law of Conservation of Energy - the fundamental principle of physics that the total energy of an isolated system is constant despite internal changes geothermal energy - heat energy in Earth's interior from water or steam that has been heated by magma solar energy - energy obtained from solar power