Grade 6 Science Vocabulary
Cells
Cell theory, the parts of a cell and their jobs, how cells divide, and how cells build tissues, organs, and organisms.
Ohio science standards in this unit
- 6.LS.1 · Cell parts & cell theoryCells are the fundamental unit of life.
- 6.LS.2 · Cell divisionAll cells come from pre-existing cells.
- 6.LS.3 · What cells doCells carry on specific functions that sustain life.
- 6.LS.4 · Levels of organizationLiving systems at all levels of organization demonstrate the complementary nature of structure and function.
Definitions are written in plain language to support WIDA's Standard 4 (Science) English Language Development standard.
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Study guide
Cell parts & cell theory (6.LS.1)
- cell theory
- The idea that all living things are made of cells, cells are the basic unit of life, and new cells come from existing cells.
- structure
- The shape of something and how its parts are put together.
- function
- The job something does.
- single-celled
- Made of only one cell, like bacteria.
- multicellular
- Made of many cells, like plants and animals.
- scientific theory
- A well-tested explanation supported by a lot of evidence.
- microscope
- A tool that makes very small things look bigger.
- micrograph
- A photo taken through a microscope.
- model
- A drawing, object, or idea that represents something real to help explain it.
- bacteria
- Tiny single-celled organisms with no nucleus. Some cause disease; many are helpful.
- cyanobacteria
- Bacteria that make their own food from sunlight, like plants do.
- protists
- Mostly single-celled organisms with a nucleus, like amoebas and algae.
- fungi
- Organisms like mushrooms, molds, and yeast that absorb food from their surroundings.
- plants
- Multicellular organisms that make their own food from sunlight.
- angiosperms
- Flowering plants that make seeds inside fruit.
- cell
- The smallest unit of a living thing.
- tissue
- A group of similar cells that work together to do one job, like the cells that make up a muscle.
- organ
- A group of tissues that work together to do a job, like the heart.
- organ system
- A group of organs that work together, like the digestive system.
- organelle
- A small part inside a cell that has a special job.
- cell wall
- A stiff outer layer that supports and protects plant, fungus, and bacteria cells.
- cell membrane
- The thin outer layer of a cell that controls what goes in and out.
- nucleus
- The control center of a cell. It holds the DNA.
- mitochondria
- Organelles that release energy from food for the cell to use.
- chloroplast
- The green organelle in plant cells where photosynthesis happens.
- photosynthesis
- How plants use sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide to make sugar and oxygen.
- ribosome
- A tiny organelle that makes proteins.
- vacuole
- A sac that stores water, food, or waste. Plant cells have one large one.
- lysosome
- An organelle that breaks down waste and old cell parts.
- cytoplasm
- The jelly-like fluid inside a cell that holds the organelles.
- endoplasmic reticulum
- A network of folded tubes that moves materials and helps make proteins and fats.
- Golgi apparatus
- An organelle that packages proteins and sends them where they are needed.
- plastid
- A plant organelle that makes or stores food or color. Chloroplasts are one kind.
- microbe
- A living thing too small to see without a microscope.
- potable water
- Water that is safe to drink.
Cell division (6.LS.2)
- mitosis
- Cell division that makes two new cells with the same DNA as the parent cell.
- genetic information
- Instructions stored in DNA that tell a cell how to grow and work.
- reproduction
- The process of making new living things.
- species
- A group of organisms that are alike and can have offspring together.
- generation
- All the offspring born at about the same time — parents are one, their children the next.
- binary fission
- When a single-celled organism splits into two equal cells.
- asexual reproduction
- Making offspring from one parent. The offspring are copies of the parent.
- chromosomes
- Thread-like structures in the nucleus that carry DNA.
- parent cell
- The original cell that divides.
- daughter cells
- The new cells made when a parent cell divides.
- spontaneous generation
- An old, disproved idea that living things could come from nonliving things.
- Francesco Redi
- A scientist who showed in 1668 that maggots come from fly eggs, not from rotting meat.
- Louis Pasteur
- A scientist whose 1859 experiments helped disprove spontaneous generation.
What cells do (6.LS.3)
- nutrient
- A substance that living things need to grow and stay healthy.
- regulate
- To control something and keep it steady.
- homeostasis
- Keeping conditions inside the body steady, like body temperature.
- gas exchange
- Taking in one gas and giving off another, like taking in oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide.
- energy transfer
- When energy moves from one place or living thing to another.
- synthesis
- Building something new by putting parts together.
Levels of organization (6.LS.4)
- levels of organization
- The order from small to large: cell, tissue, organ, organ system, organism.
Warm-up words to review
Words from earlier grades that help with this unit.
- organism
- Any living thing.
- inherit
- To receive traits from your parents.
- trait
- A characteristic of an organism, like eye color or leaf shape.