Environmental Science and Sustainability: Glossary
118 words, listed in the order you meet them in Courseversity lessons.
All words in this topic
Grade 1
forest
From Grade 1
a large area full of trees
Learn it in: Natural surroundings (Grade 1), Land habitats (Grade 2)
river
From Grade 1
water flowing across the land
Learn it in: Natural surroundings (Grade 1), Water habitats (Grade 2)
depend
From Grade 1
to need
Learn it in: Plants and animals in our environment (Grade 1), Food and shelter (Grade 2)
living things
From Grade 1
plants and animals
Learn it in: Plants and animals in our environment (Grade 1)
pollinate
From Grade 1
to carry pollen from flower to flower
Learn it in: Plants and animals in our environment (Grade 1)
clean
From Grade 1
free from dirt
Learn it in: Clean and dirty environments (Grade 1), Clean water (Grade 2)
pollution
From Grade 1
harmful things in air, water or land
Learn it in: Clean and dirty environments (Grade 1), Habitat protection (Grade 2), Human impacts (Grade 3)
smoke
From Grade 1
a cloud of tiny particles from burning
Learn it in: Clean and dirty environments (Grade 1)
rubbish
From Grade 1
another word for waste
Learn it in: Waste (Grade 1), Environmental cleanliness (Grade 2)
waste
From Grade 1
things we throw away
Learn it in: Waste (Grade 1), Water conservation (Grade 2), Energy conservation (Grade 2)
compost
From Grade 1
rotted plant waste that feeds the soil
Learn it in: Proper waste disposal (Grade 1), Soil and plant growth (Grade 3), Decomposers (Grade 4)
leak
From Grade 1
a place where water escapes
Learn it in: Saving water (Grade 1), Water conservation (Grade 2)
mulch
From Grade 1
a layer of leaves or straw on soil
Learn it in: Caring for plants (Grade 1), Soil conservation (Grade 3)
conservation
From Grade 1
looking after nature
Learn it in: Protecting animals (Grade 1), Habitat protection (Grade 2), Soil conservation (Grade 3)
endangered
From Grade 1
at risk of disappearing
Learn it in: Protecting animals (Grade 1), Conservation (Grade 4), Biodiversity conservation (Grade 6)
plan
From Grade 1
to decide steps before doing
Learn it in: Keeping our school clean (Grade 1), Building models (Grade 3), Planning investigations (Grade 4)
project
From Grade 1
a piece of work planned and done together
Learn it in: Keeping our school clean (Grade 1), Engineering project (Grade 3), Engineering project (Grade 5)
team
From Grade 1
a group working together
Learn it in: Keeping our school clean (Grade 1), Teamwork (Grade 3)
Grade 2
appliance
From Grade 2
a machine used at home
Learn it in: Science at home (Grade 2), Electricity in everyday life (Grade 4)
fertiliser
From Grade 2
something added to soil to help plants grow
Learn it in: Science in farming (Grade 2)
harvest
From Grade 2
to gather ripe crops
Learn it in: Science in farming (Grade 2), Weather and farming (Grade 3)
irreversible
From Grade 2
cannot change back
Learn it in: Science in cooking (Grade 2), Reversible changes (Grade 4)
seat belt
From Grade 2
a strap that keeps you safe in a vehicle
Learn it in: Science in transportation (Grade 2), Practical applications (Grade 6)
beam
From Grade 2
a long strong bar that holds a roof or floor
Learn it in: Science in construction (Grade 2), Light travelling in straight lines (Grade 4)
brick
From Grade 2
a block made of baked clay
Learn it in: Science in construction (Grade 2), Materials for construction (Grade 4)
cement
From Grade 2
a grey powder that becomes hard when mixed with water
Learn it in: Science in construction (Grade 2)
foundation
From Grade 2
the base that holds up a building
Learn it in: Science in construction (Grade 2), Structures (Grade 4)
nutrition
From Grade 2
the food your body needs
Learn it in: Science in health (Grade 2), Nutrition (Grade 3)
vaccine
From Grade 2
a medicine that helps protect against disease
Learn it in: Science in health (Grade 2), Disease prevention (Grade 6)
improve
From Grade 2
to make better
Learn it in: Tools and technology (Grade 2), Solving community problems (Grade 2), Drawing conclusions (Grade 3)
technology
From Grade 2
tools and machines that solve problems
Learn it in: Tools and technology (Grade 2)
reduce
From Grade 2
to use less
Learn it in: Environmental cleanliness (Grade 2), Noise pollution (Grade 4)
problem
From Grade 2
something that needs fixing
Learn it in: Solving community problems (Grade 2), Identifying practical problems (Grade 3), Identifying problems (Grade 5)
solution
From Grade 2
an answer to a problem
Learn it in: Solving community problems (Grade 2), What is engineering? (Grade 3), Dissolving (Grade 4)
criteria
From Grade 2
what a good solution must do
Learn it in: Simple design project (Grade 2), Identifying practical problems (Grade 3), Engineering design (Grade 4)
evaluate
From Grade 2
to judge how well it worked
Learn it in: Simple design project (Grade 2), Evaluating investigations (Grade 4), Light investigations (Grade 4)
prototype
From Grade 2
a first model to test
Learn it in: Simple design project (Grade 2), What is engineering? (Grade 3), Engineering design (Grade 4)
Grade 3
community
From Grade 3
all the living things in an ecosystem
Learn it in: Ecosystems introduction (Grade 3), Ecosystems (Grade 4), Ecosystems (Grade 5)
ecosystem
From Grade 3
living things and their surroundings working together
Learn it in: Ecosystems introduction (Grade 3), Ecosystems (Grade 4), Ecosystems (Grade 5)
abiotic
From Grade 3
non-living parts of an ecosystem
Learn it in: Living and non-living components (Grade 3), Ecosystems (Grade 5)
biotic
From Grade 3
living parts of an ecosystem
Learn it in: Living and non-living components (Grade 3), Ecosystems (Grade 5)
respire
From Grade 3
to release energy from food
Learn it in: Living and non-living components (Grade 3)
balance
From Grade 3
a steady state of numbers
Learn it in: Animal feeding relationships (Grade 3), Food webs (Grade 4), Matter and mass (Grade 5)
competition
From Grade 3
when living things need the same resource
Learn it in: Animal feeding relationships (Grade 3), Interdependence (Grade 4), Ecosystem relationships (Grade 6)
food web
From Grade 3
many food chains joined together
Learn it in: Animal feeding relationships (Grade 3), Food webs (Grade 4), Food webs (Grade 5)
partnership
From Grade 3
two living things that help each other
Learn it in: Animal feeding relationships (Grade 3)
niche
From Grade 3
the role of a living thing in its habitat
Learn it in: Habitat relationships (Grade 3)
environmental change
From Grade 3
a change to the surroundings of living things
Learn it in: Environmental changes (Grade 3)
biodiversity
From Grade 3
the variety of living things
Learn it in: Ecosystem protection (Grade 3), Conservation (Grade 4), Biodiversity (Grade 5)
protected area
From Grade 3
land or water set aside for nature
Learn it in: Ecosystem protection (Grade 3), Conservation (Grade 4), Ecosystem conservation (Grade 5)
Grade 4
decay
From Grade 4
the breaking down of dead things
Learn it in: Decomposers (Grade 4), Decomposers (Grade 5)
decomposer
From Grade 4
an organism that breaks down dead matter
Learn it in: Decomposers (Grade 4), Decomposers (Grade 5), Major groups of living things (Grade 6)
energy flow
From Grade 4
movement of energy from one organism to the next
Learn it in: Food chains (Grade 4), Energy flow (Grade 5)
population
From Grade 4
all the members of one species in a place
trophic level
From Grade 4
a feeding step in a food chain
Learn it in: Food webs (Grade 4), Food chains (Grade 5), Energy flow (Grade 5)
interdependence
From Grade 4
living things relying on each other
Learn it in: Interdependence (Grade 4), Organisation of living systems (Grade 6)
habitat loss
From Grade 4
the destruction of a place where organisms live
Learn it in: Human impacts (Grade 4)
Grade 5
detritivore
From Grade 5
an animal that eats dead matter such as a worm
Learn it in: Decomposers (Grade 5)
keystone species
From Grade 5
a species with a big effect on its ecosystem
Learn it in: Food webs (Grade 5)
biomass
From Grade 5
the mass of living material
Learn it in: Energy flow (Grade 5), Renewable resources (Grade 6)
carbon cycle
From Grade 5
the movement of carbon through air, life and soil
Learn it in: Matter cycling introduction (Grade 5)
fixation
From Grade 5
changing nitrogen from air into a form plants can use
Learn it in: Matter cycling introduction (Grade 5)
nitrogen cycle
From Grade 5
the movement of nitrogen through air, soil and life
Learn it in: Matter cycling introduction (Grade 5)
extinct
From Grade 5
no longer existing
Learn it in: Biodiversity (Grade 5), Biodiversity conservation (Grade 6)
species
From Grade 5
a group of living things that can breed together
Learn it in: Biodiversity (Grade 5), Biodiversity (Grade 6), Classification of organisms (Grade 6)
sustainable use
From Grade 5
using resources without using them up
Learn it in: Ecosystem conservation (Grade 5)
Grade 6
climate
From Grade 6
the average weather of a place over about 30 years
Learn it in: Weather and climate (Grade 6)
latitude
From Grade 6
distance north or south of the equator
Learn it in: Weather and climate (Grade 6)
enhanced
From Grade 6
increased by human activity
Learn it in: Greenhouse effect introduction (Grade 6)
raw material
From Grade 6
a natural material used to make goods
Learn it in: Natural resources (Grade 6)
wildlife corridor
From Grade 6
a strip of habitat linking protected areas
Learn it in: Conservation (Grade 6)
SDG
From Grade 6
one of 17 global goals adopted by the UN in 2015
Learn it in: Sustainable development (Grade 6)
sustainable development
From Grade 6
meeting needs today without harming the future
Learn it in: Sustainable development (Grade 6)