Science is a rich content area for developing language concepts and vocabulary. While conducting FOSS investigations, students are involved in observing properties, comparing and organizing their observations, and identifying relationships from their observations. In order to effectively communicate the results of their investigations, it is important to use concise and appropriate vocabulary. Students need to develop a sound vocabulary that will serve them in science and life.
Informal descriptive language and precise scientific vocabulary is best developed after direct concrete experience. As students conduct the investigations in the FOSS Mixtures and Solutions, vocabulary is introduced naturally after students have had an experience to which to connect the new words.
Vocabulary is introduced and reviewed with students in the Science Resources book. These terms, included in the FOSS Science Resources glossary, are listed below.
Printable pdf versions are also available. To view or print these files you must have a pdf viewer such as Adobe Acrobat. Acrobat is free and can be downloaded at http://www.adobe.com.
Mixtures and Solutions Module Glossary Terms (pdf)
Mixtures and Solutions Module Glossary (pdf)
Mixtures and Solutions Module Spanish Glossary (pdf)
In the course of the investigations, students are encouraged to learn and use the following vocabulary:
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Alloy A mixture of two or more metals. |
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Atom The smallest particle of an element. |
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Atomic number The number of protons in the nucleus of an atom. |
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Bends A condition that causes pain in deep-sea divers’ arms and legs after returning to the surface. |
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Caisson A large box with no bottom. These boxes were used to provide environments for workers under water. |
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Carbohydrate A group of carbon-based nutrients, such as sugars and starches. |
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Carbon-14 dating A process used to find the age of carbon-based matter. |
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Carbon dioxide gas A compound made from carbon and oxygen (CO2) |
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Chemical equation A model of a chemical reaction showing reactants and products. |
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Chemical formula A code that tells how many and what kinds of atoms are in a substance. |
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Chemical reaction The process in which two or more substances combine to make one or more new substances that have different properties than the original ones. |
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Chemical property A characteristic that describes how a substance is changed when it reacts with other substances. |
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Compound A substance made of two or more different kinds of atoms. Carbon dioxide (CO2), sugar (C6H12O6), and water (H2O) are compounds. Oxygen (O2) and hydrogen (H2) are not compounds. |
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Crust Earth’s hard outer layer of solid rock. |
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Crystal A natural form of a substance. Crystal shape is also a physical property that helps to identify a substance. |
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Cyclotron An instrument used to create new elements. |
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Decompression The change from higher pressure to lower pressure. |
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Diatomaceous earth The skeletal remains of diatoms. |
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Dissolve The process of a material becoming incorporated uniformly into another. |
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Electron A subatomic particle with a negative charge. |
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Element A fundamental substance that cannot be broken down by simple chemical and physical processes. |
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Evaporation The change of state from a liquid to a gas. |
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Gas Matter that is shapeless and expands to fill any closed container it is placed in. |
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Gaseous Existing in the state of a gas (not a solid or liquid). |
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Global warming Increase of average temperature worldwide. |
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Greenhouse gas A gas, such as carbon dioxide, that contributes to global warming. |
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Insoluble Not capable of being dissolved. Sand is insoluble in water. |
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Lipid A group of nutrients that includes oils and fats. |
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Liquid Matter that flows and takes the shape of the container it is in. |
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Mantle The largest part of planet Earth which is found between Earth’s core and crust. |
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Mass A quantity of matter. |
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Matter Anything that has mass and takes up space. |
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Metal Elements that may be shiny, stretch and bend, but don’t break, and conduct heat and electricity well. |
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Mixture Two or more substances together. |
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Molecule Particles made of two or more atoms that are held together with bonds. Carbon dioxide (CO2), sugar (C6H12O6), water (H2O), oxygen (O2), and hydrogen (H2) are examples of molecules. |
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Neutron A subatomic particle with no charge. |
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Nitrogen A colorless, odorless, gaseous element that makes up about 78% of Earth’s atmosphere. |
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Noble gas A gas that does not react with other elements. |
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Nucleus The center of an atom. |
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Octane An eight-carbon molecule. Octane is one of the main ingredients in gasoline. |
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Ore A rock or mineral that contains a valuable substance. |
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Oxidize When oxygen reacts with a substance to make a new substance. |
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Particle A very small piece or part. |
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Periodic table of the elements A way to organize the elements based on atomic number. |
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Physical property A characteristic that describes a substance, such as size, shape, and texture. |
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Potash An impure form of potassium carbonate. |
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Predict To make an accurate estimation of a future event based on knowledge. |
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Product The substance(s) produced in a chemical reaction. |
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Protein A group of nitrogen-containing substances produced by organisms. |
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Proton A subatomic particle that has a positive charge. |
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Radiation Energy sent out into space by an energy source. |
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Radioactivity The radiation given off by the elements. |
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Reactant The starting substance(s) in a chemical reaction. |
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Room temperature How hot or cold it is in an indoor space like a classroom or a house. Often room temperature is around 21°C (70°F). |
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Salt The product that forms when metals react with acid. |
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Saturated When the solvent cannot dissolve any more solute. |
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Scanning tunneling microscope (STM) An instrument that can create images of arrays of atoms. |
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Solid Matter that has a definite shape. |
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Solubility The ability of one substance to spread out uniformly throughout another substance. |
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Soluble Capable of being dissolved. Table salt is soluble in water. |
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Solute A substance that dissolves in a solvent to form a solution. |
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Solution A mixture formed when one or more substances dissolves in another. |
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Solvent A substance in which a solute dissolves to form a solution. |
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Supersaturated solution A solution that contains more solute than it normally would at a given temperature. |
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Transparent Clear. Describes something through which you can see an image clearly. |
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Voltaic pile Another name for an electric battery. |
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Volume Three-dimensional space. |
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Well-ordered array A repeating pattern. |
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