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Reading Distance-Time Graphs

REPRESENTATIONAL
ScienceForces & Motion|Ages 10—13|ID: mt_OUv-QXmW7_

Read and plot distance-time graphs for moving objects; interpret the gradient (steepness) of a line as speed; identify stationary periods (horizontal sections), constant speed (straight diagonal lines), and relative speeds by comparing gradients; calculate average speed from the gradient of a straight-line segment using speed = distance ÷ time

Mastery Evidence

  • Read a distance-time graph and describe what is happening at each stage — moving, stopped, returning
  • Calculate speed from the gradient of a straight section of a distance-time graph
  • Sketch a distance-time graph from a written description of a journey with stops and speed changes

Assessment Prompt

“If [child] sees a distance-time graph of a journey with a flat section in the middle, can they explain what was happening then — and point to which part of the graph shows the fastest speed?”

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