Humans

Humans

Fertilisation

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
egg cell		The female sex cell.
external fertilisation		When fertilisation happens outside the bodies of the parents.
fertilisation	fert-ill-eyes-ay-shun	Fusing of a male sex cell with a female sex cell.
fertilised egg cell		What is produced when a sperm cell fuses with an egg cell.
fuse		When two sex cells join together to form a fertilised egg cell they are said to fuse.
internal fertilisation		When fertilisation happens inside the bodies of the parents.
offspring		New organisms produced in reproduction.
sex cell		A cell used for sexual reproduction.
sexual reproduction		Producing new organisms by the joining of two sex cells.
sperm cell		The male sex cell.

Reproductive organs

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
cilia	sil-lee-ah	Small hairs on the surface of some cells.
glands		The glands in the male reproductive system add a special liquid to the sperm cells to make semen. There are other sorts of glands in the body.
menopause	men-O-paws	When the ovaries in women stop releasing eggs.
ovary	O-very	Female reproductive organ. Produces egg cells.
oviduct		Carries egg cells from the ovaries to the uterus in women. Fertilisation happens here.
reproductive organs		Organs used in sexual reproduction.
reproductive system		All the reproductive organs.
scrotum	scrow-tum	Bag of skin containing the testes in males.
semen	see-men	A mixture of sperm cells and special fluids released by men during sexual intercourse.
sperm duct		Tube that carries sperm from the testes to the urethra.
testis		Male reproductive organ. Produces sperm cells. Plural = testes.
uterus	you-ter-ous	Organ in females in which a baby develops.
vagina	vaj-eye-na	Tube in females. The penis is placed here during sexual intercourse.

Sex

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
ejaculation	edge-ack-you-lay-shun	Semen is pumped out of a man’s penis into the top of the vagina during sexual intercourse.
embryo	em-bree-O	Tiny new human life which grows by cell division from a fertilised egg cell.
erection		When the penis becomes stiff.
implantation	im-plant-ay-shun	When an embryo sinks into the soft lining of the uterus.
pregnant		When a woman has an embryo growing inside her uterus.

Periods/Being pregnant/A healthy fetus

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
amnion	am-nee-on	Bag containing amniotic fluid.
amniotic fluid	am-nee-ot-tick	Liquid surrounding the growing embryo and protecting it.
cord		Carries food, oxygen and waste between the placenta and the growing fetus.
fetus	fee-tus	After an embryo has grown all its organs it is called a fetus. This is usually at about 10 weeks.
menstrual cycle	men-strew-al	Series of events lasting about a month, happening in the female reproductive system. The cycle causes ovulation and the lining of the uterus is replaced.
menstruation	men-strew-ay-shun	When the lining of the uterus and a little blood pass out of the vagina as part of the menstrual cycle.
ovulation	ov-you-lay-shun	Releasing of an egg cell from an ovary in women.
placenta	plas-en-ta	Attached to the uterus wall, this takes oxygen and food out of the mother’s blood and puts waste materials into the mother’s blood.
premature baby		A small baby born early.
sex hormones	hor-moans	Chemicals released in our bodies that control the menstrual cycle and puberty.
umbilical cord	um-bill-ick-al	See ‘cord’.

Giving birth/Growing up

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
adolescence	add-ol-less-sense	Time when both physical and emotional changes occur in humans.
afterbirth		When the placenta is pushed out through the vagina.
antibodies		Substances produced by white blood cells that help to fight microbes which might cause diseases.
contractions	con-track-shuns	The uterus starts to push out the baby during labour.
gestation period	jess-tay-shun	The length of time from fertilisation to birth.
labour		Time when the baby is about to be born.
mammary glands		Glands contained in the breasts of women which produce milk after childbirth.
puberty	pew-bert-ty	Time when physical changes happen in the body between the ages of about 11 and 15.

 Balanced Diet

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
constipation	con-stip-ay-shun	When the intestines get blocked up.
diet		The food that you eat.
fibre	feye-ber	Substance found in food which cannot be used by the body. It helps to keep our intestines clean.
nutrition information	new-trish-un	Information label found on a food packet to tell you what is in the food.
nutrients	new-tree-ents	Substances needed in the diet to provide raw materials.
starch		Type of insoluble carbohydrate found in plants.
water		A compound made of hydrogen and oxygen which the body uses as a solvent.
balanced diet		Eating a wide variety of foods to give us all the things that we need.
carbohydrate	car-bO-high-drate	Substance found in food that is used for energy.
fat		Substance found in food that is stored to be used for energy in the future. It also helps to keep heat in our bodies.
heart disease		Disease caused by narrowing of the arteries carrying the blood to the muscles of the heart, so the heart muscles do not receive enough oxygen.
kilojoule (kJ)	kill-O-jool	Unit of energy used on food packets. There are 1000 J in 1 kJ.
mineral		Properly called a ‘mineral salt’ and found in food. Needed in small quantities for health (e.g. calcium).
protein		Substance found in food that is used for growth and repair.
starch		Type of insoluble carbohydrate found in plants.
sugar		Type of soluble carbohydrate. Glucose is an example of a sugar.
vitamin		Substance found in food that is needed in small quantities for health (e.g. vitamin C).

The Digestive System

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
absorbed		When soluble substances go through the wall of the small intestine into the blood.
anus		The opening at the end of the gut.
contract		Something gets smaller.
digestion	dye-jes-jun	Process that breaks food into soluble substances in our bodies.
digestive juices		A liquid containing enzymes that break down food.
digestive system		A group of organs that carry out digestion.
egestion	ee-jes-jun	When faeces are pushed out of the anus.
enzyme		A chemical that can break up large molecules.
faeces	fee-sees	Waste food material produced by the intestines.
fibre	feye-ber	Substance found in food which cannot be used by the body. It helps to keep our intestines clean.
gullet		Tube that goes from the mouth to the stomach. Sometimes called the ‘food pipe’ but properly called the oesophagus.
gut		All the organs of the digestive system apart from the mouth.
ingestion	in-jes-jun	Putting food into your mouth.
insoluble		Something that does not dissolve is said to be insoluble.
large intestine		Organ that takes water out of waste food.
rectum		Organ that stores faeces before they are egested.
saliva	sall-eye-va	A digestive juice. It contains an enzyme that breaks down starch into sugar.
salivary gland	sall-eye-vor-ee	Found in the mouth. It makes saliva.
small intestine		Organ where most digestion happens. The soluble substances produced by digestion are absorbed into the body here. It is about 6.5 m long in adults.
stomach	stum-uck	Organ containing strong acid which mixes food up and digests proteins.
amylase	am-e-laze	An enzyme found in saliva that breaks starch down into sugar.
digestive juice		A liquid containing enzymes that break down food.
villi	vill-ee	Small finger-like parts of the small intestine. They increase the surface area so that digested food is absorbed more quickly. Singular = villus.

The Circulatory System

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
artery		Blood vessel that carries blood away from the heart.
blood		Liquid that flows around the body carrying various substances which are either made by the body or needed by the body.
blood vessel		Tubes in which blood flows. There are capillaries, veins and arteries.
capillaries	cap-pill-arr-ees	Tiny tubes that carry blood.
circulatory system		System containing the heart and blood vessels.
heart		Organ that pumps blood around the body.
vein	vane	Blood vessel that carries blood towards the heart.
pulse			The feel of your blood being pumped.
pulse rate			The number of times you can feel your blood being pumped in one minute.
red blood cells			Cells in the blood that carry oxygen.

Respiration

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
aerobic respiration		Process that releases energy from digested food. Needs oxygen from the air. Carbon dioxide is produced as a waste gas.
glucose		A type of sugar.
product		New chemical formed in a chemical reaction.
reactant		Chemical that is used up in a chemical reaction.
respiration	ress-per-ay-shun	Process that uses up oxygen to release energy from food. Carbon dioxide is produced as a waste gas.
word equation		A way of writing out what happens in a chemical reaction.

Breathing System

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
air sacs		Groups of alveoli in the lungs where oxygen comes out of the air and goes into the blood. Carbon dioxide is also transferred from the blood to the air in these.
alveolus	al-vee-O-lus	Small, round pocket that is grouped with other alveoli to form air sacs in the lungs. Plural = alveoli.
breathing		Moving muscles in order to make air flow into and out of the lungs.
breathing system		Set of organs (lungs, windpipe, diaphragm) that allow air to be taken into and out of the body.
bronchus		Tube in the lungs that connects the windpipe to the air sacs. Plural = bronchi.
cilia	sil-lee-a	Small hairs on the surface of some cells.
cilated epithelial cell	sil-lee-ay-ted eppy-theel-ee-al	Cells with cilia that are found in the lungs.
diffusion	diff-you-shun	The natural movement of particles from a place where there are a lot of them to a place where there are fewer of them.
exhale		To breathe out.
gas exchange		Taking oxygen into the blood and getting rid of carbon dioxide into the lungs. Happens in the air sacs in the lungs.
inhale		To breathe in.
mucus		Slimy substance which traps dirt and microbes and is moved out of the lungs by cilia.
Ventilation system		System containing the lungs, bronchi and trachea.
trachea		Windpipe.
ventilation		Air moving into and out of the lungs.
exhaled air		Air that is breathed out.
gill		A series of flaps of tissue with a good blood supply just behind the head of an organism which is used to take oxygen out of water. Fish have gills.
inhaled air		Air that is breathed in.