Glossary

Rocks and Minerals

These are vocabulary words that are seen and discussed throughout the STC Rocks & Minerals 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.

  • amount of time
  • bone
  • changed (manipulated) variable
  • characteristic
  • chart
  • classify
  • color
  • conclude
  • conclusion
  • cycle
  • data
  • demonstrate
  • describe
  • design
  • Earth
  • earthquake
  • erode
  • erosion
  • eruption
  • explain
  • explanation
  • fair test
  • fossil
  • fossil remains
  • hand lens
  • hardness
  • heat energy
  • identify
  • investigate
  • investigation
  • learned (acquired)
  • characteristic
  • liquid
  • living
  • mass
  • material
  • measured (responding) variable
  • melt
  • mineral nutrient
  • mountain
  • nonliving
  • mineral
  • nutrient (mineral)
  • object
  • observation
  • observe
  • organize
  • plan
  • predict
  • prediction
  • problem
  • procedure
  • process
  • property
  • question
  • report
  • result
  • scientific
  • scientist
  • sediment
  • shape
  • size
  • skeleton
  • soil
  • solid
  • sort
  • special
  • speed
  • strength
  • structure
  • substance
  • table
  • texture
  • tool
  • variable
  • variable kept the same (controlled)
  • volcano
  • water
  • weather
  • weathering
  • weight
  • wind
Last updated 08/20/2007