LIFE IN MOTION

Activity #1 What's Up With Speed?

Approximate Time Required
90 min
Key Questions
How fast do you walk? What is your walking speed?
How do we describe/measure how fast a car is moving?

Student Learning
In addition to the competencies listed in the next section, students will:
• predict how fast they walk, jog, and run,
• develop a method to measure these speeds,
• determine how fast they walk, jog, and run using this method, and
• compare these speeds to predicted speeds by making a comparative bar graph.

Competencies
Science and Competency 1: To take action, bearing in mind the different types of
Technology reasoning specific to science and technology
Competencies • The student defines a problem related to science and technology
• The student proposes a solution to the problem
• The student implements the proposed solution he/she has chosen
• The student assesses the results
Competency 3: To propose acceptable explanations in appropriate scientific
and technological languages
• The student makes proper use of ordinary and symbolic language related to
science and technology when dealing with a problem

Cross- Competency 1: To use information.

Curricular • The student concentrates on relevant information
Competencies • The student organizes information
Intellectual • The student uses information

Areas of The student participates actively in his/her learnings with other members of
Lifelong his/her community
Learning
Social
Relationships
 Links to other Competency 1: To solve a situational problem
Subject Competency 2: To present a line of mathematical reasoning based on a set of
Areas interrelated concepts and processes.
Mathematics Competency 3: To communicate using mathematical language.
Competency 4: To appreciate the contribution of mathematics to the
different spheres of human activity.

Materials
Per class Per student Per group of students

• Gym or schoolyard • ClarisWorks program or • Paper to record

• Distance markers graph paper data
• Measuring tool,e.g., meter stick, • Stopwatch
measuring tape • Pencil
• Teacher's resources folder,
activity one and two

Constructivist Activity Steps

Role of Teacher Role of Student

Engage Ask students the following questions: Participate in class discussion and
What objects around us are in motion? offer suggestions to the
How do we know how fast something is questions based on prior
moving? knowledge.

Individual Ask students to write down their Predict how fast you walk, jog,
predictions predictions of how fast they walk, jog, and run. Record this information
and run. in a journal/ worksheet.

Group predictions Have students form groups to discuss
individual predictions and develop a
group
prediction for average walking, jogging,
and running speeds.
Develop a group prediction for
average walking, jogging, and
running speeds. Develop a method
to measure these speeds.

Activity/Experiment Ask students to measure the
three speeds over a fixed
distance (constant). You can
have students develop their
own method, or use Activity #1
sheet. Explain that a constant is
Using your own method or the
Activity #1 sheet the teacher
may give you to measure speed,
the group should record walking,
running, and jogging speeds for
each student using cooperative
 a factor that does not change learning methods.
in an experiment. In this case
the constant is distance.

Group discussion Discuss results following the Average the speeds for each
experiment student for each task to
develop an average speed for
each category: walking,
jogging, and running. Using
ClarisWorks, compare these
average speeds with predicted
speeds by making a
comparative bar graph.

Group reports Discuss why predictions were Discuss why predictions were accurate or
why accurate or inaccurate. inaccurate based on results.
predictions were
accurate or
inaccurate

Short explanation Speed is the rate at which If students did not come up with this
distance is covered. (Speed = formula on their own to calculate speed, have
distance ÷ time. Speed them use it now to calculate walking, running,
measures how fast an object and jogging speeds using their data.
moves (variable). Explain that a
variable is a factor that can
change in an experiment. In
this case, the variable is speed.

Apply to a new How fast do you think a dog

situation runs? How long would it take
you to walk 500 meters?

Vocabulary List

Constant: a factor that remains the same; unchanging

Kilometer: a unit of length/distance in the metric system; 1,000 meters
Meter: a unit of length/distance in the metric system; 3.28 feet
Motion: the act or process of changing place
Speed: a measure of how fast something is moving; the rate at which distance is covered; the
distance travelled per time
Variable: a factor that changes
Evaluation Ideas
• Have students paired up with students in earlier grade levels to measure the
younger students' speeds, re: walking, jogging, running.
• Students can be observed by the teacher to evaluate their mastery of the
concept of speed.

Extensions
• Create a speed chart of things that move around you, e.g. animals, machines
etc. Have students create and draw corresponding pictures.
• Students can do Internet research on their favorite sport stars and record their
speed records.

Teacher Comments from Field Testing

Students enjoyed actively participating, organizing data, and reading bar graphs.
Students learned how to chart information in ClarisWorks. They were thrilled to see their
professional looking bar graphs.