Vocabulary

Investigation 1 basalt scoria

tuff dull

Earth material geologist granite mineral property texture rocks

river rocks size

shape sand

weathering hand lens

Investigation 3 asphalt brick

course concrete

fine harden matrix

medium natural resources

sandpaper sculpture sidewalk

Investigation 2 layer sink

settle screens separate mixture particles pebble gravel sand silt

boulder cobble

clay

Investigation 4 decay

fresh water gas

humus lake liquid ocean pond retain river

saltwater soil solid

stream

basalt 玄武岩 xuán wǔ yán

grey hard rock; once the liquid lava that

came out of a volcano

scoria 火山渣 huǒ shān zhā

reddish, bubbly rock made from the ash from

the fires of a volcano

tuff 凝灰岩 níng huī yán the light, soft rock made

from the ash of a volcano

Investigation 1 Words

dull 暗的 àn de

a rock property- not shiny, without

brightness or sheen

Earth Material 土石材料 tǔ shí cái liào

minerals, rocks, soil, and water- natural materials that can be found on the

Earth

geologist 地質學家 dì zhì xué jiā

a scientist who studies rocks

Investigation 1 Words

granite 花崗石 huā gǎng shí

a very hard rock that is used in buildings and

monuments

Mineral 礦物 kuàng wù

a substance that is naturally formed under

the ground

Property 特性 tè xìng

words used to describe rocks [rough, smooth,

dull, shiny]

Investigation 1 Words

texture 質地 zhì dì

how smooth or rough a rock feels to the touch

rocks 石頭 shí tou

a naturally occurring group of minerals, an

Earth material

river rocks 河流岩石 hé liú yán shí

rocks found in rivers, usually smooth from the constant water rushing

over them

Investigation 1 Words

sand 沙 shā

what is made when rocks are rubbed

together

shape 形狀 xíng zhuàng

circle, square, heart, triangle, hexagon, etc.

rocks can be many shapes

size 大小 dà xiǎo

how big or small something is

Investigation 1 Words

weathering 風化 fēng huà

when rocks break into smaller pieces because

of rain, water, wind, (natural weather)

hand lens 放大鏡 fàng dà jìng

a small magnified glass used to see small objects up close

Investigation 1 Words

layer 分層 fēn céng

when rocks are formed, earth material can begin to layer causing stripes

sink 沉 chén

when something falls to the bottom because of it’s

size or weight

settle 沈澱 chén diàn

gradually moving to it’s resting place- usually sinking to the bottom

Investigation 2 Words

separate 分開 fēn kāi

when soil settles into separate layers, or separating rocks by

their properties

mixture 混合物 hùn hé wù

a material made up of 2 or more Earth materials

blended together

particle 沙粒 shā lì

one individual piece of sand

Investigation 2 Words

silt 淤泥 yū ní

silt is smaller than sand, but larger than

clay

gravel 碎石 suì shí

a large amount of rock pieces, used on roads and

driveways

pebble 鵝卵石 é luǎn shí

a small stone made smooth by wind or

water

Investigation 2 Words

boulder 大圓石 dà yuán shí

a large rock, typically broken off a mountain

or cliff

cobble 圓石 yuán shí

a rock larger then a pebble, but smaller than a

boulder, used to make roads called cobblestone

clay 黏土 niān tǔ

a fine grained soil, mixed with water clay can be used to make pots, jars, and bowls

Investigation 2 Words

screen 篩子 shāi zi

a metal guard, used to separate different

sized objects (rocks)

Investigation 2 Words

asphalt 瀝青 lì qīng

a mixture of sand and gravel used to surface

roads

brick 磚 zhuān a block of clay, sand, lime, and soil mixed together

and dried- used for construction

coarse 粗糙 cū cāo

feels rough, something made up of large

particles

Investigation 3 Words

fine 細滑的 xì huá de

feels smooth, something made up of very small particles

sidewalk 行人道 xíng rén dào

a path along side of a road, usually made of

concrete concrete 混凝土 hùn níng tǔ

a mixture of water, sand, and clay- used to

build and construct

Investigation 3 Words

matrix 基質 jī zhì

a substance made with cornstarch and cold water-

used in sand sculptures

sculpture 雕塑 diāo sù

using matrix and sand to form an object

Mortar 砂漿 shā jiāng a mixed paste used to bind bricks together

[made up of water, clay, and fine sand]

Investigation 3 Words

natural resources 自然資源 zì rán zī yuán resources that are

naturally in an environment; water, rocks, minerals,

sandpaper 砂紙 shā zhǐ

a heavy paper with sand attached to one side; used

to smooth out wood

Investigation 3 Words

decay 腐爛的 fǔ làn

rotted or decomposed

fresh water 淡水 dàn shuǐ

a natural resource, water without bacteria, salt, etc.

gas 氣體 qì tǐ

one of the states of matter

Investigation 4 Words

humus 腐殖質 fǔ zhí zhì

organic materials broken down and combined with soil

lake 湖 hú

a body of fresh water, can vary in size, has shoreline

all around the lake

liquid 液體 yè tǐ

one of the states of matter, can pour; water, milk, soda

Investigation 4 Words

ocean 洋 yáng

a large body of salt water that covers 70% of the Earth’s surface

pond 池塘 chí táng

a body of standing water, usually shallow; can be man-made or natural

stream 小溪 xiǎo xī

a body of water with a current, that is narrow and surrounded by banks (land)

Investigation 4 Words

river 河 hé larger than a stream, body of water with a current;

usually runs into an ocean or lake

saltwater 鹽水 yán shuǐ

water with salt in it, all oceans are filled with salt

water

soil 土壤 tǔ rǎng a mixture of organic

matter, gasses, liquids, and organisms that can

support plant life gù

Investigation 4 Words

solid 固體 gù tǐ

a state of matter, does not take the shape of a container, solid, firm

Investigation 4 Words