Vocabulary words and definitions can be found here in alphabetical order. Tests are Friday’s and are always recorded in the student planner.
Student definitions are found in their vocabulary notebooks and are the best definitions to study. I encourage you to practice these words at home with your student!
absolute location: the address of a location
adjective- a word that describes a noun with more detail
adverb- a word that describes a verb and often ends in -ly
angle- formed when two lines meet at a shared point, measured in degrees
area- the amount of space inside a shape
area model- an empty rectangle with labeled side lengths left
array- a picture that shows groups in rows and columns
attract- a force that pulls objects together (i.e., magnets)
author- the person who wrote a book or paper
canal- a human-made river
capacity- the amount that a container can hold
caption- words that go beside a picture to describe what is in the picture
central message- the lesson in a story
character trait- what a character is like on the inside; their personality
character- someone in a book, story, or movie
climate- weather in an area over a long time
cloud- a big collection of tiny droplets of water or ice crystals
compare- to look at what is the same or different about 2 things
compass rose- a feature on a map that shows directions
conclusion- the end to a writing
culture- the customs of a group nation or group of people
decompose- to break something down into smaller parts
democracy- a type of government where the people hold the power
describe- to tell me more details about something
details- additional information about the main idea
difference- the answer to a subtraction problem
digital clock- a clock that uses just numbers, no hands
divide- to split up the total into equal groups
edit- to fix errors and make it better
equation- a number sentence. ex. 5+5=10
equivalent- another way to say equal
essay- short piece of writing on a specific topic
estimate- make a good guess using a strategy to help
executive branch- enforces the laws
evaporation- the process where liquid water becomes a gas
fable- a type of story that it short, has animals as characters, and teaches a moral.
fact- something that is true and can be proven by doing research
factors- the numbers that you multiply together
fiction- a type of story that is make-believe
force- a push or a pull on an object; something that makes things move
fossil- the remains of a plant or animal that lived long ago
fraction- equal parts of a whole
friction- a rubbing force that slows objects down and creates heat
genre- a category for a type of text
geography- the study of places and what the earth’s surface looks like
glossary- text feature that gives definitions for a particular text
governor- the leader of a territory or state
gram- the smallest unit of weight in the metric system
heading- a mini title at the top of a writing that tells you what that part of the writing will be about
historian- someone who studies the past
history- the study of the past
infer- to figure something out using the clues
judicial branch- interprets the laws
kilogram- a unit of measurement that measures weight and is made from 1,000 grams
lead- the beginning to a writing that hooks the readers attention
legend- a narrative story that is BASED on real things but is exaggerated and is now not real.
legislative branch- makes the laws
liter- a unit of measurement that measures the amount of a liquid and is made from 1,000 milliliters.
location- where something is
magnet- a type of rock or metal that can pull certain types of metal to itself
main idea- the most important point or idea in a writing
Michigan- the name of the state we live in
moral- the important lesson of the story
motion- a change in position.
multiply- add a number to itself a number of times
myth- a type of story that often has characters such as gods and goddesses and are written to explain why something is the way it is
narrative- a type of writing that tells a story
Native American- the first people that lived in North America
nonfiction- text that is true and teaches you information about something
noun- a word that’s a person, place, thing, or idea
number line- a line with numbers that we use in math
Odawa- a Native American tribe of the Three Fires, lived in Michigan
Ojibway- a Native American tribe of the Three Fires, lived in Michigan
opinion- a feeling or belief
opposites- the most different 2 things can possibly be
pan balance- a type of scale that compares weights of objects by trying to make them balance
parallel- 2 lines that will NEVER touch
partition- to divide something into smaller EQUAL pieces
peninsula- a piece of land surrounded on 3 sides by water
perimeter- the amount of space around the outside of a shape
pioneer- the first people to settle an area
plot- the story events or the beginning, middle, and end of a story
poem-artistic writing that artistic that creates a mental image
Potawatomi- a Native American tribe of the Three Fires, lived in Michigan
precise- exactly
prioritize- doing important things first, then fun things (putting first things first)
product- the answer to a multiplication problem
pronoun- a word that takes the place of a noun such as he, she, I, they…
publish- the final copy of a writing that the audience will read
pull- a force that moves things closer
push- a force that moves things away
quadrilateral- a closed shape with 4 sides.
quotient- the answer to a division problem
reason- what you say to explain why
region- an area that has something in common with all the other places in that area
relative location–a place that is related to another object. Use a compass rose to help find relative location.
repel- a force that moves something away (i.e., magnets)
republic- a type of government where the people hold the power
rhyme- words that share the same ending sounds such as thin and grin
round- to change a number to the nearest friendly number like the nearest 10 or the nearest 100
selection- the process of making choices to change the outcome
services- things that people do for you in exchange for money
setting- where a story takes place.
stamina- when you do something for a time and you keep trying to get better
stanza-The lines of words and groups of lines in a poem
symmetry- when an object looks the same on one side as on the other
territory-what an area of land was called that was not a state
theme- the message in a story; the lesson that you learn in a story
topic- the subject of a book or writing
trade- to exchange or switch one item for another item
verb- an action word
voyager- a person who sailed across waterways to explore and trade
water vapor- the gas state of water