Unit 6 Vocab Guide
OER PROJECT:BIG HISTORYUNIT 6VOCAB GUIDEUnless otherwise noted, this work is licensed under CC BY 4.0. Credit: “Big History Vocab Guide”, OER Project, www.oerproject.com/Lesson 6.1AnthropoceneDefini&on aproposed new geological epoch during which our species has become the dominant force for change in the biospherePart of speechnounUse in sentenceThe Anthropocene marks the end of the Holocene epoch, about the :me of the Industrial Revolu:on, about 250 years ago.energyDefini&on the ability to do work, associated with heat and lightPart of speechnounUse in sentenceThereare many forms of energy, including kine:c energy, poten:al energy, and chemical energy.fossil fuelDefini&on a carbon-based material such as coal, oil, or natural gas that can be used as an energy sourcePart of speechnounUse in sentenceFossil fuels were originally formed when the remains of living organisms were buried and broken down by intense heat and pressure over millions of years.globalizationDefini&on the process or idea of the world becoming more like that of a single na:on with one shared economy and culture rather than separate, dis:nct countriesPart of speechnounUse in sentenceToday, we are living in an era of economic globaliza:on.
OER PROJECT:BIG HISTORYUNIT 6VOCAB GUIDE2populationDefini&on the group or number of inhabitants, human or otherwise, of a par:cular category in a placePart of speechnounUse in sentenceTo feed the growing popula:on of the world, food produc:on must increase.world zoneDefini&on a large region of human interac:on, linked by geography, culture, economy, and some:mes poli:csPart of speechnounUse in sentenceThe barriers between world zones have prac:cally disappear with coloniza:on, mass trade, and more recently globaliza:on.Lesson 6.2Columbian ExchangeDefini&on the transfer of goods, people, ideas, and diseases between the Americas and Afro-Eurasia that began aGer 1492 CEPart of speechnounUse in sentenceTomatoes and potatoes traveled from the Americas to Afro-Eurasia during the Columbian Exchange.biodiversityDefini&on thevariety of life forms in a habitat, whether that habitat is a local environment or an en:re planetPart of speechnounUse in sentenceClimate change threatens the current biodiversity that exists on our planet.
OER PROJECT:BIG HISTORYUNIT 6VOCAB GUIDE3cash cropDefini&on a crop grown for sale to others rather than for personal usePart of speechnounUse in sentenceDuring the 1800s, tobacco was the biggest cash crop in the United States.economyDefini&on the system, within a par:cular country, or region, of handling wealth and resources, producing goods and services, and consuming goods and servicesPart of speechnounUse in sentenceThe American economy was par:cularly strong in the 1950s.transatlantic slave tradeDefini&on thebuying and selling of enslaved human beings from Africa to the AmericasPart of speechnounUse in sentenceThe transatlan:c slave trade led to the forced reloca:on of millions of Africans into new forms of slavery.world zoneDefini&on a large region of human interac:on, linked by geography, culture, economy, and some:mes poli:csPart of speechnounUse in sentenceThe barriers between world zones have prac:cally disappear with coloniza:on, mass trade, and more recently globaliza:on.
OER PROJECT:BIG HISTORYUNIT 6VOCAB GUIDE4Lesson 6.3factoryDefini&on a building or set of buildings where products are manufacturedPart of speechnounUse in sentenceI pass by the bread factory on my way to work every morning and it always smells delicious.fossil fuelDefini&on a carbon-based material such as coal, oil, or natural gas that can be used as an energy sourcePart of speechnounUse in sentenceFossil fuels were originally formed when the remains of living organisms were buried and broken down by intense heat and pressure over millions of years.industrializationDefini&on the introduc:on of industry into a country or regionPart of speechnounUse in sentenceIndustrializa:on improved the country's economy.laborDefini&on physical and mental effort in the performance of workPart of speechnoun/verbUse in sentenceClearing the land for farming required vast amounts of labor.reformDefini&on the improvement of wrong or bad condi:onsPart of speechnoun/verbUse in sentencePeople with a wide variety of occupa:ons demanded labor reforms.
OER PROJECT:BIG HISTORYUNIT 6VOCAB GUIDE5suffrageDefini&on the right to vote in a poli:cal elec:onPart of speechnounUse in sentenceSome states imposed obstacles to restrict the suffrage of African Americans.urbanizationDefini&on the growth of ci:es, usually due to the movement of people from rural areas to ci:esPart of speechnounUse in sentenceAs people shiGed to factory work, urbaniza:on increased.Lesson 6.4accelerationDefini&on theact or process of increasing the speed or rate of somethingPart of speechnounUse in sentenceThe car's quick accelera:on allowed her to pass the truck safely.climateDefini&on the weather condi:ons in a place, averaged over several years or decadesPart of speechnounUse in sentenceAntarc:cais known for both its cold climate and its penguins.environmentDefini&on the area in which something exists or livesPart of speechnoun
OER PROJECT:BIG HISTORYUNIT 6VOCAB GUIDE6Use in sentenceThephysical environment can have a great effect on the way people live.fossil fuelDefini&on a carbon-based material such as coal, oil, or natural gas that can be used as an energy sourcePart of speechnounUse in sentenceFossil fuels were originally formed when the remains of living organisms were buried and broken down by intense heat and pressure over millions of years.nuclearDefini&on of, pertaining to, or using atomic nucleiPart of speechadjec:veUse in sentenceNuclear energy is generated by spliXng atoms to create energy.populationDefini&on the group or number of inhabitants, human or otherwise, of a par:cular category in a placePart of speechnounUse in sentenceTo feed the growing popula:on of the world, food produc:on must increase.technologyDefini&on the various inven:ons and means of solving problems that result from scien:fic research and discoveryPart of speechnounUse in sentenceThat country has vast natural resources but lacks the technology to exploit them.
OER PROJECT:BIG HISTORYUNIT 6VOCAB GUIDE7Lesson 6.5climateDefini&on the weather condi:ons in a place, averaged over several years or decadesPart of speechnounUse in sentenceAntarc:cais known for both its cold climate and its penguins.environmentDefini&on the area in which something exists or livesPart of speechnounUse in sentenceThephysical environment can have a great effect on the way people live.globalizationDefini&on the process or idea of the world becoming more like that of a single na:on with one shared economy and culture rather than separate, dis:nct countriesPart of speechnounUse in sentenceToday, we are living in an era of economic globaliza:on.populationDefini&on the group or number of inhabitants, human or otherwise, of a par:cular category in a placePart of speechnounUse in sentenceTo feed the growing popula:on of the world, food produc:on must increase.technologyDefini&on the various inven:ons and means of solving problems that result from scien:fic research and discovery
OER PROJECT:BIG HISTORYUNIT 6VOCAB GUIDE8Part of speechnounUse in sentenceThat country has vast natural resources but lacks the technology to exploit them.Lesson 6.6AnthropoceneDefini&on aproposed new geological epoch during which our species has become the dominant force for change in the biospherePart of speechnounUse in sentenceThe Anthropocene marks the end of the Holocene epoch, about the :me of the Industrial Revolu:on, about 250 years ago.climateDefini&on the weather condi:ons in a place, averaged over several years or decadesPart of speechnounUse in sentenceAntarc:cais known for both its cold climate and its penguins.environmentDefini&on the area in which something exists or livesPart of speechnounUse in sentenceThephysical environment can have a great effect on the way people live.globalizationDefini&on the process or idea of the world becoming more like that of a single na:on with one shared economy and culture rather than separate, dis:nct countriesPart of speechnoun
OER PROJECT:BIG HISTORYUNIT 6VOCAB GUIDE9Use in sentenceToday, we are living in an era of economic globaliza:on.populationDefini&on the group or number of inhabitants, human or otherwise, of a par:cular category in a placePart of speechnounUse in sentenceTo feed the growing popula:on of the world, food produc:on must increase.technologyDefini&on the various inven:ons and means of solving problems that result from scien:fic research and discoveryPart of speechnounUse in sentenceThat country has vast natural resources but lacks the technology to exploit them.