This Average Speed Calculations Practice includes 18 scenario-based problems designed to progress from straightforward average speed calculations to more challenging applications involving speed, distance, time, and comparing the motion of objects.

Instead of throwing students straight into complicated word problems, the questions build in difficulty, giving students an opportunity to practice the basic formula first and then apply their understanding to increasingly challenging scenarios.

What’s Included:

• 18 scenario-based calculation problems
• Practice calculating average speed
• Practice solving for distance and time
• Problems using a variety of units, including meters, centimeters, kilometers, seconds, minutes, and hours
• Comparison and multi-step questions for additional challenge
• Answer key
• Printable student version
• Google Slides digital version
• Editable questions so you can customize the practice for your students

Perfect For:

Use this resource during your Forces and Motion unit as independent practice, partner work, a station, homework, small-group instruction, spiral review, or test prep.

The progressive format also makes it easy to differentiate. Assign the earlier questions to students who need additional support or challenge students with the later application problems.

Standards Alignment

Florida: SC.6.P.12.1 – Explore and interpret the relationship between distance and time for objects moving at a constant speed.

TEKS: 7.7(A) – Calculate average speed using distance and time measurements.

NGSS Connection: MS-PS2-2 – Use mathematical representations to describe motion and changes in motion.

Topics & Skills Include:

• Average Speed
• Speed = Distance ÷ Time
• Calculating Distance
• Calculating Time
• Motion
• Distance and Time
• Comparing Speed
• Units of Speed

Perfect for 6th, 7th, or 8th grade physical science students who need meaningful practice applying the average speed formula.

Included in: Forces and Motion Unit Bundle

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In this engaging investigation, students turn ordinary wind-up toys into race cars as they explore how different surface types affect motion. They’ll design a 50 cm racetrack, race their toys across five different surfaces, calculate average speed, analyze friction, identify forces, and use experimental evidence to explain their results.

This racing-themed science lab combines mathematical practice, scientific inquiry, graphing, and Newton’s Laws into one memorable activity. It’s an excellent addition to your forces and motion unit and a fun way to get students actively involved in collecting and analyzing real experimental data.

What’s included?

• Printable, ready-to-use student lab worksheets
• Editable version for easy classroom customization
• Google Slides version for digital use
• Teacher instructions and setup tips
• Possible answer key for post-lab analysis
• Racing-themed data tables, force diagrams, and CER conclusion

What will students do?

Students begin by naming their wind-up racer, identifying experimental variables, and developing a hypothesis. Using blue painter’s tape, they’ll create a 50 cm racetrack and test their toy on five different surfaces: desktop, copy paper, aluminum foil, paper towel, and sandpaper.

Students will complete three trials on each surface, for a total of 15 races.

Throughout the investigation, they’ll:

• Measure travel time and calculate average speed using the distance ÷ time formula.
• Calculate the mean average speed for each surface.
• Organize and compare experimental data.
• Graph their results to visualize how surface type affects speed.
• Identify gravity, normal force, friction, and the forward force acting on their racer.
• Explain the relationship between balanced and unbalanced forces and changes in motion.
• Complete post-race analysis questions and a claim-evidence-reasoning (CER) conclusion supported by numerical data.

The lab encourages students to think beyond simply identifying which racer is fastest. They’ll investigate how the interaction between the wheels and different surfaces affects motion and use their findings to support scientific explanations.

Easy to prep and classroom-friendly

No expensive lab equipment required! Most materials are inexpensive and can already be found in a typical science classroom. Students can work in small groups, making this a great collaborative investigation.

The printable pages are also a perfect addition to a science interactive notebook. Students can keep their experimental data, calculations, force diagrams, and written conclusions together as a reference throughout their forces and motion unit.

Standards alignment

This lab supports the following middle school science standards:

Florida Standards

• SC.6.P.13.3 – Investigate and describe how unbalanced forces change an object’s motion.
• SC.6.P.12.1 – Measure and graph distance and time to determine the speed of an object. (Partial alignment; distance-time graphing is not included.)

TEKS

– 7.7(A) – Calculate average speed using distance and time measurements from investigations.

NGSS

– MS-PS2-2 – Plan an investigation to provide evidence that the change in an object’s motion depends on the sum of the forces on the object and the mass of the object. (Partial alignment; mass is not investigated.)

Perfect for

Middle school science, physical science, forces and motion units, average speed practice, friction investigations, Newton’s Laws review, collaborative lab activities, and interactive science notebooks.

Grab the Forces and motion unit bundle!

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There is a printable version, editable PowerPoint version and a Digital Google Slides version that will help you save on time and paper for EACH topic.

The 7 types of stations include:

1. Discover – Discover Stations require students to research how topics relate to real-world situations.

2. Observe – Observe stations include demonstrations or mini experiments for students to observe phenomena.

3. Experiment – Experiment stations involve mini experiments for students to complete and answer questions based on.

4. Write – The Write station requires students to write short responses to questions relating to the topic.

5. Create – Create stations typically require students to draw something like a comic, infographic, prototype or diagram.

6. Sort – Sort stations requires students to sort and match either scenarios or parts of diagrams.

7. Quiz – The Quiz station includes a short assessment for students to complete.

*Each station should take students between 8-10 minutes to complete.*

The RESOURCE includes:

• Digital Google Slides link to perform stations online.
• Printable version of stations in color and black/white
• Editable PowerPoint version of stations.

Topics Covered:

• •Atoms & The Atomic Theory
• •Periodic Table of Elements
• •Pure Substances & Mixtures
• •Changes in States of Matter
• •Mass, Volume & Density
• •Properties of Waves
• •Interactions of Light Waves
• •Electromagnetic Spectrum
• •Newton’s Laws of Motion
• •Energy Transformations
• •Thermal Energy & Heat

*Please note that the instructions for stations are editable but clip art, special fonts and formatting are not.*

Check out the Physical Science year Long Bundle for an entire Physical Science Curriculum!

Want to learn how to better pace your physical science course? Check out the free physical science pacing guide here.

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