Science Vocabulary for 3rd Grade
45 terms
JamWise Education Team·Updated March 2026
In 3rd grade, students in the upper elementary (3-5) band encounter 45 essential science vocabulary terms. These words form the foundation for classroom discussions, reading comprehension, written assignments, and standardized assessments. Mastering this vocabulary gives students the language they need to express their understanding with clarity and confidence.
Below you will find every science term for 3rd grade, organized by topic where applicable. Each term links to a detailed definition page with grade-level explanations, related vocabulary, and connections to JamWise learning resources.
earth-science
View topic hubClimate
Climate is the usual pattern of weather in a place over a long time.
Condensation
Condensation is when water vapor cools down and turns back into tiny drops of liquid water.
Evaporation
Evaporation is when water gets warm and changes from a liquid into an invisible gas called water vapor.
Natural hazard
A natural hazard is a dangerous event in nature, like a flood, tornado, or earthquake.
Precipitation
Precipitation is water that falls from clouds to the ground as rain, snow, sleet, or hail.
Soil layers
Soil has layers — dark topsoil on top where plants grow, lighter subsoil in the middle, and broken rock at the bottom.
Thermometer
A thermometer is a tool that measures temperature — how hot or cold something is.
Water cycle
The water cycle is the way water moves from Earth to the sky and back again through evaporation, condensation, and precipitation.
Weather pattern
A weather pattern is a type of weather that repeats or stays the same for a while in a place.
Wind vane
A wind vane is a tool that shows which direction the wind is blowing from.
engineering
View topic hubData
Data is information collected during an experiment, such as measurements, observations, or counts.
Design process
The design process is a set of steps engineers follow to solve a problem: ask, imagine, plan, create, test, and improve.
Investigation
An investigation is a careful study scientists do to answer a question, often using experiments and observations.
Simple machine
A simple machine is a basic device that makes work easier, like a lever, pulley, ramp, or wheel.
life-science
View topic hubAdaptation
An adaptation is a body part or behavior that helps a living thing survive in its environment.
Camouflage
Camouflage is coloring or patterns that help an animal blend in with its surroundings so it can hide.
Carnivore
A carnivore is an animal that eats only other animals. Lions and hawks are carnivores.
Consumer
A consumer is a living thing that gets energy by eating other living things.
Decomposer
A decomposer is a living thing that breaks down dead plants and animals and returns nutrients to the soil.
Ecosystem
An ecosystem is a community of living things interacting with the nonliving parts of their environment.
Environment
An environment is everything around a living thing, including air, water, soil, and other organisms.
Extinct
Extinct means a type of plant or animal that has died out and no longer exists anywhere on Earth.
Food chain
A food chain shows how energy passes from one living thing to another when one eats another.
Fossil
A fossil is the remains or mark of a plant or animal that lived long ago, preserved in rock.
Herbivore
A herbivore is an animal that eats only plants. Cows and rabbits are herbivores.
Inherited behavior
An inherited behavior is something an animal knows how to do from birth without being taught, like a spider spinning a web.
Inherited trait
An inherited trait is passed from parents to their babies, like fur color or eye color.
Learned behavior
A learned behavior is something an animal learns to do from experience or by watching others.
Life cycle
A life cycle is all the stages an organism goes through from birth, to growth, to reproduction, and eventually death.
Omnivore
An omnivore is an animal that eats both plants and animals. Bears and humans are omnivores.
Producer
A producer is a living thing that makes its own food from sunlight. Plants are producers.
Species
A species is a group of living things that are the same kind and can have babies together.
Trait
A trait is a feature that a living thing has, like eye color, height, or leaf shape.
physical-science
View topic hubAttract
To attract means to pull something closer. A magnet attracts iron and steel.
Balanced forces
Balanced forces are equal pushes or pulls on an object from opposite directions, so the object stays still.
Dissolve
To dissolve means when a solid mixes completely into a liquid so you can no longer see it.
Electric charge
An electric charge is a property of matter that causes it to push or pull on other charged objects.
Friction
Friction is a force that slows down or stops objects when they rub against each other.
Gravity
Gravity is a force that pulls objects toward each other. Earth's gravity pulls everything toward the ground.
Magnetic force
Magnetic force is an invisible push or pull created by a magnet.
Pattern
A pattern is something that repeats in a regular way. Scientists look for patterns in nature.
Repel
To repel means to push something away. Two magnets with the same pole facing each other repel.
States of matter
The three common states of matter are solid, liquid, and gas. Matter changes state when it gains or loses energy.
Static electricity
Static electricity is a buildup of electric charge on the surface of an object.
Unbalanced forces
Unbalanced forces happen when one push or pull is stronger than another, causing an object to move.