Here is a list of definitions from the Harcourt site relating to basic science topics in Kindergarten and First Grade:
(The online glossary has pictures and animations with the definitions, but you need the current Flashplayer on your device to view them.) Below that is the list of 2nd Grade Science definitions. At the bottom of the page is link to the Website where you can access the online glossary for First and Second Grade. The glossary has pictures, photos, or animations for each term.
Kindergarten/1st Grade Science Definitions
Appearance: What something looks like. A porcupine has quills.
Bar graph: A graph that helps you compare numbers of things.
Edible: Describes something that is safe to eat.
Float: To stay on top of a liquid.
Gas: A kind of matter that does not have its own shape.
Inquiry skills: The skills that people use to find our information.
Length: The measure of how long a solid is.
Liquid: A kind of matter that flows and takes the shape of its container.
Loudness: How loud or soft a sound is.
Mass: The measure of how much matter something has. You can
measure mass with a balance.
Matter: Everything around you. Matter can be a solid, liquid, or gas.
Mixture: Two or more things that have been mixed together.
Nonedible: Describes something that is not safe to eat.
Observe: To use your senses to find out about things.
Science tools: The tools scientists use to help find information that they
need.
Senses: The way we tell what the world is like. The five senses are sight,
hearing, smell, taste, and touch.
Sink: To fall to the bottom of a liquid.
Solid: A kind of matter that keeps its shape.
Temperature: The measure of how hot or cold something is. You can
measure temperature with a thermometer.
2nd Grade Science Definitions
Burning: The change of a substance into ashes and smoke.
Centimeter: A unit used to measure how long a solid is. Centimeters are
marked on many rulers.
Condensation: The change of water from a gas to a liquid.
Condensation happens when heat is taken away from
water vapor.
Condense: To change from water vapor gas into liquid water. Water
vapor condenses when heat is taken away.
Data: Information used in science.
Dissolve: To completely mix a solid with a liquid.
Evaporate: To change from liquid water into a gas. Water evaporates
when heat is added.
Evaporation: The change of water from a liquid to a gas. Evaporation
happens when heat is added to liquid water.
Gas: The only form of matter that always fills all the space of its container.
Heat: Energy that makes things warmer. Heat can be used to cook food
or melt things.
Inquiry skills: A set of skills that people use to find out information.
Investigate: To plan and do a test. Scientists investigate to answer a
question.
Liquid: A form of matter that takes the shape of its container.
Mass: The amount of matter in an object. Mass can be measured using a
tool called a balance.
Matter: The material that all things are made of. Matter can be a solid, a
liquid, or a gas.
Milliliter: A unit to measure the volume of a liquid. Milliliters are marked on
many measuring cups.
Mixture: A mix of different kinds of matter. Substances in a mixture do not
become other substances.
Observe: To use the senses to find out about something.
Property: One part of what something is like. Color, size, and shape are
each a property.
Science tools: Tools that people use to find information.
Solid: The only form of matter that has its own shape.
Temperature: A measure of how hot or cold something is.
Texture: The way something feels when you touch it.
Thermometer: A tool that measures an object’s temperature.
Volume: The amount of space something takes up.
Water Cycle: The movement of water from Earth’s surface into the air and
then back to Earth’s surface.
Water vapor: Water that is in the form of a gas.
Harcourt Science - Palisades Elementary has copies of 1st and 2nd grade Harcourt Science Text Books. The online resource provides an online glossary of important science terms.