FOSS California Wood and Paper Module Glossary 2007 Edition
Above: Over; in or to a higher place.
Absorb: To soak in.
Across: To or on the opposite side.
Air: A mixture of gases you can’t see that is all around you.
Alternate: To switch back and forth; to take turns.
Apart: Separated into pieces; not next to each other.
Around: To move or place along the outside.
Artistic: Showing taste and skill.
Base: The bottom holder, or foundation of something.
Basswood: The lightweight, soft wood from a linden tree.
Bead: A small rounded object with a hole through which thread can be passed; a piece of jewelry.
Below: lower down or underneath.
Bend: To curve.
Blotting: Drying or removing a liquid with an absorbent material, like a paper towel.
Bottom: The under or lower part.
Box: A square container.
Break: To separate into pieces.
Bumpy: Having raised, rounded spots; lumpy.
Change: To make or become different.
Chipboard: A thick, crude paper made from recycled cardboard.
Cloth: Fabric made by weaving, knitting, or felting thread or fibers.
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Communicate: To share information by speech, writing, or other means.
Compare: To look at how things are the same and different.
Conserve: To keep or save something from harm, loss or change.
Construction: the process of making or building something.
Construction paper: Thick paper made in a variety of colors, often used for school artwork.
Corner: The point at which the sides of an object, like a box, meet.
Cornstarch: A white powder made from corn that is used to thicken substances in cooking.
Corrugated: Wrinkled; having ridges or grooves.
Corrugated cardboard: Cardboard: made with a layer of stiff, grooved paper.
Crease: To fold.
Design: To make a pattern or sketch of.
Different: Not the same.
Drop: A very small quantity of liquid.
Dropper: A device used to measure out drops of liquid.
Dry: Not wet; lacking moisture.
Edge: The line where something begins or ends.
Evaporate: To dry up, like water.
Fabric: Cloth of any type made from thread or fibers.
Facial tissue: A soft, flexible type of paper used for blowing noses and wiping faces.
Fewer: Less than.
Fiber: A thread-like substance or filament.
Flat: Level, smooth or even; not raised.
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Flip: To turn over.
Float: To rest on top of or be suspended in a liquid.
Flour: A soft powdery material made by grinding up wheat grains.
Fold: To bend the sides of a material together.
Food: Something plants and animals need to live.
Forest: A natural area where trees grow.
Freeze: To change from a liquid into a solid.
Glue: A substance used to stick things together.
Grain: The pattern of fibers in wood; texture.
Graph: A way to organize quantities mathematically.
Half: One part of two equal parts.
Hard: Firm, stiff or rigid; not easily cut, pierced, or bent.
Horizontal: Level; sideways.
Ice: Frozen water.
Kraft paper: A sturdy, brown paper used for wrapping packages.
Laminated: Glued together in layers.
Laminating: Gluing together in layers.
Land: The solid surface of Earth covered with soil and rock.
Layer: A material that lies evenly over the top of or under a different material.
Liquid: A substance that flows and whose shape but not volume can be changed.
Magnet: A piece of metal that attracts iron or steel objects toward it.
Matrix: A material that holds particles together.
Melt: To change from a solid to a liquid.
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Mix: To put together or combine.
Mixture: A combination of different materials; what you get when you mix different materials together.
Mold: To form, usually to a definite or pre-planned shape.
More: A large number of persons or things; a larger amount; adv. having a larger amount.
Natural resource: A naturally occurring material, such as coal or water that can be used by people.
Newsprint: A thin, lightweight paper used for printing newspapers.
Observe: To use all of your senses to gather information about something.
Outline: A line marking the outside edge of an object or figure.
Over: Above, on, or on top of.
Overlap: To cover over a part.
Paper: Something you write or print on. Paper is made from trees.
Paper towel: A soft, absorbent towel made from paper that can be thrown away or recycled after use.
Papier-maché: A material used for molding made from paper and glue.
Particleboard: A wood product made of very small pieces of wood glued together.
Pattern: A design; something used as a model for making things.
Pine: A type of evergreen tree with needles and cones; the light durable wood from this tree.
Plywood: A wood product made of thin sheets of wood glued and pressed together.
Property: Characteristic or distinctive feature of something.
Pulp: A liquid made from wood. Pulp is used to make paper.
Recycle: To use again.
Recycling: The process by which materials are used again.
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Redwood: A type of evergreen tree that is tall and has needles and cones; the strong, reddish wood from this tree.
Reuse: To use something again, often for a different purpose instead of throwing it out.
Roll: To move by turning over and over; to wrap something around on itself or on something else.
Rolling: The process of turning over and over.
Rough: Bumpy; not smooth.
Same: Alike; not different.
Sand: A particle of rock that goes through all three screens but is larger than silt and clay.
Sandpaper: A type of paper coated with sand particles used to rub other materials smooth.
Sawdust: The small bits made when a saw cuts wood.
Scientist: A person who studies the natural world.
Screen: A tool with holes in it used to separate materials by size.
Sculpture: A three-dimensional work of art.
Seam: The line where two objects are joined together.
Senses: The ways you use to gather information about the world, e.g. smell, sight, touch, taste, hearing.
Shape: The appearance or form of an object.
Shavings: Thin curls of wood carved off of a larger piece of wood.
Side: The outer surface of an object; not the front, back, top or bottom.
Sink: To go to the bottom of a body of water; to submerge.
Slick: Very smooth and slippery.
Slit: A long, narrow cut or opening.
Smooth: Flat, level; not rough.
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Soak: To place in a liquid; to get wet.
Solid: A substance that doesn’t change shape or volume; a firm material that resists being changed.
Spread: To flatten out or cover a surface.
Stiff: Not easily bent; rigid.
Strip: A long, narrow, flat piece.
Stripe: A line of a different shade or color.
Strong: Tough, firm, solid or powerful.
Submerge: To push or put under water.
Tagboard: A strong cardboard used especially for making shipping tags.
Tear: To rip apart.
Test: To check or try out.
Texture: How the surface of an object or material looks or feels.
Thick: To have a greater distance from one side to another; not thin.
Thin: To have a shorter distance from one side to another; not thick.
Top: The highest part, point, or level of something; the opposite of bottom.
Trace: To draw around an object.
Tree: A plant with a wood stem, roots, and branches with leaves.
Under-over: To move on top and then below; to weave in and out.
Vertical: Up and down direction.
Water: A resource on Earth that can be changed from a liquid to a solid.
Waterlogged: Full of water.
Waxed: Coated with a waxy substance.
Page 6 of 7 Waxed paper: Paper coated with a waxy substance.
Weave: To interlace strands of material—like paper strips or yarn—in an under-over pattern.
Weight: How heavy something is.
Wet: Containing or covered with a liquid; not dry.
Wheat paste: A mixture of flour and water used to glue materials together.
Wood: What is under the bark of trees. Tree trunks, branches, and stems are made of wood.
Woodworker: A person who makes things with wood.
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