8th Grade Vocabulary List 2008 - 2009Language ArtsKey Concept Definition

1. Antonym A word opposite to another

2. Appositives An adjective that directly follows the noun it describes

3. Author’s bias The position the author puts forward, supported by reasons

4. Author’s purpose Why the writing is being written

5. Ballad A songlike poem that tells a story, often dealing with adventure and romance

6. Bandwagon A movement that by its mass appeal or strength attracts followers

7. Cause and effect Explaining the reasons that something happened or the results that an event or a situation will probably produce

8. Character A person or an animal that takes part in the action of a written work

9. Clarify To make an idea clear or intelligible

10. Classification To categorize items into different groups or systems

11. Climax The high point or turning point in the action of the plot

12. Colon Used to introduce a letter, a list, or an important point; they are used between the numbers in time.

13. Compare/contrast Analyzing the similarities and differences between two or more things

14. Compassion A feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is experiencingmisfortune

15. Conflict A struggle between opposing forces

16. Conventions Spelling, punctuation, and stylistic parts of writing

17. Dialogue A conversation between characters

18. Direct object The noun or pronoun that receives the action of the predicate directly

19. Drama A story written to be performed by actors

20. Elegy A solemn and formal lyric poem about death

21. Elements of a Story Setting, characters, plot, and theme

22. Empathy Experiencing the feelings, thoughts, or attitudes of another

23. Epic A long narrative poem about the adventures of a hero

24. Evidence Ground for belief; proof

8th Grade Vocabulary List 2008 - 200925. Expository Writing that explains or informs

26. First person A story told by a character who uses the first person pronoun “I”

27. Format of the writing What type of writing will be completed

28. Free verse Poetry not written in a regular, rhythmical pattern, or meter

29. Genre A division or type of literature

30. Haiku A three-line Japanese verse form. The first and third line have five syllables, while the second line has seven syllables

31. Homophone A word pronounced the same as another but different in meaning (heir and air)

32. Hyperbole An exaggerated statement; sometimes meant to be funny

33. Ideas and content The main idea of a writing

34. Idioms An expression that has a meaning particular to a language or region

35. Indirect object The noun or pronoun that receives the action of the predicate indirectly. It names the person to whom or for whom something is done

36. Inference A logical guess or assumption based on the details that are given, combined with your own knowledge and experience

37. Intended Audience For whom the writing is written

38. Literary response A piece of writing that discusses what is of valley in a book, short story, a play, a poem, an essay, or an article

39. Loaded words Words or phrases which have strong emotional overtones or connotations and create strong positive (or negative) reactions

40. Logical order Placing ideas in a sequence that is clear to readers

41. Lyric A highly musical poem that expresses the observations and feelings of a single Speaker

42. Main idea (Stated or implied/explicit and implicit) What the message of the writing is

43. Major character The most important character in a story, poem, or play

44. Minor character One who takes part in the action but is not the focus of attention

45. Mythology A collection of myths

46. Narrative A writing that tells a story

47. Narrators A speaker or character who tells a story

48. Organization The order of the writing

8th Grade Vocabulary List 2008 - 200949. Paraphrasing Rewording something that has been read in a different form to make clearer

50. Peer pressure Pressure from one’s peers to behave in a manner similar or acceptable to them

51. Personification A type of figurative language which gives human characteristics to a nonhuman Subject

52. Plot Sequence of events in a story (contains exposition, climax, and resolution)

53. Poetry Writing that uses rhythms and is organized in lines and groups of lines called stanzas

54. Point of view The perspective, or vantage point, from which a story is told

55. Predict To tell the future

56. Preposition A word that shows position, direction, or how two words or ideas are related to each other

57. Prepositional phrase The preposition, the object of the preposition, and the modifiers of the object

58. Primary and secondary source The firsthand or eyewitness of an event; a description of the event by someone who did not experience it

59. Propaganda The deliberate spreading of information, rumors, etc.

60. Prose Writing that is organized in sentences and paragraphs

61. Repetition Something made by or resulting from repeating

62. Research To investigate

63. Responsibility A thing for which one is responsible, in charge of

64. Resolution The falling action of the story

65. Role of the writer The author of the writing

66. Root A word or word base from which other words are made by adding a prefix or suffix

67. Second person A story told by a character who uses the second person “you”

68. Semi-Colon Sometimes used in place of a period; other times it serves the same function as a comma

69. Setting The time and place of the action

70. Simile A comparison between two unlike ideas which uses like or as

71. Simple, compound, complex, compound/complex sentences Types of sentences that contain one or more independent clauses, and/or one or more dependent clauses

72. Sonnet A fourteen-line lyric poem with a single theme

8th Grade Vocabulary List 2008 - 200973. Suffix A word part that is added after a word

74. Synonym A word having the same meaning as another

75. Subject The part of a sentence that is doing something or about which something is said

76. Summary A brief statement of previously given facts

77. Testimonial Something given or done as an expression of admiration or gratitude

78. Thesis statement A sentence that shares the main idea of the entire writing, normally in the Introduction

79. Third person (limited and omniscient) A story told by a character who is watching the action and uses the third person pronouns “he”, “she”, etc.

80. Topic of the writing The meaning of the writing prompt

81. Verb A word that shows action or existence (state of being)

82. Voice The individuality of the writer as “heard” in the writing

83. Word choice The words that are used in writing

ScienceKey Concept Definition

84. Acceleration (a) Change of velocity per unit of time.

85. Air resistance The force exerted by air molecules on objects moving through air.

86. Speed (v) The distance traveled by an object in a unit of time. Speed is reported instandard units of distance per unit time, such as meters per second or kilometers per hour.

87. Average speed The theoretical constant speed at which an object would have to travel inorder to go a given distance in a given period of time. Total distance divided by total time.

88. Constant speed Speed that does not vary over time.

89. Terminal speed The maximum speed a particular object can obtain during free fall through air.

90. Displacement The amount and direction of change of position between an object's initial position and final position.

91. Distance (d) The amount of change of position between an initial position and a final position; always a positive number.

92. Force (F) An interaction between masses. A push or pull.

93. Net force The sum of all the forces acting on a mass.

8th Grade Vocabulary List 2008 - 200994. Friction A force acting between surfaces in contact. Friction acts to resist motion.

95. Gravity (g) The force due to gravitational attraction between Earth and other masses.

96. Inertia The property of mass that resists change of motion. Large masses have a lot of inertia.

100. Matter Anything that has mass and takes up space.

101. Mass (m) A measure of the quantity of matter in an object.

102. Momentum (p) A measure of the motion of an object in terms of its mass and its velocity. Thegreater the mass and/or velocity, the greater the momentum.

103. Motion The act of changing position.

104. Position (x) An object's location at a given time.

105. Velocity (v) The change in position per unit of time.

106. Atom The smallest particle of an element.

107. Electron A subatomic particle with a negative charge.

108. Neutron A subatomic particle with no charge.

109. Proton A subatomic particle that has a positive charge.

110. Atomic number The number assigned to an element, based on the number of protons in the nucleus of its atom.

111. Bond An attractive force acting between atoms.

101. Molecule A particle made of two or more atoms that are held together with strong (covalent) bonds.

102. Compound A substance whose particle is made of two or more different kinds of atoms.

103. Element A fundamental substance that cannot be broken into simpler substances by chemical or physical processes.

104. Mixture Two or more substances together.

105. Density The ratio of mass and volume in a sample of matter.

106. Dilute A solution with a small amount of solute dissolved in a large amount of solvent.

107. Dissolve To incorporate one substance uniformly into another substance at the particle level.

108. Precipitate An insoluble product of a reaction.

109. Solution A mixture formed when one substance dissolves in another.

8th Grade Vocabulary List 2008 - 2009110. Transparent Matter through which an image can be seen clearly.

111. Chemical reaction A process during which starting substances (reactants) change into new

substances (products) with different arrangements of atoms.

112. Concentrated A solution with a large amount of solute dissolved in a small amount of solvent.

113. Reactant A starting substance in a chemical reaction.

114. Product A substance produced in a chemical reaction.

115. Volume A defined quantity of space.

116. Homozygous gene A gene composed of two identical alleles (e.g., both dominant).

117. Heterozygous gene A gene composed of two different alleles (a dominant and a recessive).

118. Gene The basic unit of heredity carried by the chromosomes; code for features of organisms.

119. Chromosome A structure that transfers hereditary information to the next generation.

120. Reproduction The process by which organisms create new individuals of their kind. Somereproduce asexually (without the joining of two cells) and others reproduce sexually (the joining of egg and sperm cells).

121. Environment The surroundings of an organism including the living and nonliving factors

122. Phenotype The traits produced by the genotype; the expression of the genes.

123. Genotype An organism's particular combination of paired alleles.

124. Incomplete metamorphosis A process of gradual maturing of an insect (egg, nymphal stages or instars, adult).

125. Natural selection The process by which the individuals best adapted to their environment tend to survive and pass their traits to subsequent generations.

126. Population All the individuals of one kind (one species) in a specified area at one time.

127. Recessive allele A form of a gene that is expressed as the trait only when a dominant allele is not present.

128. Dominant allele A form of a gene that is expressed as the trait when a dominant allele is present.

129. Trait The specific way a feature is expressed in an individual organism.

130. Species A kind of organism; members of a species are all the same kind of organism and are different from all other kinds of organisms.

131. Variation The range of expression of a trait within a population.

132. Autotroph Organisms that make their own food.

8th Grade Vocabulary List 2008 - 2009133. Heredity The genetic transmission of characteristics from parent to offspring.

134. Genetic Occurring among members of a family usually by heredity

135. Dominant Ruling, governing, or controlling; having or exerting authority or influence

136. Recessive That one of a pair of alternative alleles whose effect is masked by the activity or

the second when both are present in the same cell or organism.

137. Homogeneous Corresponding in structure because of a common origin.

138. Heterogeneous Consisting of dissimilar elements or parts; not homogeneous

139. Pollination The transfer of male pollen grains from the anther in one flower to the stigma on the female pistil in another flower.

140. Dormant A state of suspended biological activity. Dormant organisms are alive but inactive.

141. Seed-dispersal strategy A way that seeds can be transported away from the parent plant, such as wind or animals.

MathKey Concept Definition

142. Whole Numbers A real number subset that consist of the natural numbers and zero {0,1, 2, 3, …}.

143. Integers A real number subset that consist of the natural numbers, their opposites, and zero. {…, -3, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3, …}

144. Rational numbers Numbers that can be written as a fraction. These include terminating and repeating decimal numbers.

145. Irrational numbers Numbers that cannot be written as fractions. These include non-terminating and non-repeating decimals.

146. Real Numbers The real number system consists of all the rational and irrational numbers.

147. Perfect Squares Perfect squares have square roots that are integers. {1, 4, 9, 16, 25,…}

148. Scientific Notation Scientific notation is used to represent very large or very small numbers.

149. Decimal A number with one or more places to the right of a decimal point.

150. Fractions A number in the form a/b that names part of a region or part of a group.

151. Factorial Notation Multiplying consecutive numbers

152. Mixed Numbers A number written as a whole number and a fraction.

153. Commutative Property States that the order in which numbers are added or multiplied does not matter.

8th Grade Vocabulary List 2008 - 2009154. Associative Property States that the way in which numbers are grouped when more than two

numbers are added or multiplied does not matter.

155. Distributive Property States that everything inside the parentheses is multiplied by whatever is outside the parenthesis.

156. Identity Property Shows what happens when you add zero to a number or multiply a number by one.

157. Inverse Property Shows what happens when you add a number’s opposite to that number or multiply a number by its reciprocal.

158. Zero Product Property States that a number multiplied by zero is equal to zero.

159. Ratio A comparison of two numbers.

160. Proportion States that two ratios are equal. A proportion has two cross products that are equal to each other.

161. Percent Can be written as a fraction with a denominator of 100.

162. Estimation Rounding or estimating the solution to a problem.

163. Iterative Pattern A sequence of numbers to which you do the same thing over and over again.

164. Recursive Pattern A sequence of numbers in which previous numbers are used to find the next numbers. You do not do the same thing over and over again.

165. Function A set of ordered pairs (x, y) such that for each value of x, there is one and only one value of y.

166. Linear Function A graph represented by a line.

167. Nonlinear Function A graph represented by a curve.

168. Parabola A quadratic function that is represented by a U-shaped curve.

169. Independent Variable A value that can be controlled in an investigation.

170. Dependent Variable A value that cannot be controlled and depends on the input or independentvariable of a function.

171. Slope Describes the steepness of the line. It is the ratio of the rise (y) to the run (x).

172. Midpoint The point exactly halfway between two points on a number line.

173. Parallel Lines Lines in the same plane that never intersect. Lines that have the same slope.

174. Perpendicular Lines Lines that meet to form right angles.

175. Complementary Angles Two angles whose measures have a sum of 90 degrees.

176. Supplementary Angles Two angles whose measures have a sum of 180 degrees.

8th Grade Vocabulary List 2008 - 2009177. Transversal A third line that crosses two parallel lines.

178. Vertical Angles Congruent angles formed by two intersecting lines.

179. Interior Angles Angles that lie between the two lines that are cut by a transversal.

180. Exterior Angles Angles that lie outside the two lines that are cut by a transversal.

181. Alternate Interior Interior angles that lie on opposite sides of a transversal.

182. Alternate Exterior Exterior angles that lie on opposite sides of a transversal.

183. Corresponding Angles Angles that have the same position on two different parallel lines cut by a transversal.

184. Polygon A closed, plane figure that is made up of three or more segments.

185. Right Triangle A triangle with one right angle and two acute angles.

186. Acute Triangle A triangle with three acute angles.

187. Obtuse Triangle A triangle with one obtuse angle and two acute angles.

188. Scalene Triangle A triangle with no congruent sides and angles.

189. Isosceles Triangle A triangle with at least two congruent sides and angles.

190. Equilateral Triangle A triangle with three congruent sides and angles.

191. Quadrilaterals A polygon that has four sides.

192. Chord A segment that joins two points that lie on a circle.

193. Arc A part of the circle between two endpoints, including the endpoints.

194. Secant A line, ray, or segment that intersects the circle in two points.

195. Tangent Any line, ray, or segment in the plane of a circle that intersects the circle in exactly one point.

196. Inscribed Angle An angle whose vertex is on a circle and whose sides contain chords of the circle.

197. Intercepted Arc The part of the circle that is intersected by the inscribed angle.

198. Solid A three-dimensional figure that has length, width, and height.

199. Net The net of a solid is a two-dimensional representation that shows the figure laid out on a flat surface.

200. Congruent Figures Geometric figures that have the same shape and the same size.

201. Similar Figures Geometric figures that have the same shape but not necessarily the same size.

8th Grade Vocabulary List 2008 - 2009

202. Scale Factor For similar figures, it is the ratio of the lengths of two corresponding sides.

203. Pythagorean Theorem For any right triangle, the square of the length of the hypotenuse is equal tothe sum of the squares of the lengths of the legs.

204. Transformations Geometric figures that can change position using translations, rotations, and reflections while preserving its original shape.

205. Surface Area The measure of the outside of a solid in square units.

206. Volume The amount of space inside a solid in cubic units.

207. Range A measure that is the difference between the least and greatest values in a set of data.

208. Circle Graph A statistical graph used to show how different parts of a whole compare to one another.

209. Box-and-Whisker Plots A diagram that divides a set of data into four parts using the median and quartiles.

210. Scatterplots A graph that shows the relationship between two sets of data.

211. Correlation Two data sets are related.

212. Double Line Graph A statistical graph that displays two data sets and compare their trends.

213. Vertex-Edge Graph A graph that uses curves or lines to connect a pair of points.

214. Theoretical Probability The ratio of the number of favorable outcomes to the number of possible outcomes.

215. Experimental Probability The ratio of the number of actual outcomes to the number of trials performed.

216. Algorithm A process or list of instructions that needs to be followed in order to get to ananswer.

217. Flow Charts An example of an algorithm that shows the sequence of steps that must be taken to solve a problem.

Social StudiesKey Concept Definition

218. Primary source A document or other record of past events created by someone who was present during the events or the time period in which they occurred

219. Point of view A person’s way of thinking about or approaching a subject, as shaped by his or her character, experience, culture and history

220. Equality The state of having the same privileges, rights, status and opportunities as

8th Grade Vocabulary List 2008 - 2009 others

221. Rights A power or privilege granted by an agreement among people or by law

222. Liberty Freedom

223. Opportunity The chance for advancement or progress

224. Democracy A system of government in which the power to rule comes from the consent of the governed

225. Ideal A principle or standard of perfection that a person or group consistently tries to achieve

226. Self-evident Obvious without explanation or proof

227. Social class A group of people within a society who possess similar socioeconomic status

228. Natural rights A power or privilege held to be common to all people and granted at birth by nature, not by society

229. Monarchy A system of government in which the ruler inherits the right to rule and has power for life

230. Dictatorship A system of government in which power is seized and exercised by force

231. Globalization The integration of cultures, economics and policies of nations around the world

232. Racism The belief that one race of people is superior to another

233. Due process of law A system in which the government cannot deprive a person of life, liberty or property except according to rules established by law

234. Parliament The lawmaking body of England

235. Guerrilla warfare Hit-and-run attacks by small, mobile groups of soldiers

236. Preamble The first part of the Constitution, which states the purposes of the new plan of government

237. Congress The legislative branch of the federal government, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives

238. Elastic clause The constitutional clause that gives Congress authority to “make all laws which shall be necessary and proper” to carry out its powers

239. Federal judiciary The federal court system, consisting of the Supreme Court and lower federal courts

240. Judicial review The power of the Supreme Court to review an action of the legislative or executive branch and declare it unconstitutional

8th Grade Vocabulary List 2008 - 2009241. Federalism The division of power between the federal and state governments

242. Supremacy clause The constitutional clause affirming that the Constitution and federal laws are the supreme law of the land

243. Democratic Party One of the two major U.S. political parties; founded in 1828 by AndrewJackson to support a decentralized government and states’ rights; extremists tend to be liberal

244. Republican Party One of the two major U.S. political parties; founded in 1854 by antislavery opponents of the Kansas-Nebraska Act; extremists tend to be conservative

245. Habeas corpus The right of a person being detained to appear in court so that a judge may determine whether the person has been imprisoned unlawfully

246. Military draft A system of requiring by law that all people who meet certain criteria, such as age and gender, report for military duty

247. Segregation The forced separation of races in public places

248. Amnesty A general pardon for a crime, usually a political one, issued by a government to a specific group of people

249. Grandfather clause A provision in a law that exempts anyone already involved in a certain activity from any new restriction on the activity that are established by the law

250. Lobbyist A person who tries to persuade legislators to pass laws favorable to a particular group

251. Laissez-faire The idea that the free market, through supply and demand, will regulate itself if government does not interfere

252. Social Darwinism An idea, based on Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, that the best-run businesses led by the most capable people will survive and prosper

253. Capitalism An economic system in which factories, equipment and other means of production are privately owned rather than controlled by the government

254. Capital Any financial asset – including money, machines and buildings – used in production

255. Monopoly A company that completely dominates a particular industry

256. Working class People who work for wages in factories, mills, mines and other businesses, usually performing manual labor

257. Socialism A political theory that advocates ownership of the means of production, such as factories and farms, by the people rather than by capitalists and landowners

258. Collective bargaining Negotiations between employers and employees concerning wages, working conditions and other terms of employment

8th Grade Vocabulary List 2008 - 2009259. Anarchist A person who rejects all forms of government

260. Americanization The assimilation of immigrants into American society, a goal of some patrioticgroups who feared that increased immigration threatened American society and values

261. Nativism The policy of favoring the interests of native-born Americans over those of immigrants

262. Infrastructure The facilities or equipment required for an organization or community to function, including roads, sewage and power systems, and transportation

263. Political machine An organization consisting of full-time politicians whose main goal was to retain political power and the money and influence that went with it

264. Patronage The practice of politicians giving jobs to friends and supporters

265. Recall The process by which voters can remove an elected official before his or her term has expired

266. Initiative A lawmaking reform enabling citizens to propose and pass a law directly without the state legislature

267. Referendum A lawmaking reform that allows a law passed by a state legislature to be placed on the ballot for approval or rejection by the voters

268. Foreign policy The set of guidelines and practices that a nation follows in its relations with other nations

269. Idealism In foreign policy, the belief that moral values should influence international relations

270. Realism In foreign policy, the belief that international relations should be guided by practical goals such as national defense and access to resources

271. Neutrality The policy of not taking sides in wars between other nations

272. Unilateralism A policy of not seeking military or political alliances with foreign powers

273. Cede To give up or grant land to another country, typically by treaty

274. Pacifist A person who opposes all wars, usually on moral or religious grounds

275. Partisanship Rivalry between political parties based on strong disagreement about political principles

276. Anti-Semitism Policies, views and actions that discriminate against Jewish people

277. Free enterprise An economic system that relies on private ownership of property, competitionfor profits, and the forces of supply and demand that discourages government regulation

278. Isolationism A government policy of not taking part in economic and political alliances or relations with other countries

8th Grade Vocabulary List 2008 - 2009

279. Magna Carta The document that English nobles forced King John to approve in 1215, limiting the king’s power and protecting the rights of the people.

280. Secondary Source A document or other record of past events created by someone who was not present during the events or the time period in which they occurred.