| Term | Definition |
| concept | an idea (noun) |
| interact | to communicate with others |
| environment | all the surroundings and conditions that affect living things, like water, air, and soil |
| branch | a part or division of a larger whole |
| organism | a living thing |
| pond | a small lake |
| aquarium | a glass tank filled with water used for displaying fish |
| Great Plains | the elevated plains region in the US & Canada, between the Rockies and the Appalacian Mts. |
| biome | a large geographical area that has the same climate and conditions |
| make up | to form or constitute (verb) |
| species | a group of plants or animals that are considered the same kind; they breed naturally and produce offspring. |
| classify | to put into categories or classes; categorize |
| cycle | a series of events that is periodically repeated |
| chain | a series of connected or related things |
| bacteria | very small one-celled organisms; decomposers |
| cardinal numbers | one, two, three (like counting) |
| ordinal numbers | first, second, third (the order of people or things) |
| coniferous forests | filled with trees bearing pine CONES; evergreens |
| deciduous forest | an area filled with trees that DROP their leaves in the fall & winter |
| Habitat | the place where an organism lives |