Build the key vocabulary of Atoms and Subatomic Particles with this printable picture flash card set for Grade 6 science, aligned to Virginia Science SOL. It covers 16 essential terms, from Atoms and and Subatomic Particles to lon. Each term comes as a picture-and-word card and as a picture card with a clear, full-sentence definition, and two labeling worksheets let students show what they know.

What students practice

• Atoms and
• Subatomic Particles
• Atom: An atom is the smallest unit of an element that still has the chemical identity of that element.
• Nucleus: The nucleus is an atom’s tiny central region containing protons and, in most
• Proton: atoms, neutrons. A proton is a positively charged particle in an atom’s nucleus, and its number identifies the element.
• Neutron: A neutron is a particle with no electric charge that is found in most atomic nuclei.
• Electron: An electron is a negatively charged particle found in the region surrounding
• Electron Cloud: an atom’s nucleus. The electron cloud represents the region around a nucleus where electrons are likely to be found.
• Positive Charge: An object has a positive charge when it has fewer electrons than
• Negative Charge: protons. An object has a negative charge when it has more electrons than protons.
• He
• Neutral Atom: A neutral atom has equal numbers of protons and electrons, so its total electric charge
• Atomic Number: An element’s atomic number equals the number of protons in the nucleus of each of its atoms.
• Na
• Mass Number: An atom’s mass number is the total number of protons and neutrons in its nucleus.
• lon

What’s included (10 pages)

• 16 color picture-and-word cards
• 16 picture–term–definition cards (4 pages)
• 16 black-and-white picture-and-word cards for low-ink printing or coloring
• 2 picture-labeling worksheets: students write the matching term for each picture (with Name and Class lines)

How to use it in class

1. Print the color cards (or the black-and-white set to save ink), cut them apart and laminate them to reuse.
2. Introduce the words with the picture-and-word cards, then use the definition cards to talk about what each term means.
3. Play quick games: show a picture and ask for the term, read a definition and ask which card it matches, or sort the cards into groups.
4. Use the labeling worksheets as an exit ticket, homework or review, and check them with the answer key.
5. Put the cards in a word wall or science center for independent practice.

At a glance

• Grade: 6
• Subject: Science (Atoms and Subatomic Particles)
• Standard: Virginia Science SOL
• Pages: 10
• Format: Printable PDF; instant digital download after purchase