Grade 7 Science Vocabulary
The Atmosphere
What air is made of, how its layers differ, and how gases like ozone and carbon dioxide affect life on Earth.
Ohio science standards in this unit
- 7.ESS.3 · The atmosphereThe atmosphere has different properties at different elevations and contains a mixture of gases that cycle through the lithosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere.
Definitions are written in plain language to support WIDA's Standard 4 (Science) English Language Development standard.
Practice 14 words
Flashcards
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Drag-and-Drop Match-Up
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Multiple Choice Quiz
Choose the correct meaning for each word.
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Type the Term
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Find the Word
Search for the unit’s words in a letter grid.
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Crossword Puzzle
Solve a crossword using the meanings as clues.
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Spelling Practice
Hear each word, then spell it.
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Pronunciation Practice
Hear each word and practice saying it.
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Focused practice sets
Shorter word sets on one part of this unit, with extra activities and beginner support.
Atmosphere
Open the focused set and its activities.
Open set
Study guide
The atmosphere (7.ESS.3)
- gravity
- A force that pulls objects toward each other. It holds the atmosphere close to Earth.
- biogeochemical cycle
- The path a substance like carbon or nitrogen takes as it moves between living things, rock, water, and air.
- lithosphere
- Earth’s solid outer layer: the crust and the top of the mantle.
- biosphere
- All the parts of Earth where living things are found.
- hydrosphere
- All the water on and near Earth’s surface.
- atmosphere
- The layer of gases that surrounds Earth.
- composition
- What something is made of and how much of each part it has.
- atmospheric currents
- Large movements of air that carry heat around Earth.
- greenhouse gases
- Gases such as carbon dioxide and methane that trap heat in the atmosphere.
- greenhouse effect
- The warming of Earth when gases in the air trap heat from the sun.
- water vapor
- Water in the form of a gas.
- ozone
- A gas made of three oxygen atoms.
- ozone layer
- A layer high in the atmosphere where ozone blocks much of the sun’s harmful UV light.
- air quality
- How clean or polluted the air is.
Warm-up words to review
Words from earlier grades that help with this unit.
- element
- A pure substance made of only one kind of atom.
- molecule
- Two or more atoms joined together.