Build the key vocabulary of Wave Types and Wave Properties with this printable picture flash card set for Grade 8 physical science, aligned to Virginia SOL PS.6. It covers 12 essential terms, from Wave and Medium to Wave speed. 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.

Learning goal: Longitudinal and transverse waves and their defining measurable characteristics.

What students practice

• Wave
• Medium
• Transverse wave
• Longitudinal wave
• Crest
• Trough
• Compression
• Rarefaction
• Amplitude
• Wavelength
• Frequency
• Wave speed

Teaching notes from the key: Wave diagrams show a representation of a disturbance, not the permanent movement of material with the traveling wave. For a fixed propagation speed, increasing frequency decreases wavelength; do not claim frequency alone universally determines mechanical-wave energy.

What’s included (11 pages)

• 12 color picture-and-word cards
• 12 picture–term–definition cards (2 pages)
• 12 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)
• Answer key (1 page) for the labeling worksheets

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: 8
• Subject: Physical Science (Wave Types and Wave Properties)
• Standard: Virginia SOL PS.6
• Pages: 11
• Format: Printable PDF; instant digital download after purchase