First Quarter Science Vocabulary - Sixth Grade - Mr. Benton
Printable version - Last changed on 10-28-07
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1. variable: part of an experiment that changes
2. hypothesis: a prediction of what will happen in an experiment
3. organism: an independent or free-living thing
4. evidence: observable proof or indication of truth
5. response: reaction of an organism to a stimulus
6. stimulus: a change in the environment that brings about a response
7. dormant - a state of rest for an organism during which most of the characteristics of life are not apparent
8. living: having and showing all eight characteristics of an organism (responds, reproduces, needs food for energy, made of cells, eliminates waste, grows, needs water, exchanges gasses)
9. dead: state of an organism that was once alive, but no longer shows the characteristics of life
10. non-living: never was alive; never showed all eight characteristics of life
11. focal plane - the thin layer of clear focus that is visible when looking through a microscope
12. field of view - the white circle of light that you see when you look through the eyepiece of a microscope
13. total magnification - the power of a microscope found by multiplying the power of the objective lens times the power of the eyepiece lens
14. cell - the smallest unit of an organism that has all the characteristics of a living thing, but is not independent
15. inverted - turned upside down
micron - unit of measurement equal to one one-thousandth of a millimeter
16. cytoplasm- the clear fluid that is present in cells
17. chloroplast - green organelle in leaves
18. paramecium - a microscopic organism that is cigar-shaped and moves by using cilia
19. euglena - a green protist with a flagellum for movement
20. protist - a small, usually single-celled, organism that may be plant-like, animal-like or fungus-like
21. amoeba - a blob-like protist with pseudopods for movement and food capture
22. flagellum - a whip-like structure on some protists that the protist uses for locomotion (to move)
23. cilia - hair-like structures on protists like paramecia, which are used for locomotion and food gathering.
24. pseudopod - a false foot; the extension of the body of an amoeba into which its cytoplasm flows to move and to surround food
25. nucleus - the control center of a cell, contains DNA
26. organelle - organized parts of a cell, each of which has a specific job to perform for the life of the cell: capturing energy, or releasing energy, or making proteins, etc.
27. prokaryote - any organism made of cells that do not contain nuclei (only bacteria (monerans) are prokaryotic)
. eukaryote - any organism made of cells that contain nuclei (protists, fungi, plants, and animals are all eukaryotic)
28. ribosome - an organelle that assembles amino acids (chemical building blocks) from raw materials according to directions from the nucleus
29. mitochondrion - an organelle that releases energy from food in the cell
30. cell membrane - the "skin" of a cell that holds in the cytoplasm and organelles
31. cell wall - in plants, bacteria and fungi, a tough second layer surrounding the cell membrane
32. seed - part of a plant containing the embryo of a new plant surrounded by starchy food
33. germinate - to begin to grow; to sprout
34. embryo - the early form of a multicellular organism; a "baby" plant inside a seed, for example
35. cotyledon - the part of a seed containing starchy food for the new plant (the embryo)
36. monocot/dicot - seeds (or plants) which have one cotyledon (monocots), or two cotyledons (dicots)
37. shoot - the first growth of the stem and leaf from a seed (appears after the root)
38. root - usually underground part of a plant which absorbs water, holds the plant in place, and sometimes stores food
45. species - the smallest group in the taxonomic system of classification of organisms
46. kingdom - the largest division of all living things; the five kingdoms are: Monera, Protista, Fungi, Plantae, Animalia
47. classification - placing organisms into groups according to their similar characteristics
48. scientific name - two word Latin name for a species that includes the genus and species names: humans are Homo sapiens
49. chlorophyll - a green pigment in leaves, that is necessary for photosynthesis
50. adaptation: a natural change in an organism that is beneficial to its survival and is passed to the next generation: examples - camouflage coloration;
webbed feet for swimming; a larger brain; beak shape in birds
51. xylem - tiny tubes in the stem of a plant that carry water from the roots to the rest of the plant
52. oxygen - a gas making up 20% of our air, that helps "burn" food in our cells; oxygen is produced in plants during photosynthesis
53. microbe - name for bacteria and fungi, especially those that cause disease
54. fungi - kingdom of multi-cellular, eukaryotic organisms which break down food before absorbing it (don't make their own food); includes mushrooms, molds, and yeast
55. plant - the kingdom of usually green, multicellular organisms that make their own food through photosynthesis
56. stomate - an opening in the surface of a leaf through which gasses and evaporated water pass
57. guard cells - curved cells which surround the openings in leaves, (forming stomates)
58. transpiration: process in which water vapor escapes from a plant through the stomates of the plant's leaves causing more water to be drawn in through the roots
59. phloem: tiny tubes in a plant that carry food from the leaves to the other parts of the plant
60. photosynthesis - the process in leaves which turns water and carbon dioxide into food (sugar) for a plant using light energy
61. pistil - the female part of a flower
62. ovary - the rounded base of the pistil inside of which are found the ovules which will become seeds when fertilized
63. pollen - small particles containing DNA, produced on the anther of a flower, which fertilize the ovules ("eggs") of another flower to form seeds
64. stamen - the male part of a flower, which produces pollen
65. fertilization - the joining of egg and sperm in sexual reproduction to form the first cell of a new organism
66. dispersal - spreading out from a central point, such as seeds spreading out and away from the parent plant
67. decomposer - organisms that obtain food by breaking down dead material into chemicals that can be recycled through the ecosystem
68. carbohydrate - a sugar or starch; the source of energy in many foods; chemical formula contains carbon, hydrogen and oxygen
69. agent - something that acts on behalf of an individual; for plants, wind is an agent for seed dispersal, bees are agents for pollen dispersal
70. strategy - a method that accomplishes a goal for an individual; having seeds that will be easily blown by the wind is a strategy of dandelions for seed dispersal