For a example, in the Go Wild! program, Steve introduces some of the words listed below.  The terms are presented in context and then defined which helps in creating a meaningful reason for the children to assimilate the information.

Teachers may find it useful to include some of these words as bonus vocabulary or spelling words or to weave them into other lesson plans.

anole - a common green or brown lizard; Anoles have a narrow head and a long tail. The body is covered with scales.

apex - the highest point; the apex of a hill or a curve

beak - the body part that helps a bird pick up and eat its food. A long, thin beak lets a humming bird drink nectar from flowers.

chrysalis - pupa of a moth or butterfly enclosed in a cocoon

camouflage - the shape, color, or pattern of an animal that helps it blend in with its surroundings. For example, brown crickets blend in with brown soil better than white crickets would. A white polar bear blends in with snow and ice better than a brown polar bear would.

carnivore -an animal that catches and eats other live animals; Wolves, lions, many birds, and many insects are carnivores. A meat-eater; Adult frogs are carnivores. Carnivores are usually at the end of food chains.

displacement -to move or shift position; The rocks displaced the water.

experiment - a test under controlled conditions that is made to demonstrate a known truth; examine the validity of a hypothesis extinct - when all animals of one kind die; no longer existing as a species; There are no dinosaurs today because these animals are extinct.

food chain -the path of food energy from one organism to another in an ecosystem; Producers such as plants are the first living link in a food chain. They produce their own food using energy from the sun. When an insect eats a plant and then a frog eats the insect, energy is passed along the food chain.

friction -a force between two surfaces that are touching; friction works against motion. When your shoes move against a rough sidewalk, the friction between the shoe soles and the sidewalk keeps your shoes from slipping. If the sidewalk is icy, there is little friction between your shoes and the ice. You might fall down!

gills - body parts for breathing oxygen in water; Tadpoles live in water and breathe with gills.

habitat -the place where an organism lives; An earthworm’s habitat is soil. Fish, turtles, frogs, and water plants live in a pond habitat. An organism’s habitat gives it the food, water, and space it needs.

herbivore - an animal that eats only plants or plant products Herbivores are the second organism in a food chain. Cows, deer, horses, and many birds and insects are herbivores.

hypothesis - an educated guess; a tentative explanation or possible solution to a problem

life cycle -the changes that an organism goes through during its life; A mealworm’s life cycle starts with an egg. The egg hatches into a mealworm larva. The larva changes to a pupa. The pupa changes to an adult beetle.

marsupial - a pouched mammal; any of various non-placental mammals of the order Marsupialia, including kangaroos, opossums, bandicoots, and wombats, found principally in Australia and the Americas.

metamorphosis - change of body form that takes place during the life cycle of some animals; Insects go through either complete metamorphosis or incomplete metamorphosis. Complete metamorphosis has four stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Incomplete metamorphosis has three stages: egg, nymph, and adult. Frogs go through metamorphosis.

natural resource - materials that come from the earth and can be used by living things, for example: water, oil, and minerals; One reason that trees are an important natural resource is that their wood is used to build houses and to make paper.

nocturnal - animals that are active at night and sleep in the day.

non-renewable resource - any natural resource from the earth that exists in limited supply and cannot be replaced if it is used up; also, any natural resource that cannot be replenished by natural means at the same rates that it is consumed Oil and coal are nonrenewable resources.

observation -the act of watching, noting and recording something

omnivore -an animal that eats both plants and animals; Omnivores are usually in the middle or at the end of a food chain. Crickets, bears, and raccoons are omnivores.

pond - a small body of water; Fish and frogs often live in a pond.

predator - an animal that hunts, catches, and eats other live animals; Toads are predators. They catch and eat insects, mealworms, and other small animals.

prey - an animal that is hunted, caught, and eaten by other animals; Crickets are prey for frogs. Mealworms are prey for toads.

recycle - to process and reuse materials; Discarded newspapers are recycled to make new paper.

reduce - to bring down as in extent, amount or degree; diminish, decrease

renewable resource - any natural resource that can replenish itself naturally over time, as wood or solar energy; also called renewable energy, renewable energy resource, renewable natural resource

reptile - an animal that is cold-blooded, and has scaly skin, and creeps or crawls on the ground. Snakes, turtles, and lizards are all reptiles.

reuse - to use again, especially after salvaging or special treatment or processing

research - scientific investigation or inquiry; close, careful study

scientific process - systematic use of controlled experiments to try to prove and disprove a given hypothesis;

tadpole -the larva of a frog; A frog tadpole looks like a small fish. It has a head. It has a middle part called a thorax.

talon - the claw of a bird of prey;