CIE Secondary 1 Science / KS3 Y7 Motion Scheme of Work
Lesson Objectives and Activities
Resources
Other guidance
LESSON 1-2 – Speed Cameras
 KS3 Y7 Science - Motion target
sheet AVG.doc (one copy per
student)
Literacy:
Speed
Distance
Time
Motion
Movement
Fast
Slow
Vehicle
All: know what speed means, and know what information
is needed to calculate it; be able to measure distances
and times using a trundle wheel and stopwatch;
Most: be able to calculate a speed from a distance and
time, giving the correct units for the speed;
Some: be able to convert between different units of
speed (m/s and km/h).
Starter:
Hand out KS3 Y7 Science - Motion target sheet AVG.doc.
Students tick any targets they can already do.
Then show Trying to Beat Speed Camera - Top Gear clip.
Main:
Discuss how this speed camera works. Could give out mini
whiteboards for students to share their ideas. Students
need to understand that the speed camera measures the
time the car takes to travel between two points on the
road. How can it get a speed from this?
As part of the discussion, try to make sure all students get
the idea of how to work out speeds. You could show any
of: Motion tutorial, red section, in particular speeds of
objects sort (1), what is speed (2), constant speed (3) with
microtest.
 Mini whiteboards, pens and
erasers
 Trying to Beat Speed Camera Top Gear clip 2min
 Motion tutorial
 Stopwatches – one per student
or pair of students
 Trundle wheel(s) – at least one
 Clipboards, if available, for
students to lean on when
writing
 Speed Cameras - how they
work KS3 KS4 AVG edit.pptx
 Trying to Beat Speed Camera 2
- Top Gear clip 1min
 Trying to Beat Speed Camera 3
- Top Gear clip 1min
Discuss how students could measure vehicle speeds on the
road using simple equipment. Show them the
stopwatches and trundle wheel(s). Make a simple plan
involving: measuring and marking a distance from point A
to point B; students standing with stopwatches where
they can see and time the whole stretch; student(s)
watching and recording the speed displayed on the sign;
and the giving of signals so that everyone measures for the
same small number of cars.
Students prepare tables to record data.
Go outside to a road near the school, where you will
measure the speeds of cars. At our school we are lucky
enough to have a speed camera on the road which
displays the speeds of passing cars, so we can compare
our measurements with that.
Carry out timing measurements, and recording of
corresponding speeds from the sign, for several cars.
Go back to the class, and create a large table on the board
showing all results. Together, calculate one of the speeds
CIE Secondary 1 Y7 Science – Motion SoW 1
Dr. A. George
You may need to point out
that this lesson is really
about how to measure
speed: students are not
expected to memorise
details about speed
cameras.
in m/s, and have students do the rest. Then discuss how
to convert into km/h or mi/h. You could use mini
whiteboards to share ideas. If one or more students can
see how to do it, have them prepare an instruction for the
others to use (e.g. multiply by 3.6). Students do the
conversions, and then discuss how their results compare
with the speed limit.
Plenary:
Discuss if it would be possible to drive fast enough to
escape this speed camera (no, because it doesn’t work by
two camera flashes at a fixed interval: it works by driving
over two sensors in the road – you would have to fly!)
Could show Speed Cameras - how they work KS3 KS4 and
discuss the types of speed camera. Which type is the one
on the video clip? (‘average speed’ camera)
There is an opportunity here to discuss the difference
between average speed and instantaneous speed, if you
feel the students can cope with this. See Motion tutorial,
red section (5) for a suitable animation.
You could show Trying to Beat Speed Camera 2 - Top Gear
clip 1min, and/or Trying to Beat Speed Camera 3 - Top
Gear clip 1min.
 Motion tutorial
 Speed Distance Time basic
All: calculate a speed given a distance and a time; give the
level challenges KS3 AVG.ppt
correct units for the speed;
 Speed Calculations.doc (note
Most: calculate distance or time by rearranging the speed
missing number of hours in q.
formula;
2 – write in ‘4’ before ‘hours’)
Some: convert between any two units of speed within the
Answers to worksheet:
metric system.
1. speed = distance/time = 30/2
= 15 mi/h
Starter:
2. speed = distance/time =
If needed, work through Motion tutorial red section,
2000/4 = 500 mi/h
speed worked calculation (6).
3. speed = distance/time =
On board, show students how to work out distance or
45/0.25 = 180 mi/h
time, by rearranging the speed equation (or by using
4. speed = distance/time = 4/0.5
intuition with small numbers, e.g. if the speed is 2 m/s
= 8 mi/h
and the travel time is 5 s, can you see that you need to
5. distance = speed x time = 64
multiply the two numbers to get a distance of 10 m?
× 0.75 = 48 km
6. distance = speed × time = 3 ×
Main:
1.5 = 4.5 km
Speed Distance Time basic level challenges KS3 AVG.ppt.
7. distance = speed × time = 5 ×
Students work through these, using their intuition to try
1/12 = 5/12 mi (or 0.42… mi)
to answer the questions.
8. distance = speed × time =
and/or
5000 × 1.75 = 8750 mi
Students try some or all of Speed Calculations.doc.
9. time = distance/speed = 5/60
Students may need help dealing with unit conversion,
= 1/12 h or 5 min
from minutes to hours, for example.
10. time = distance/speed =
16/156 = 0.10… h or 6.1… min
Hand out answers for students to check their work at the
11. time = distance/speed =
end.
0.005/1 (or 5/1000) = 0.005 h
LESSON 3 – Speed Calculations
CIE Secondary 1 Y7 Science – Motion SoW 2
Dr. A. George
Most students have an
instinctive understanding
of the relationship
between speed, distance
and time. I don’t show
them the ‘equation
triangle’ at this point, as I
find that if I do, they
abandon this intuition
altogether, and perhaps
don’t even realise they
have it. But ask a question
like “If I’m running at 10
m/s for 8 s, how far do I
get?” then many students
can quickly give the
correct answer (80 m).
From this they can extract
the relationship: distance
= speed x time.
Try to help them make
sense of it: if I travel 10 m
each second, and I keep
going for 8 s, then I travel
10 m eight times.
Literacy:
Formula
or 0.3 min or 18 s
LESSON 4 – Distance-Time Graphs
 Car Race animated 3min
 Distance Time Graph rich task
KS3 KS4.pdf (for teacher
preparation; you need a login
to STEM, but it’s free to set
one up)
 Distance Time Graph rich task
prompt.ppt (create this from
the above resource by copying
and pasting the graph onto a
Starter:
ppt slide and printing at A3
You could show some or all of Car Race animated 3min, or
size), one per group of 2-4
any video of a race or journey, just to provide a context,
students
perhaps while students are coming in and getting ready.
 Post-it notes in two colours
(optional)
Main 1:
 Football Distance–Time Graphs
Give students, in groups of 2-4, an A3 copy of Distance
interactive
Time Graph rich task prompt.ppt. Could also display it on
the board. Students discuss the image and try to
 Mini whiteboards, pens and
annotate it with notes and questions. Could give one
wipers (one per student)
colour of post-it note for a note/information and one
 Distance Time Graphs quizzes
colour for a question. Alternatively students could write
on the graph, using different coloured pens.
 Distance Time Graphs WS.docx
All: understand the idea of a distance-time graph to show
a journey; recognise sections on a distance-time graph
showing motion or no movement;
Most: recognise and sketch a distance-time graph
showing an object which is: stationary; moving at
constant speed; moving faster or slower;
Some: sketch and explain a distance-time graph showing
an object which is accelerating or decelerating.
If students are working in separate groups, share findings
with the class. Could ask a student to act out the graph,
choosing suitable distance and time scales.
Main 2:
Football Distance–Time Graphs interactive. Work through
this, asking students to choose answers to the multiple
choice questions.
Plenary:
Quiz using mini whiteboards. Ask students to draw a
graph for: constant speed; not moving; getting faster;
getting slower and stopping; going back to the start
(distance=0) at constant speed.
or
Distance Time Graphs quizzes (blue section, 2 –
qualitative, and perhaps also 3 – quantitative), using mini
whiteboards to show answers.
HW:
Distance Time Graphs WS
LESSON 5 – Speed-Time Graphs
 Moving Man Simulation.jar
All: understand the idea of a speed-time graph to show a
journey; recognise sections on a speed-time graph
showing motion, no movement or acceleration;
Most: recognise and sketch a speed-time graph showing
 Motorbike Speed-Time Graph
interactive
 Motion Graphs type values to
change graph.xls
CIE Secondary 1 Y7 Science – Motion SoW 3
Dr. A. George
Working (as in ‘show your
working’)
Literacy:
Graph
Axis / axes
an object which is: stationary; moving at constant speed;
moving faster or slower;
Some: sketch and explain a speed-time graph showing an
object which is accelerating or decelerating.
Starter:
Show Moving Man simulation. To recap last lesson,
discuss the distance-time graph. Then ask students about
what the speed-time graph shows. This is a record of the
man’s speed.
 Mini whiteboards, pens and
wipers
 DT & VT Graphs stopwatch
graphing activity.ppt
 Stopwatches (preferably one
per student)
Main:
Show Motorbike Speed-Time Graph interactive. (To
accelerate, pull down on the right-hand handlebar.)
Discuss the graph(s) you create.
Could also experiment with Motion Graphs type values to
change graph.
Then either:
Give students mini whiteboards and ask them to sketch
speed-time graphs for: stationary; constant speed; a
faster constant speed; speeding up; slowing down.
or
(higher) draw a distance-time graph on the board and
challenge students to create the corresponding speedtime graph.
Plenary:
If time, could do DT & VT Graphs stopwatch graphing
activity (slide 8 of the ppt). Students need stopwatches,
and can then record their results and plot the graphs (give
out graph paper) for homework. (When checking
answers, could show correct answers using Motion
Graphs type values to change graph.)
 Stunt Distance-Time Graphs
UPD8 activity – unfortunately
All: see the relevance of motion physics in a ‘real-life’
this is no longer available since
situation; use distance-time graphs in context
UPD8 was replaced by Engage.
Most: be able to assimilate information and use it to
Some UPD8 activities are on
answer questions about motion in a situation; be able to
stem.org.uk, but not this one.
use distance-time graphs to interpolate and extrapolate
If you happen to have a copy
you could do the activity.
Stunt Distance-Time graphs activity. See teacher guide for  As an alternative, you could do
how to run the activity.
Hare and Tortoise Distance–
or
Time Graphs activity.
Hare and Tortoise Distance–Time Graphs activity
LESSON 6 – Using Motion Ideas in Context
LESSON 7/Homework
 Motion test
Motion test
or
challenge students to write 10 of their own questions on
motion, and answer them. The can choose their own
difficulty level to show off what they can do.
CIE Secondary 1 Y7 Science – Motion SoW 4
Dr. A. George