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Grade 8 Science Vocabulary · Trimester 3, Unit 5

The Periodic Table

How the periodic table groups elements by properties you can observe, and how to tell metals, nonmetals, and metalloids apart.

Ohio science standards in this unit

  • 7.PS.1 · Periodic table & propertiesElements can be organized by properties.

15 science words (Tier 3) and 6 academic words (Tier 2). Every word has a plain-language definition and an example sentence, written to support WIDA's Standard 4 (Science) English Language Development standard.

One word list, many ways to practice

These are the same 15 words, used in different tools. Students can start any of them right away. No student accounts or sign-in.

See the words in a picture

Label the Diagram: Properties and the periodic table

A hammer flattening a shiny sheet, a yellow lump cracked into pieces, and a lit bulb wired to a metal rod, above an outline of the periodic table with colored regions, a dashed red column, and a dashed green row.

Students place 8 words on numbered spots: malleable, brittle, conductor, group, metal, metalloid, nonmetal, period. They can turn on meanings and hear each word read aloud.

Teachers: open the same picture in ELLEvision to move labels, add words or audio, and publish your own version. ELLEvision needs a teacher sign-in.

Label the diagram

Break words into meaningful parts

Build It in ELLEments

Science words are often built from smaller parts. 6 words in this unit come with their parts ready, so students can hear each word, read it in a sentence, and build it from its pieces.

  • nonmetalnonmetal

    Sulfur is a yellow nonmetal.

  • metalloidmetalloid

    Silicon is a metalloid used in computer chips.

  • malleablemalleable

    Gold is so malleable it can be pounded into thin foil.

  • conductorconductor

    Aluminum is a good conductor of heat.

  • insulatorinsulator

    The plastic handle is an insulator, so it stays cool.

Tier 2 · Academic language

Words students need to talk and write about this unit

These are not science words, but students meet them in every task and question. Pre-teach them alongside the science words.

organize
To arrange things in a clear order.
“The periodic table organizes elements by their properties.”
property
A trait that describes a material and helps you tell it apart from others.
“Shine is a property of most metals.”
classify
To sort things into groups by what they have in common.
“Classify each element as a metal, nonmetal, or metalloid.”
pattern
Something that happens in a regular, repeated way.
“Look for a pattern across each row of the table.”
select
To choose from a group after thinking about it.
“Select the best element for a cooking pan.”
evidence
Facts or observations that show something is true.
“A shiny surface is evidence that the element may be a metal.”

Focused practice sets

Shorter word sets on one part of this unit, with extra activities and beginner support.

Elements & Properties

Open the focused set and its activities.

Open set

Study guide

Words are grouped by the standard they support. Blue tiles show a word’s parts.

Periodic table & properties (7.PS.1)

element
A substance made of only one kind of atom.Copper is an element.
periodic table
A chart that arranges all the elements so that elements with similar properties are near each other.Find carbon on the periodic table.
group
A column on the periodic table. Elements in the same column have similar properties.Neon and argon are in the same group.
period
A row across the table of elements, read from left to right.Sodium and chlorine are in the same period.
metal
An element that is usually shiny, can be bent, and conducts heat and electricity well.Copper is a metal used in wires.
nonmetalnonmetal
An element that is usually dull, breaks easily as a solid, and does not conduct electricity well.Sulfur is a yellow nonmetal.
metalloidmetalloid
An element with some traits of both metals and nonmetals, like silicon.Silicon is a metalloid used in computer chips.
luster
How shiny a material is when light hits it.Polished silver has a bright luster.
malleablemalleable
Able to be hammered or pressed into thin sheets without breaking.Gold is so malleable it can be pounded into thin foil.
brittle
Breaking or shattering easily instead of bending.A lump of sulfur is brittle and crumbles when you tap it.
conductorconductor
A material that lets heat or electricity flow through it easily.Aluminum is a good conductor of heat.
insulatorinsulator
A material that slows the flow of heat or electricity.The plastic handle is an insulator, so it stays cool.
melting point
The temperature at which a solid turns into a liquid.Iron has a very high melting point.
boiling point
The temperature at which a liquid turns into a gas all the way through.The boiling point of water is 100 °C at sea level.
solubilitysolubility
How much of a substance can dissolve in another substance, like water.Sugar has a high solubility in hot water.

Warm-up words to review

Words from earlier grades that help with this unit.

atom
A particle of an element, far too small to see.
density
How much mass is packed into a certain volume.

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