Vocabulary List

These are vocabulary words that are seen and discussed throughout the Electric Circuits kit. It is important that students understand what these words refer to, and that they hear them being used. These are the words that will appear on the Science WASL most frequently, as taken from the 2003 edition of the General Characteristics of the Science WASL produced by the Washington Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.

The words in bold are crucial words that will be in the unit’s word banks at the end of each investigation. Words listed below that are not in bold are words that appear on the WASL, but are not identified as vocabulary words by the unit’s authors.

Words listed in the unit’s word banks, but that are not listed below, are important to discuss and be aware of, but students are not expected to know those words for the science WASL.

Terms related to Electric Circuits

absorb
affect
air
amount
amount of time
axis
balance
bone
brain
cause
cell
centimeter (cm)
characteristic
chart
classify
climate
color
compost
conclude
conclusion

condensation
condense
conserve
consumer
conversion
continent
cycle
data
decomposer
decrease
demonstrate
depend
describe
design
diagram
diameter
direction
dissolve
Earth
earthquake
echo
ecosystem
effect
egg
electrical
electricity
energy

energy of motion (kinetic)
erode
erosion
eruption
evaporate
evaporation
event
evidence
explain
explanation
fair test
feet
flower
food
food chain
force
forest
fossil remains
fossil
freeze
friction
frictional force
function
gas
germinate
glacier
gram (g)
graph
grassland
gravitational
gravity
habitat
hand lens
hardness
heart
heat energy
identify
inch (in)
increase
inherited
input
invent
invention
investigate
investigation

investigative question
lake
lamp
lava
leaf
learned (acquired) characteristic
liquid
liter (L)
living
logical
lung
machine
magma
magnetic
magnifying glass

mass
material
matter
measured (responding) variable
melt
meter (m)
mile (mi)
milliliter (mL)
mineral nutrient
model
Moon
mountain
muscle
object
observe
observation
ocean
orbit (as a noun)
orbit (as a verb)
organism
organize
ounce
output
oxygen
part
particle
pattern
picture
pitch
plan
planet
pollen
pollinate
pollution
pound
precipitation
predict
prediction

problem
procedure
process
producer
property
pull
push
question
radius
rate
recycle
reduce
report
reproduce
reproduction
result
river
root
scale
scavenger
scientific
scientist
sea
sediment
seed
shadow
shape
size
skeleton
soil
solar
solid
solution
solve
sort
sound
special
speed
spin (rotate)
spring scale
sprout
state of matter
stem
stream
strength
structure
substance
summary
Sun
system
table
telescope
temperature
texture
thaw
thermometer
tool
transfer
transform
transformation

vapor
variable
variable changed (manipulated)
variable kept the same (controlled)

versus (vs.)
vibration
volcano

Last updated 04/28/2009