CAMBRIDGE PRIMARY SCIENCE 3 TEACHER’S RESOURCE
Glossary
absorb soak up or take on a liquid
allergic you are allergic to something if it causes a reaction from inside your body
aluminium a very light metal
amphibian cold-blooded animal which lives in water and on land and lays eggs
attract to pull towards
baby an animal soon after birth
beat one push of blood from your heart
blocked stopped from passing through
blood red liquid that carries gases, food and waste around your body
blood vessels tubes in your body, through which blood flows
brain important organ in the head where we do all our thinking
breath one intake of air by the lungs
breathe process of taking in and removing air from the body
carbon a material that is part of many natural materials including wood, coal and
diamond
carbon dioxide a gas that is made when things are burned
caterpillar a young butterfly or moth
classifying organising things into groups
cold-blooded an animal whose body is the same temperature as the surroundings
conclusion the decision you come to after looking at your evidence
conditions what a place is like
consumers animals which eat other living things
crater a dent on a planet or moon caused by a rock from space hitting the
surface
crescent a curved shape similar to a smile or a banana
dead something that was alive but is not alive now
diesel a liquid made from oil that we use as a fuel in lorries and some cars
dissolve when a material mixes with a liquid and becomes part of the liquid so
that the solid cannot be seen
energy what your body needs to make you move
equipment objects that can be used to do something
exercise activity that keeps us fit and healthy
fair testing a set of tests where only one factor is changed each time
fall move downwards because of the force of gravity
filter (noun) equipment that can be used to separate insoluble solid from liquid
(verb) to remove solids from liquids
filter paper paper with very tiny holes that stays strong when wet, filter paper is
often circular
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CAMBRIDGE PRIMARY SCIENCE 3 TEACHER’S RESOURCE
flow chart a diagram that shows things in order
food chain a diagram which shows how energy moves from one living thing to
another when it is eaten by another animal
forcemeter a piece of equipment used to measure the strength of a force
fossil a shape left in rock which shows the hard parts of a dead animal
freezes when it gets colder a liquid turns from liquid to a solid, e.g. liquid water
turns to ice
friction a force between two surfaces that slows down moving objects
frosted a transparent material is changed to make it hard to see through
fuels materials that we use by burning them
funnel a cone shaped piece of equipment that can be used to get liquid or
powder into a small opening
gas a material that spreads out in all directions to fill the space it is in
germination when a seed begins to grow
gibbous the name for the Moon when we can see more of the light part than the
dark part
global warming the warming of the Earth caused mainly by humans burning fuels from
underground
goggles like glasses but without a lens, often just one piece of plastic
gravity a force that pulls objects towards the centre of the Earth
grip being able to keep things in place
gum a substance produced by some trees
hatch begin to open, e.g. an egg
heart rate number of heart beats per minute
identify recognise and name
impression the shape of something pressed into a material
insoluble a material that will not dissolve in a liquid
intestines a long tube from your stomach, which gets the energy and nutrition from
food into the body
iron a strong metal that can is used to make steel
layer an amount of material that covers a surface
level the height of something
life cycle the stages in the life of a living thing
liquid a material that changes shape easily and takes the shape of the
container it is in
lungs two organs in your chest through which you breathe
magnet a metal object that can attract some other metals
magnetic a material that is pulled towards a magnet
magnetism a force used by magnets to push or pull
mammal a warm-blooded animal, with hair and live birth
mixture when two or more materials are mixed together
muscle part of your body which can push and pull your body to make parts
of it move
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CAMBRIDGE PRIMARY SCIENCE 3 TEACHER’S RESOURCE
natural gas a gas found underground that we use as a fuel
newton standard unit used to measure force
nitrogen most of the air around us is nitrogen gas
non-magnetic a material that is not attracted to a magnet
non-standard a way of measuring using an object that
units other people might not be able to use, e.g. your hand
north pole one pole of a magnet, sometimes coloured red
northern hemisphere the half of the Earth between the line around the middle, called the
equator, and the north pole
nutrients important materials which keep your body healthy
oil a black liquid found in the ground and used as a fuel
opaque a material which does not let light through
orbit the path of a moon around a planet or the path of a planet around the
Sun
ore a rock that can be used to make metal
organ a body part which does a special job
oxygen a gas we need for our bodies which is made by plants
pattern seeking searching for a pattern in numbers or things
petrol a liquid made from oil that we use as a fuel in cars
phase how the Moon looks at different times - the Moon has eight different
phases, e.g. full Moon, waxing crescent
producers plants which make their own food by using the energy from the Sun
pulse you can feel each heart beat in your wrist or neck
repel to push away
reptile a cold-blooded animal which lays eggs and lives on land
research an organised investigation to find something out
rotate turn around, a fan rotates to blow air
scale model a model that shows things at the correct size compared to each other
scatter send in different directions
science enquiry an organised investigation in science
seedling very young plant
seeds small hard parts of a plant made in the flower, seeds can grow into
new plants
separate to put into groups
shadow an darker area caused when light cannot pass through an object
shoot the growing end of a stem
sieve a piece of equipment with holes that will let only small things go through
slippery an adjective that describes a surface without much friction
smelting heating and melting a metal ore to make pure metal
solid a material that stays the same shape unless it is squashed, stretched,
twisted or bent
soluble a material that will dissolve in a liquid
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CAMBRIDGE PRIMARY SCIENCE 3 TEACHER’S RESOURCE
south pole one pole of a magnet, sometimes coloured blue
southern the half of the Earth between the line around
hemisphere the middle, called the equator, and the Earth’s
south pole
sphere a round shape like a ball
spherical an object that is sphere or ball shaped
standard units a way of measuring that is used across the world
stomach the place where your body begins to break down your food
surface the outside of an object
survive to keep living
tadpole a young frog
translucent a material which scatters light
transparent a material that you can see clearly through, it may be clear or coloured
transported moved from one place to another
visor a screen, often fixed to a helmet, to protect the eyes
waning when the light part of the Moon we can see is getting smaller
warm-blooded an animal whose body keeps itself warm inside
waste product material living thing needs to get rid of
waxing when the light part of the Moon we can see is getting larger
weight the downwards force on an object pulling it towards the ground
wilt to become limp and drooping
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