Season - Each of the four divisions of the year marked by certain types of weather and climate. They are caused by the tilt of the Earth on it's axis as the Earth revolves around the Sun.
Selective breeding - the process by which humans use animal breeding and plant breeding to selectively develop particular traits by choosing which animal or plant males and females will sexually reproduce and have offspring together.
Sexual Reproduction - a form of reproduction where a new individual is produced from two different parents, resulting in offspring that are genetically different from the parent due to the fusion of sperm and egg cells.
Solar eclipse - When the moon passes between the Sun and the Earth, blocking the light of the Sun
Solar Energy - Energy created from the shining of the Sun.
Solid - A state of matter in which the substance has a definite shape and a definite volume. Its particles are tightly packed.
Solstice - a moment in the year when the Sun's apparent path in the sky is farthest north or south from Earth's Equator
Solute - A substance that is dissolved in another to create a solution
Solution - a homogeneous mixture of two or more substances, where one substance (the solute) dissolves into another (the solvent).
Solvent - A substance that dissolves another substance to create a solution.
Somatic Cells - All body cells except for reproductive cells
Spring Tide - A tidal period when the Earth, Moon and Sun are in a straight line. This causes the highest high tides and lowest low tides of a tide cycle.
States of Matter - a way to describe the physical properties of matter, such as how atoms and molecules behave in a substance. The state of matter is determined by the temperature of the substance.
Stationary Front - A boundary between two air masses that is not moving or is moving very slowly. It often results in prolonged periods of cloudy or unsettled weather.
Sublimation - A physical change in which a substance changes from a solid to a gas. It has no liquid state.
Sustainability - Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the needs of the future generations.
Synthetic Element – elements that are made by scientists in a laboratory and do not exist in nature. Synthetic elements are typically identified as any element with the atomic number of 93 and up.
Temperature - a measure of the average kinetic energy of the particles (atoms or molecules) within a substance; essentially, how fast the particles are moving on average, indicating how hot or cold a substance is.
Thermometer - A device used to measure temperature. It typically consists of a sealed glass tube containing a liquid (such as mercury or alcohol) that expands or contracts with changes in temperature, causing it to rise or fall along a calibrated scale.
Tornado - A rapidly rotating column of air extending from a thunderstorm to the ground. Tornadoes are characterized by their destructive winds and can cause significant damage to structures and landscapes.
Trait - A quality or characteristic of an organism, like eye color, beak type or height.
Transfer RNA - A type of nucleic acid that carries amino acids to the ribosome to build a protein chain.
Translation - The process by which the RNA message is used by the ribosome to make a protein.
Transcription - The process by which DNA makes an RNA molecule to help with making proteins.
Triple beam balance - a tool with a platform to hold an object and three beams with sliding weights, like a seesaw, that you move to measure the object's mass in grams