CMS Fifth Grade Essential Vocabulary from the NCESRG

Scientific Inquiry
Science, scientist, inquiry, investigate, process, questioning, hypothesis, procedure,
observation, results, conclusion, scientific method
Forces and Motion
gravity, friction, mass, matter, distance, time, graph, force, motion, momentum, acceleration,
velocity, inertia, Newtons 3 Laws of Motion
Matter :Properties and Change
Water cycle, evaporation, condensation, precipitation, runoff, transpiration, biotic, abiotic,
Qualitative, quantitative, matter
Energy: Conservation and Transfer
Conduction, convection, radiation, electromagnetic waves, thermal energy, convection cell,
transfer
Earth Systems, Structures, Processes
Wind speed, wind direction, precipitation, temperature, barometer, jet stream, water currents,
air pressure, latitude, longitude, hemisphere, anemometer, rain gauge, wind vane,
thermometer, cirrus, stratus, cumulus, cumulonimbus, nimbostratus
Ecosystems
Terrestrial, aquatic, estuary, salt marsh, fertile, species, deciduous forest, rainforest, grasslands,
oceans, lakes, ponds, continental shelf, shoreline, plankton, food chain, food web, energy
pyramid, producers, consumers, decomposers, photosynthesis, interconnected, salinity, algae,
amphibians, community, population
Structures and Functions of Living Organisms
single cell organisms, multi-cellular organisms, Circulatory System, Respiratory System, Skeletal
System, Muscular System, Digestive system, Nervous System
Evolution and Genetics
Inherited traits, species, population, culture, genetics, offspring, characteristics