Characteristics Features or properties, such as shape

and size

Classification Putting things into groups

Diversity The great variety of living and non -

living things around us

Flexibility The ability of a material to bend without

breaking

Flowering A plant that produces flowers

plant

Land plant A plant that grows on land

Living things Things that are alive

Material Refers to what an object is made of

Microorganism A living thing that cannot be seen with

the naked eye
Microscope An instrument used to observe things
that cannot be seen with the naked
eye

Non-flowering A plant that does not produce flowers

plant

Non-living Things that are not alive

things

Reproduce To have young

Spores Tiny particles produced by fungi that

help them reproduce

Stiff A material that is not easily bent or

changed in shape

Strength The ability of a material to be pulled

without breaking or tearing

Texture The appearance and feel of a surface

Transparency The amount of light that an object
allows to pass through it

Water plant A plant that grows in water

Waterproof Does not absorb water

Anther A male reproductive plant part that

produces pollen grains

Boiling The change in state from a liquid

(water) to a gas (steam)

Boiling point of The temperature at which liquid water

boils
water

Condensation The change in state from a gas

(steam or water vapour) to a liquid
(water)

Dispersal The spreading out of seeds over a

distance to prevent overcrowding
Evaporation The change in state from a liquid
(water) to a gas (water vapour)

Filament Male reproductive plant part that holds

the anther up

Freezing The change in state from a liquid

(water) to a solid (ice)

Freezing point The temperature at which liquid water

freezes
of water

Germination The first stage in a plant's

development from a seed

Heredity The passing on of traits from parents

to young

Humidity The measure of the amount of water

vapour in the air
Life cycle The different stages in the life of a
living thing — birth, growth,
development and reproduction

Mass The amount of matter in a body or

object

Matter Anything that has mass and occupies

space

Melting The change in state from a solid (ice)

to a liquid (water)

Melting point of The temperature at which solid ice

melts
ice

Ovary (in A female reproductive human organ

that produces female reproductive
humans)
cells called eggs or ova
Ovary A female reproductive plant part that
protects the ovule and becomes the
(in plants)
fruit after fertilisation has taken place

Ovule A structure in the ovary that becomes

the seed after fertilisation has taken
place

Penis A male reproductive human organ that

transfers the sperms into the vagina

Pollination The transfer of pollen grains from the

anther to the stigma

Sexual The forming of a new individual,

through the fusion of male and female
reproduction
reproductive cells

Stigma A female reproductive plant part that

receives pollen grains from the anther
Style A female reproductive plant part that
connects the stigma to the ovary

Testis A male reproductive human organ that

produces male reproductive cells
(Plural: Testes)
called sperms

Vagina A female reproductive human organ

Volume The amount of space that a body or

object occupies

Water cycle The continuous movement of water

from the earth, to the sky and back to
the earth

Womb A female reproductive human organ

where a fertilised egg develops

Blood A liquid tissue, which serves as the

transport medium in the circulatory
system
Blood vessel A network of tubes that carry blood
around the body

Breathing The introduction and expulsion of air

Carbon dioxide A gas released into the air during

respiration. It is used up during
photosynthesis

Cell The smallest unit of life

Cell membrane A thin and flexible layer that surrounds

the cytoplasm of a cell

Cell wall A stiff layer outside the cell membrane

of a plant cell

Chloroplast A structure found in plant cells that

contains chlorophyll

Circulatory A system that transports oxygen,

food, water and waste materials to
system
different parts of the body
Conductor A material that allows electricity to
flow through it

Cytoplasm A substance that fills up most of a cell

Diaphragm A dome - shaped sheet of muscle that

separates the chest cavity from the
abdomen

Digestion The process by which food is broken

down into simpler substances

Digestive tract A continuous tube that starts at the

mouth and ends at the anus

Electric circuit The path through which electricity

flows

Food-carrying A tube that transports food from the

leaves to the other parts of a plant
tube (Phloem)

Gullet A tube that connects the mouth to the

stomach
Heart A muscular organ that pumps blood
around the body

Heartbeat A cycle of contraction and relaxation

of the heart muscles

Insulator A material that does not allow

electricity to flow through it

Nucleus The control centre of cell that contains

information passed on through
generations

Organ A part of an animal that serves a

function in the animal's body

Oxygen A gas required by most living things

for respiration

Parallel circuit A circuit that has more than one path

for electricity to flow through
Respiration The process that takes place in cells,
by which oxygen and nutrients are
used to produce energy and carbon
dioxide

Respiratory A system responsible for the

exchange of gases of a living thing
system
with its surroundings

Series circuit A circuit with only one path for

electricity to flow through

Stoma A tiny opening mostly found on the

underside of a leaf to allow gaseous
(Plural:Stomata)
exchange

System A set of two or more parts that

function together

Water - carrying A tube that transports water and

mineral salts from the roots to the
tube (Xylem)
parts of a plant
Adaptation A special characteristic that helps an
organism to survive in its natural
habitat and reproduce

Camouflage An adaptation where an animal

blends in with its surroundings so that
it cannot be seen or recognised easily

Community All the different populations of

organisms living together and
interacting in a habitat

Consumer An organism that cannot make its own

food

Elastic spring The force an elastic object exerts on

the object stretching or compressing it
force

Environment The living and non - living things in the

surroundings that affect an organism
Fermentation The process by which bacteria and
fungi break down the sugars in food to
simpler substances

Food chain A diagram that shows the food

relationship between organisms

Food web A diagram that links food chains in a

community together

Force A push or a pull that one object exerts

on another

Friction A force that exists between surfaces

that are rubbing against each other

Gravitational A force that exists between any two

objects
force (gravity)

Habitat A place where a population of

organisms lives
Magnet An object that produces a magnetic
force

Magnetic Describes a material that can be

attracted to a magnet

Magnetic force A force exerted by magnets on

magnetic materials

Non - magnetic Describes a material that cannot be

attracted to a magnet

Organism Anything that is alive

Population A group of all the organisms of the

same kind that live and reproduce in a
particular place

Population size The total number of live organisms in

a population

Producer An organism that can make its own

food
Predator An animal that hunts and eats other
animals

Prey An animal that is hunted and eaten by

another animal

Pull A force applied in a direction towards

our body

Push A force applied in a direction away

from our body

Weight The amount of gravitational force

acting on an object

Animal-eater An animal that eats only other animals

(Carnivore)

Biomass A type of fuel made of material from

living things, such as wood or manure

Chemical A form of energy that is stored in any

kind of food, fuel or battery
potential energy
Chlorophyll A substance found in green plants that
traps light and enables plants to make
food

Conduction The flow of heat from a hotter object

to a colder object

Contraction The process by which something

decreases in size

Elastic potential A form of stored energy that an object

has when it is stretched or
energy
compressed

Electrical A secondary source of energy that

allows electrical appliances and
energy
equipment to work

Energy The amount of useful energy obtained

from a system when it converts from
efficiency
one form to another
Expansion The process by which something
increases in size

Gravitational A form of stored energy an object has

when it is above the ground, hanging
potential energy
from something or on top of a slope

Heat conductor A material that conducts heat

Heat energy A form of energy that can cause an

object to change its temperature or
state

Heat insulator A material that does not conduct heat

well. Also known as a poor conductor
of heat

Kinetic energy A form of energy that a moving object

has

Light energy A form of energy that enables us to

see
Non-renewable An energy source that is limited in
supply and cannot be replenished
energy source

Photosynthesis The process by which plants make

food in the presence of light energy

Plant-eater An animal that eats only plants

(Herbivore)

Plant-and- An animal that eats both plants and

animals
-animal eater

(Omnivore)

Potential energy A form of stored energy that can be

used and changed into other forms of
energy

Renewable An energy source that is replenished

in a short time
energy source
Solar energy The primary source of energy given
off by the Sun

Sound energy A form of energy that we can hear

Temperature A measurement of the degree of

hotness of an object or place