Reading Distance-Time Graphs
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
Lesson
Set out your lesson
“A distance-from-start-time graph shows how far a traveler is from a fixed starting point as time passes. Slope magnitude represents speed; a horizontal segment means the position is unchanged.”
Bring to the table
- Paper
- Pencil
- Ruler
Extra for the adult
Worked example. A line rising from 0 km at 0 h to 6 km at 2 h represents an average speed of 3 km/h; a flat line afterward represents a stop.
Optional challenge. Calculate average speed for two segments and explain why a downward distance-from-start line represents returning toward the fixed starting point.
What to notice. Save a photo of the annotated or child-drawn graph, or a short note recording two correct graph interpretations.
Share and support
Family records and proof options
Keep a record of your learning
Save photos, notes, and attendance. Export a proof packet for compliance or portfolio reviews.
Learning resources
Extra practice links — they do not replace Gakuva’s teaching approach.
PhET Interactive Simulations · Practice link — not the full lesson
Forces and Motion: Basics
Before you open · source notes
Forces and Motion: Basics supports hands-on exploration for Reading Distance-Time Graphs. Not every lab worksheet.
Free interactive page, no sign-in required for the tested path.
Before you openAsk the learner what they changed in the sim or page and what they observed.
Opening this link does not save learning or assess mastery.
Source, access and review notes
Public PhET Interactive Simulations page. An anonymous GET on 2026-11-12 returned HTTP 200 with no login or payment prompt for this URL. Opening the link does not save practice or assess mastery. An adult should preview and guide the learner.
PhET Interactive Simulations. “Forces and Motion: Basics.” External page; Gakuva does not copy, host, embed, or redistribute materials.
Unknown — link only
Check understanding
- 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
“If your 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?”
Curriculum record
- Type
- Representational
- Subject
- Science
- Domain
- Forces & Motion
- Age range
- Ages 10–13