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
Share and support
Teaching Table · Reviewed guide
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
Full guide and materials
- Paper
- Pencil
- Ruler
- Step 1. Label time on the horizontal axis and distance from the starting point on the vertical axis.
- Step 2. Read coordinates at three times.
- Step 3. Compare steep, shallow, and horizontal segments.
- Step 4. Sketch a journey that moves away, stops, then moves away faster.
- Quick check. Ask when the traveler stopped and which segment was fastest. Success means your child uses slope and coordinates accurately.
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.
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
Reviewed external links that reinforce this concept. They do not replace Gakuva’s teaching approach.
No reviewed resources for this concept yet.
The teaching approach above still stands. Curated practice links will appear here as the shelf fills.
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