Passwords
Science Vocabulary
C
To the Student
Invertebrate. Condensation. Fulcrum. Sometimes it
seems that scientists speak a language all their own.
Passwords: Science Vocabulary will help you learn the
words you need to do well in science. The lessons in this book
are about science topics you will be studying. Those topics
come from Life Science, Earth Science, and Physical Science.
Every lesson focuses on ten words that will help you
understand the science topic. The lessons include a reading
selection that uses all ten words. Four practice activities follow
the selection. Using each vocabulary word many times will
help you remember the word and its meaning. A writing
activity ends the lesson. You will use the words you have
learned to write a poem, a story, or a short article.
If you need help with a vocabulary word as you do
the activities, use the Glossary at the back of the book.
The Glossary tells you what each word means. It shows you
the correct way to say the word. It also has pictures to help
you understand the meaning of difficult words. As you work
on the lessons, you may learn other science words besides
the vocabulary words. Keep track of those other words in
My Science Vocabulary on pages 94–98.
Do you know what root words are? Do you know what
prefixes and suffixes are? Turn to pages 99 and 100 to learn
about roots, prefixes, and suffixes. Find out how they can
help you understand science words. Soon you’ll be talking
and writing just like a scientist!
ISBN 978-0-7609-4271-0
©2007—Curriculum Associates, Inc.
North Billerica, MA 01862
No part of this book may be reproduced by any means
without written permission from the publisher.
All Rights Reserved. Printed in USA.
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Passwords: Science Vocabulary - Book C—www.curriculumassociates.com—800-225-0248
Table of Contents
LIFE SCIENCE
Lesson 1: Living Things . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Lesson 2: The Life Cycle of a Plant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Lesson 3: The Life Cycles of Some Animals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Lesson 4: Living Things and Their Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Lesson 5: Ways Living Things Stay Alive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
EARTH SCIENCE
Lesson 6: What Earth Is Made Of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Lesson 7: Changes to Earth’s Surface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Lesson 8: Caring for Earth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Lesson 9: The Water Cycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Lesson 10: Earth, the Moon, and the Sun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
PHYSICAL SCIENCE
Lesson 11: Matter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Lesson 12: Forces and Motion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Lesson 13: Work and Machines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Lesson 14: Energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Lesson 15: Heat, Light, and Sound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
My Science Vocabulary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Root Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Prefixes and Suffixes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Acknowledgments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Passwords: Science Vocabulary - Book C—CURRICULUM ASSOCIATES®, Inc.—www.curriculumassociates.com—800-225-0248
LESSON
10
planet
solar system
revolve
orbit
rotate
axis
tilt
phase
new moon
full moon
Earth and its moon are just two of many objects moving
through space. Do you know how Earth and the moon move?
Read this selection to find out.
Earth, the Moon, and the Sun
The Solar System
Earth is the third planet closest to the sun. A planet is
a large object that moves around the sun. The sun and all
the objects that move around it make up the solar system.
The planets revolve around the sun on a path. The
path a planet follows is called its orbit. A year is the time it
takes a planet to complete one orbit. Earth’s year is 365 days.
Day and Night
All planets rotate, or spin, as they
Axis
move around the sun. Each planet spins
on an axis. This is an imaginary line
through a planet’s center.
Earth rotates on its axis once every
24 hours. When a part of Earth faces the
sun, it is daytime. When that same part
turns away from the sun, it is nighttime.
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Earth rotates on its axis.
Earth Science
Passwords: Science Vocabulary - Book C—CURRICULUM ASSOCIATES®, Inc.—www.curriculumassociates.com—800-225-0248
The Seasons
Earth’s axis is on an angle, or tilt. The tilt in Earth’s axis
causes the seasons. In the half of Earth tipped toward the sun,
it is summer. The days are warmer and longer. In the half tipped
away from the sun, it is winter. The days are colder and shorter.
Phases of the Moon
One or more moons revolve around most planets.
Earth’s moon takes about a month to complete its orbit.
During the month, the moon appears to change shape.
Each change in the moon’s shape is called a phase.
Sometimes the moon is between Earth and the sun. The
half of the moon that faces Earth gets no sunlight. So the
moon cannot be seen. This phase is the new moon.
Each night after the new moon, the moon seems to grow
bigger. About two weeks later, the moon is on the other side
of Earth. Now the half that faces Earth also faces the sun.
That half is fully lit and appears as a complete circle. This
phase is the full moon. After the full moon, the moon seems
to grow smaller until it can no longer be seen again.
Sun
New moon
Full moon
Earth
The sun always lights half of the moon as it revolves around Earth. During the new moon, the
half facing Earth gets no sunlight. During the full moon, the half facing Earth is fully lit.
My Science Vocabulary
Go to page 97 to list other words you have learned
about Earth, the moon, and the sun.
Earth Science
59
Passwords: Science Vocabulary - Book C—CURRICULUM ASSOCIATES®, Inc.—www.curriculumassociates.com—800-225-0248
planet
solar system
revolve
orbit
rotate
axis
tilt
phase
new moon
full moon
A. Match each word with its meaning. Write the letter of
the correct meaning on the line in front of each word.
1.
revolve
2.
new moon
3.
phase
4.
axis
5.
full moon
6.
planet
7.
rotate
e. to move around another object
8.
orbit
f. an imaginary line through
9.
tilt
10.
solar system
a. a phase in which the moon
appears as a complete circle
b. to spin
c. the sun and all the objects
that move around it
d. a phase in which the moon
cannot be seen
the center of a planet
g. a large object that moves
around the sun
h. an angle
i. a change in the moon’s shape
as it appears from Earth
j.
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a planet’s path around the sun
Earth Science
Passwords: Science Vocabulary - Book C—CURRICULUM ASSOCIATES®, Inc.—www.curriculumassociates.com—800-225-0248
planet
solar system
revolve
orbit
rotate
axis
tilt
phase
new moon
full moon
B. Choose and write the two words that best complete each sentence.
new moon
tilt
full moon
phase
1. When the moon cannot be seen is a
called the
.
axis
solar system
2. Earth is one
revolve
planet
in the
revolve
rotate
3. All planets
.
phase
orbit
on an axis as they
around the sun.
orbit
full moon
4. During its
rotate
around Earth, the moon faces the sun
and is called the
phase
new moon
.
axis
5. The seasons are caused by the
tilt
solar system
in Earth’s
W
.
D ROOT
OR
The word solar comes from
the Latin word sol, which
means “sun.”
Earth Science
61
Passwords: Science Vocabulary - Book C—CURRICULUM ASSOCIATES®, Inc.—www.curriculumassociates.com—800-225-0248
planet
solar system
revolve
orbit
rotate
axis
tilt
phase
new moon
full moon
C. Choose the correct vocabulary word to complete each sentence.
1. Earth’s
goes through its center.
2. The sun and the planets are part of the
.
3. One side of the moon is fully lit during the
.
4. A planet may have several moons that
around it.
5. It takes 365 days for Earth to complete one
6. Earth’s axis is on a
.
.
7. The moon seems to grow bigger after the
8. Earth is the third
9. In the next 24 hours, Earth will
10. The full moon is one
62
.
closest to the sun.
once.
of the moon.
Earth Science
Passwords: Science Vocabulary - Book C—CURRICULUM ASSOCIATES®, Inc.—www.curriculumassociates.com—800-225-0248
planet
solar system
revolve
orbit
rotate
axis
tilt
phase
new moon
full moon
D. Use each pair of words in a sentence.
1. tilt, axis
2. revolve, rotate
3. solar system, planet
4. new moon, phase
Wr
5. orbit, full moon
!
ite
Earth Science
Write your response to the prompt
on a separate sheet of paper.
Use as many vocabulary words
as you can in your writing.
Write a story from the point of view
of the sun. What do you notice about
Earth as it moves around you? What
do you notice about Earth’s moon?
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Passwords: Science Vocabulary - Book C—CURRICULUM ASSOCIATES®, Inc.—www.curriculumassociates.com—800-225-0248