Download 7th Grade Physical Sci Vocab List

Page 1 of 4
7th Grade Physical Science Vocabulary
Purpose: This is an optional assignment you can complete during the summer. These
vocabulary words will be quizzed during the school year, so if you’d like to be ahead,
you can start on the vocabulary cards during the summer. These vocabulary words
were chosen from the 7th and 8th grade curriculum. These are the classes you have
“skipped” by taking Physical Science as a 7th grader. This assignment is meant to help
provide you with very basic information on some of the topics taught in 7th and 8th grade
Comprehensive Science.
Materials you will need:
 This vocabulary list
 7th Grade Physical Science Glossary (please do not use any other dictionary)
 lined index cards (about 250) (3” by 5” or larger)
 a blue or black pen, or pencil
 Optional: colored pencils, markers, crayons
 Somewhere to keep these cards safe until we use them in class
Instructions:
For each of the words in the following list, prepare one index card with the following:
1. Print the vocabulary word
2. Write the definition from the Glossary
3. Include ONE of the following:
a. A picture illustrating the definition of the vocabulary word (can be hand
drawn or computer generated)
b. A sentence including the vocabulary word
c. A rewrite of the definition using your own words
(You may do some of each: you do not have to do all pictures, or all sentences.)
You may use the front and back of the index card any way you wish, as long as the
three items listed above are on the card.
Keep the cards for each groups together: you can paper clip the cards or keep each
group in a zip-lock baggie or keep them in a box made for storing and filing index cards.
We will have a quiz on the words from Group 1 on the first Thursday when school
begins. You can expect a vocabulary quiz about every 2 weeks for the whole school
year.
Page 2 of 4
7th Grade Physical Science Vocabulary List
Topic 1: Earth Science-Geology (7th Grade Curriculum)
Group 1: 12 words
Chapter 3.1: Seismic wave, pressure, crust, mantle, lithosphere, asthenosphere, outer core, inner core.
Chapter 3.2: radiation, convection current, conduction, density.
Group 2: 12 words
Chapter 3.3: igneous rock, sedimentary rock, metamorphic rock.
Chapter 3.4: extrusive rock, intrusive rock.
Chapter 3.5: sediment, weathering, erosion, deposition, compaction, cementation.
Chapter 3.6: rock cycle.
Group 3: 13 words
Chapter 4.1: fossil, mold, cast, paleontologist, evolution, extinction.
Chapter 4.2: law of superposition
Chapter 4.3: radioactive decay, radioactive dating
Chapter 4.4: Geologic time scale, era, period, uniformitarianism.
Group 4: 13 words
Chapter 5.1: continental drift, Pangea.
Chapter 5.2: mid-ocean ridge, sea-floor spreading, deep-ocean trench, subduction.
Chapter 5.3: plate, divergent boundary, convergent boundary, transform boundary, plate tectonics,
fault, rift valley.
Group 5: 13 words
Chapter 6.1: volcano, magma, lava, Ring of Fire.
Chapter 6.2: magma chamber, pipe, vent, lava flow, crater, dormant, extinct.
Chapter 6.3: caldera, batholith
Group 6: 12 words
Chapter 7.1: stress, tension, compression, shearing, plateau.
Chapter 7.2: earthquake, focus, epicenter, seismograph, magnitude, Richter scale
Chapter 7.3: seismogram
Group 7: 14 words
Chapter 8.1: natural resource, nutrient depletion, fertilizer, desertification, drought, land reclamation,
deforestation, urbanization, fossil fuels
Chapter 8.2: emissions, photochemical smog, ozone layer, acid rain, chloroflourocarbon.
Group 8: 14 words
Chapter 8.3: watershed, reservoir, eutrophication, permeable, impermeable, unsaturated zone,
saturated zone, water table, aquifer, artesian well.
Chapter 8.4: pesticide, sewage, sediment.
Chapter 8.5: wetland
Chapter 8.6: (none-all are duplicates)
Page 3 of 4
Topic 2: Earth Science-Astronomy (8th Grade Curriculum)
Group 9: 13 words
Chapter 3.1: universe, light-year, scientific notation.
Chapter 3.2: star, planet, solar system, galaxy, spiral galaxy, elliptical galaxy, irregular galaxy.
Chapter 3.3: orbit, law of universal gravitation, accretion
Group 10: 9 words
Chapter 3.4: apparent brightness, absolute brightness, Hertzprung-Russell Diagram.
Chapter 3.5: nebula, protostar, white dwarf, supernova, neutron star, black hole.
Group 11: 11 words
Chapter 3.6: core, nuclear fusion, radiation zone, convection zone, photosphere, chromosphere,
corona, solar wind, sunspot, prominence, solar flare
Group 12: 10 words
Chapter 4.1: astronomical unit, dwarf planet.
Chapter 4.2: satellite, moon, maria, crater
Chapter 4.3: terrestrial planet, greenhouse effect
Chapter 4.4: gas giant, ring
The order of the planets of our solar system:
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune.
Dwarf planets (official): Pluto, Eris, Ceres, Haumea, Makemake
Group 13: 13 words
Chapter 4.5: asteroid, asteroid belt, Kuiper belt, Oort cloud, comet, coma, nucleus, meteoroid, meteor,
meteorite
Chapter 4.6: geocentric, heliocentric, ellipse
Group 14: 14 words
Chapter 5.1: axis, rotation, revolution, calendar, solstice, equinox, hemisphere.
Chapter 5.2: phase, eclipse, solar eclipse, lunar eclipse
Chapter 5.3: tide, spring tide, neap tide
Page 4 of 4
Topic 3: Life Science (7th Grade Curriculum)
Group 15: 14 words
Chapter 11.1: evolution, DNA, gene, homologous structures
Chapter 11.2: adaptation, trait, natural selection, variation, vertebrate, invertebrate
Chapter 11.3: biodiversity, extinct species, endangered species, threatened species
Group 16: 13 words
Chapter 12.1: DNA replication
Chapter 12.2: heredity, genetics, fertilization, purebred, allele, dominant allele, recessive allele, hybrid.
Chapter 12.3: Punnett Square, homozygous, heterozygous, inherited trait
Group 17: 14 words
Chapter 14.1: organism, habitat, biotic factor, abiotic factor, species, population, community,
ecosystem, ecology, biome.
Chapter 14.2: producer, consumer, scavenger, decomposer.
Group 18: 13 words
Chapter 14.3: niche, competition, predation, predator, prey, symbiosis, mutualism, commensalism,
parasitism, parasite, host.
Chapter 14.4: limiting factor, carrying capacity
Topic 4: Life Science (8th Grade Curriculum)
Group 19: 12 words
Chapter 13.1: photosynthesis, autotroph, heterotroph, chlorophyll
Chapter 13.2: cellular respiration, fermentation
Chapter 13.3: water cycle, water vapor, evaporation, condensation, precipitation, transpiration