Grade 7 Science Vocabulary
Water Cycle & Ocean Currents
How water moves through Earth’s spheres, and how heat in the ocean and air drives currents and climate.
Ohio science standards in this unit
- 7.ESS.1 · Water cycleThe hydrologic cycle illustrates the changing states of water as it moves through the lithosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere.
- 7.ESS.2 · Currents & climateThermal-energy transfers in the ocean and the atmosphere contribute to the formation of currents, which influence global climate patterns.
Definitions are written in plain language to support WIDA's Standard 4 (Science) English Language Development standard.
Practice 30 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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Sort It Out
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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.
Hydrologic Cycle
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Thermal Energy Transfer
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Study guide
Water cycle (7.ESS.1)
- thermal energy
- The energy of moving particles in a substance. Faster particles mean a hotter substance.
- atmosphere
- The layer of gases that surrounds Earth.
- weather
- What the air is like at a certain place and time — hot or cold, wet or dry, windy or calm.
- weather pattern
- Weather that repeats over a period of time.
- porosity
- How much open space there is between the grains in rock or soil.
- permeability
- How easily water can flow through rock or soil.
- contamination
- Making something dirty or unsafe by adding harmful substances.
- hydrosphere
- All the water on and near Earth’s surface, including oceans, lakes, ice, and groundwater.
- hydrologic cycle
- The water cycle: the movement of water between land, oceans, air, and living things.
- groundwater
- Water stored underground in soil and in cracks and spaces in rock.
- pollution
- Harmful materials added to air, water, or land.
- water displacement
- Measuring an object’s volume by how much the water level rises when you put the object in.
- surface water
- Water on top of the ground, such as rivers, lakes, and ponds.
- energy
- The ability to do work or cause change.
- topographic map
- A map that uses lines to show the shape and height of the land.
- aerial map
- A map made from photos taken from high above the ground.
- drainage pattern
- The shape a network of streams makes when seen from above.
- drainage
- The flow of water off the land or out of the soil.
- watershed
- An area of land where all the water drains into the same river, lake, or ocean.
Currents & climate (7.ESS.2)
- ocean current
- A large stream of ocean water that keeps moving in the same path.
- jet stream
- A fast, narrow band of wind high in the atmosphere that usually blows from west to east.
- troposphere
- The lowest layer of the atmosphere, where we live and where weather happens.
- atmospheric currents
- Large movements of air that carry heat around Earth.
- Gulf Stream
- A warm ocean current that flows from the Gulf of Mexico north along the eastern United States.
- water density
- How much mass is packed into a volume of water. Cold, salty water is denser and sinks.
- salinity
- How much salt is dissolved in water.
- Earth’s rotation
- Earth spinning on its axis. One full spin takes about 24 hours.
- climate
- The usual weather in a place over many years.
- global climate patterns
- Large, long-lasting patterns of temperature and rainfall around the world.
- pressure
- A pushing force spread over an area.
Warm-up words to review
Words from earlier grades that help with this unit.
- water
- A clear liquid made of hydrogen and oxygen. All living things need it.
- flood
- When water covers land that is usually dry.
- drought
- A long time with little or no rain.
- motion
- A change in an object’s position.
- atom
- The smallest unit of an element.
- change of state
- When matter changes between solid, liquid, and gas.
- molecule
- Two or more atoms joined together.
- density
- How much mass is packed into a certain volume.