3rd Grade Numble Jumble Vocabulary ~ Student List

Human Body
Word

Definition

cartilage

rubbery, flexible material that sometimes connects bones and

provides shape for some body parts, including the nose and
ears.

joints

where two bones come together and allow movement; some

are fixed and do not move.

skeleton

our whole system of bones.

opposable thumb

thumb that can be used for grasping

ball-and-socket
joint

joint that allows movement in a rotation (up and down, front

to back) only at the shoulders and hips

gliding joint

joint that allows movement in any direction (feet and hands)

hinge joint

joint that allows movement back and forth only (knees,

elbows, and the end two joints of each finger and thumb)

ligament

The tissue that connects bone to bone, or bone to cartilage

muscle

Tissue that contracts, allowing movement of bones.

tendon

A ropelike tissue that connects muscle to bone.

inherited traits
(body)

what you are born with; passed on from your parents (ex. eye
color)

Changes
Word

Definition

boiling point

The temperature at which a heated liquid turns into gas

condensation

The process by which water vapor cools and changes to a

liquid

evaporation

The process by which a liquid becomes a gas

freezing point

The temperature at which a liquid becomes a solid

melting point

The temperature at which a solid becomes a liquid

water vapor

Water that has changed to gas

dissolve

To mix with a liquid and become part of the liquid (ex. salt
with water)

mixture

Two or more substances that can be combined and separated

3rd Grade Numble Jumble Vocabulary ~ Student List

back to their original state while keeping their properties
solution

a liquid in which something has been dissolved.

chemical change

any change that occurs and a new substance is formed (ex.

rust)

physical change

a change in which no new substance is formed (ex. freezing,

melting)

matter

substance that has form and takes up space

humidity

amount of moisture in the air

water cycle

how water moves on earth (ex. condensation, evaporation,

precipitation, transpiration)

mass

a measure of the amount of matter in an object (ex. balloon

vs. bowling ball)

temperature

measure of warmth or coldness of a substance

Objects in the Sky

Word

Definition

constellation

a group of stars forming a pattern (ex. Big Dipper)

moon

natural satellite that revolves around a planet

moon phases

pattern of the moon as it appears in the sky

waning moon

after the full moon when the illuminated area is decreasing

waxing moon

before the full moon when the illuminated area is increasing

astronomy

science that deals with celestial objects, space, and the

universe as a whole

orbit

the curved path an object follows (ex. moon around Earth)

revolve

to move in a circular motion while following a path (ex. Earth

revolves around the sun)

3rd Grade Numble Jumble Vocabulary ~ Student List

rotate

to turn on an axis or center point

planet

a celestial body moving in an elliptical orbit around a star (Ex.

Earth orbits the Sun)

solar system

The collection of planets and their moons in orbit around a

sun, along with smaller bodies such as asteroids, meteoroids,
and comets.

axis

an imaginary line around which the earth rotates

scale model
a representation that is smaller or larger than the object it
represents (ex. globe)
gravity

the force that keeps objects from floating off earths surface

Plant Growth and Development

Word

Definition

photosynthesis

the process of a plant turning sunlight into food

embryo

part of the seed that develops into a plant

cotyledon

the first leaves of a seed

seed coat

the protective outer coat of a seed

fertilizer

a chemical or natural substance added to soil to increase

3rd Grade Numble Jumble Vocabulary ~ Student List

plant growth
organic material

substance that comes from a living organism (ex. animal or

plant)

compost

decayed organic material used as a plant fertilizer

humus

the organic component of soil, formed by the decomposition

of leaves and other plant material

decompose

make or become rotten; to decay

castings

waste produced by worms

roots

part of a plant that grows underground, takes in water, and

holds the plant in place

life cycle

the series of changes in the life of an organism

texture

the feel, appearance, or consistency of a surface or a

substance.

nectar

a sweet liquid produced by plants and used by bees in

making honey

fertilize

to make soil richer and better able to support plant growth

pollinate

moving pollen from one plant to another plant

cross-pollinate

moving pollen from one type of plant to a different type of

plant

loam

a type of soil rich in minerals that is good for growing plants

adaptation

a change made for survival (ex. camouflage)

biotic

living object (ex. plant, animal, human)

abiotic

non-living object (ex. soil, sunlight, wind)

germinate

when a seed begins to grow

exoskeleton

outside covering of an animal (ex. crab, snail)

3rd Grade Numble Jumble Vocabulary ~ Student List

Academic
Word

Definition

Compare

To determine how things are similar

Contrast

To determine how things are different

Main Idea

what the text is mostly about

Key detail

Important information that supports the main idea

Support

Proving or making stronger

Similar

Almost the same as something else

Summarize

To briefly state the main points

Cause

The reason an event happens

Effect

the result or outcome of that event

Chronological

A type of text structure where events are organized time

order (ex. Biography, schedule, timeline)

Sequence

A type of text structure where events are organized in a stepby-step process using words such as first, next, then, last
(recipes, experiments)

Solution

The answer to a problem

Conflict

situation needing to be solved (a problem)

Evidence

Information found to support an answer or thinking

Theme

the life lesson or message that the author wants to teach

Infer

to determine the answer by using background knowledge +

text clues (its not stated in the text)

Cite

To support an opinion or idea using text evidence

Specific

Exact or precise

Conclusion

a decision based on evidence

Context Clues

Clues from the text that define the meaning of a word

Fact

Information that can be proven

3rd Grade Numble Jumble Vocabulary ~ Student List

Opinion

A personal belief

Determine

figure out

describe

tell about with details

convey

provide information

most likely

probably

least likely

probably not

graphic organizer

a tool that shows the relationship between ideas, making it

easier to understand

central message

the main lesson that the author wants to teach

table

text feature that organizes information

diagram

an illustration or photo with labels

illustration

drawing or picture

lesson

what the author wants the reader to learn in the story

moral

what the author wants the reader to learn in the story

phrase

a group of words within a line of poetry or text

stanza

a paragraph in a poem surrounded by skipped lines

selection

a short piece of writing

text

any written material

speaker

The voice of the poem (who is talking), not necessarily the

poet

narrator

person telling the story

point of view

the way of thinking about something

figurative
language

Words or phrases that mean something different than what

the words normally mean

literal

What the words normally mean

entertain

purpose is to enjoy

inform

purpose is to give information

persuade

purpose is to convince you of something (change your mind)

accounts

versions of the same story

Procedure

Steps in a process

3rd Grade Numble Jumble Vocabulary ~ Student List

Math
Word

Definition

Operations

Any one of the basic math equations; addition, subtraction,

multiplication & division

Multiplication

An operation where a number is added to itself a number of times

Division

An operation where a number is subtracted from itself a number of

times

Factor

A number that you multiply to another number to get a product

Product

The answer to a multiplication equation

Quotient

The answer to a division equation

Partition

To divide into equal sized parts or groups

Array

A set of objects arranged in a specific order of rows and columns

Variable

A letter or symbol that represents an unknown number

Divisor

A number that will divide the dividend exactly

Dividend

The number being divided

Reasonableness

An answer that makes sense

Commutative
Property

Rule that numbers can be added or multiplied in any order and the
answer will remain the same

Associative Property

Rule that you can group numbers in any way to multiply or divide and
the answer will remain the same

Distributive Property

Tells how to solve equations as a(b + c)= a(b) + a(c)

to make a multiplication equation easier by breaking the larger factor
into smaller addends, determining their products and adding them
together

Estimate

An approximate calculation that is reasonable

Rounding

To change a number to a more convenient value

Inverse operation

The opposite operation of an equation (ex..the inverse of multiplication

is division)

Thousand

10 hundreds, 100 tens or 1000 ones

3rd Grade Numble Jumble Vocabulary ~ Student List

Fraction

Any part of a group, number, or whole

Interval

Distance between two points

Equivalent

Having the same value or amount

Numerator

The number above the line of a fraction, showing number of parts of

the whole or a set

Denominator

Bottom number in a fraction; the number of equal parts the whole or

set is divided into

Comparison

Measuring the similarity or difference between (>, <, =)

Justify

Show or prove to be right or reasonable

Unit Fraction

A fraction with the numerator of one & a denominator showing the

equal parts of the whole or set

Whole

All the parts of a set or shape

Inequality

Not equal in size, amount, or value

Elapsed time

When time passes by

Mass

Amount of matter in an object

Liquid Volume

Amount of space a liquid occupies in a container

Standard Unit

An agreed upon unit of measurement (ex...feet, inches, meters, liters)

Metric

System of measurement that uses multiples of 10

Gram

Standard metric unit for measuring mass

Kilo-

Prefix that means 1000 grams (ex...1 kilogram is 1000 grams)

Meter

A metric unit for measuring length; equal to 100 cm

To Scale

An exact representation; the measurements are proportional (ex..on a

map 4 inches = 1 mile)

Not to Scale

Measurements are not proportional

Area

The amount of space inside a shape measured in square units

Square Unit

Measurement for area

Plane Figure

A flat shape (2D figures)

Decompose

To break apart a number or shape

Perimeter

Distance around the outside edge

Linear

A line

Length

How long something is

3rd Grade Numble Jumble Vocabulary ~ Student List

Width

How wide something is

Side Length

The length of one side of a polygon

Quadrilateral

Polygons with four sides (ex. Rectangle)

Attributes

A characteristic (ex. color, shape, size)

Rhombi

Parallelogram with four equal sides

Rectangle

A quadrilateral with four right angles, and opposite sides are equal in
length and parallel

Square

A quadrilateral with four right angles, four equal sides, and opposite
sides are parallel

Trapezoid

A quadrilateral with at least two parallel sides

Polygon

Any closed shape with 3 or more straight sides