This blog post has a huge list of science vocabulary words 6th grade:
List of Science Vocabulary Words
- Adaptation
A characteristic of an organism that helps it survive in its environment
- Atmosphere
The layer of gas that surrounds a planet
- Biodiversity
The variety of living organisms in an ecosystem
- Biome
A large community of plants and animals that exists in a particular environment
- Cell
The basic unit of life
- Climate
The average weather conditions in an area over a long period of time
- Decomposer
An organism that breaks down dead organic matter
- Density
The amount of matter in a given space
- Ecosystem
A community of living and nonliving things that interact with each other
- Energy
The ability to do work
- Food chain
A sequence of organisms in an ecosystem where each organism is a source of food for the next
- Force
A push or pull on an object
- Geology
The study of the Earth’s physical structure, history, and processes
- Gravity
The force of attraction between two objects with mass
- Herbivore
An animal that eats only plants
- Hypothesis
An educated guess or prediction about an experiment or observation
- Inertia
The tendency of an object to resist a change in motion
- Inference
A conclusion based on observations or evidence
- Joints
The points where two or more bones meet in the body
- Joule
The unit used to measure energy and work
- Kinetic energy
The energy of motion
- Kingdom
The highest taxonomic rank of organisms
- Lithosphere
The solid outer layer of the Earth’s surface
- Lunar eclipse
An astronomical event where the Earth passes between the Sun and the Moon, causing the Moon to be obscured by the Earth’s shadow
- Mass
The amount of matter in an object, typically measured in grams or kilograms.
- Molecule
The smallest unit of a chemical compound that retains the chemical properties of that compound.
- Motion
The act of changing position or place.
- Multicellular
Made up of many cells.
- Nucleus
The central part of an atom that contains protons and neutrons.
- Nutrient
A substance that provides nourishment to living things.
- Observation
The act of using the senses or instruments to gather information about the natural world.
- Organism
A living thing that carries out life processes on its own.
- Photosynthesis
The process by which plants use sunlight to convert carbon dioxide and water into oxygen and glucose.
- Physical change
A change in the appearance or form of a substance that does not change its chemical composition.
- Plate tectonics
The theory that Earth’s outer layer is divided into several plates that move and interact with each other.
- Qualitative
Describing or observing characteristics or qualities without numerical measurements.
- Quantitative
Describing or observing characteristics or qualities with numerical measurements.
- Reflection
The bouncing back of light or sound waves from a surface.
- Refraction
The bending of light as it passes through a substance.
- Renewable energy
Energy sources that can be replenished over time, such as wind and solar energy.
- Solar system
The collection of planets and other objects that orbit around the sun.
- Species
A group of living things that can interbreed and produce offspring.
- States of matter
The physical forms that matter can take, such as solid, liquid, and gas.
- Synthesis
The combination of two or more substances to form a new substance.
- Technology
The application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes.
- Thermal energy
The energy that is produced by the movement of particles in a substance.
- Trait
A characteristic or feature that is passed down from parents to offspring.
- Ultraviolet (UV) radiation
Electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays.
- Universe
All existing matter and space, including galaxies, stars, planets, and other celestial bodies.
- Variable
A factor or condition that can change in an experiment or observation.
- Velocity
The speed and direction of an object’s motion.
- Watershed
An area of land where all the water that falls within it and drains off of it goes into the same body of water.
- Weathering
The process by which rocks and minerals are broken down into smaller pieces by natural physical or chemical means.
- X-axis
The horizontal axis in a graph that represents the independent variable.
- Xylem
The plant tissue responsible for transporting water and dissolved minerals from the roots to the leaves.
- Year
The time it takes for the Earth to make one complete orbit around the Sun.
- Yield
The amount of a crop or other product produced per unit area of land.
- Zone of inhibition
The area around an antibiotic disk on a culture plate where bacteria are unable to grow.
- Zoology
The scientific study of animals and their behavior.
