C Curriculum Explorer
Science·Waves, Light & Sound·language

Light & Sound Vocabulary

Name and use vocabulary for how light and sound behave — light source, transparent, translucent, opaque, shadow, reflect, vibration, pitch, volume — and apply these terms correctly when describing observations about how light travels and how sounds are made and changed

Suggested ages 6–8

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Learning journey

Your child is investigating light and sound — discovering how we see objects, experimenting with transparent and opaque materials, and learning how vibrations create sound.

Evidence of understanding

  • Correctly classify a set of materials as transparent, translucent, or opaque and explain each term
  • Explain what causes a shadow using the words 'opaque' and 'light source' correctly
  • Describe what changes the pitch or volume of a sound using vibration vocabulary

Assessment prompt

If you held up a piece of frosted glass, could Light & Sound Vocabulary say whether it's transparent, translucent, or opaque — and explain what that word means?

Standards alignment

No external standards are linked to this topic.