You will learn
- Say fast and slow.
- Compare two moving things.
- Name fast and slow animals and vehicles.
- Say that a stronger push can make something faster.
Version 0.2 · expanded edition · built from cited public sources Content is based on the official frameworks and sources listed under Sources and standards. No official endorsement is claimed. Written in the style of common primary school assessments. No exam result is promised.
Student lesson
- Fast things move a long way quickly.
- Slow things take a long time to move.
- We compare speeds in a race.
- A stronger push can make a thing go faster.
Words to know
moving a long way in a short time
moving a short way in a long time
how fast something moves
a contest to see who is fastest
1. Discover: The school race
On sports day, Kemi, Lola and Ade race to the cone. Kemi arrives first. Lola is second. Ade walks and arrives last. “Kemi was fast and Ade was slow,” says the teacher. “But everyone tried.”
Think: Who was the fastest?
2. Understand: Fast and slow
Idea 1: Fast and slow
Something is fast if it moves a long way in a short time. Something is slow if it takes a long time to go a short way. We describe the speed of things.
Idea 2: Comparing
In a race, the one who arrives first is the fastest. A cheetah is faster than a tortoise. A bus is faster than a bicycle. A bicycle is faster than a walking child.
Idea 3: Changing speed
A stronger push makes a toy car go faster. A weaker push makes it go slower. Roads have speed limits so that vehicles stay safe.
3. Worked examples
Example 1 (I show you): Who is faster?
A rabbit and a snail.
- The rabbit runs quickly.
- The snail crawls slowly.
- The rabbit is faster.
Answer: A rabbit is faster than a snail.
Example 2 (We do it together): Order
A bus, a bicycle and a walking child.
- Bus is fastest.
- Bicycle is next.
- Walking is slowest.
Answer: Bus, bicycle, walking.
Example 3 (You try): Make it faster
A toy car.
Show the steps and answer
- Give a bigger push.
- It goes faster.
- Test it.
Answer: A bigger push makes it faster.
Did you know?
A cheetah can run faster than most cars drive in towns, but only for a short time.
Why this matters
Knowing speed helps us stay safe near roads and compare moving things.
4. Explore: Mini race
Race toy cars down a ramp.
- Make a ramp with a board.
- Place two cars at the top.
- Let them go.
- Say which was faster.
Think about it: what did you notice?
What did you notice? Different cars have different speeds.
5. Practise
Say it in a sentence
Use these starters when you talk about the lesson. Say them out loud.
- A cheetah is ___.
- A snail is ___.
- The ___ wins the race.
- A bigger push is ___.
Guided practice
Question 1. Is a cheetah fast or slow?
Fast.
Question 2. Is a snail fast or slow?
Slow.
Question 3. Who wins a race?
The fastest.
Independent practice
Level 1: Start
- Is a cheetah fast or slow?
- Is a snail fast or slow?
- Who wins a race?
- Is a bus fast or slow?
- Is a tortoise fast or slow?
Level 2: Grow
- Which is faster, a bicycle or a bus?
- Name one fast animal and one slow animal.
- How can you make a car faster?
Level 3: Stretch
- Order three things from slow to fast.
- Explain who wins a race.
- Plan a fair race.
Answers are in the answer key below. Try first, then check.
6. Apply: Science in everyday life
What fast and slow things do you see near you?
Show a sample answer
Cars, bicycles, snails, walkers.
Another one. Tell a family member one thing from this lesson. Use the words you learned.
Show a sample answer
A clear sentence that uses at least one word from Words to know.
7. Common mistakes
Fix: Some big things are fast.
Fix: It is won by the one who arrives first.
8. Lesson summary and revision card
- I can say fast and slow.
- I can compare two moving things.
- I can name fast and slow animals and vehicles.
- I can say that a stronger push can make something faster.
9. Check and master
Answer all 14 questions. You will see feedback after each one.
Your result appears here after you answer every question.
10. Key takeaways
- Fast things move a long way quickly.
- Slow things take a long time to move.
- We compare speeds in a race.
- A stronger push can make a thing go faster.
11. Next lesson
Next lesson: Changing direction. Keep going with the next idea in this course.
Exam practice
These questions are written in the style of common school and international primary assessments. Try them on your own, without looking back. Then check your answers in the marking guide. The marks are shown in brackets.
- Name two fast and two slow things. [4 marks]
- What is speed? [1 mark]
- How can you make a toy car faster? [1 mark]
- Order a bus, a bicycle and a walker. [3 marks]
- Describe a fair race. [3 marks]
Total: 12 marks.
Marking guide and model answers
- Two fast [2]; two slow [2]
- How fast something moves [1]
- A bigger push [1]
- Bus [1]; bicycle [1]; walker [1]
- Same start [1]; same path [1]; same finish [1]
Score guide: 11 to 12 = secure. 8 to 10 = nearly there, revise the parts you missed. Under 8 = work through the lesson again with a grown-up.
Printable worksheet
- Is a cheetah fast or slow?
- Is a snail fast or slow?
- Who wins a race?
- Is a bus fast or slow?
- Is a tortoise fast or slow?
- Which is faster, a bicycle or a bus?
- Name one fast animal and one slow animal.
- How can you make a car faster?
- Order three things from slow to fast.
- Explain who wins a race.
Homework
Race two toys at home. Write which is faster and by how much.
Answer key and marking scheme
| Question | Expected response | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Is a cheetah fast or slow? | Fast. | 1 |
| 2. Is a snail fast or slow? | Slow. | 1 |
| 3. Who wins a race? | The fastest. | 1 |
| 4. Is a bus fast or slow? | Fast. | 1 |
| 5. Is a tortoise fast or slow? | Slow. | 1 |
| 6. Which is faster, a bicycle or a bus? | A bus. | 1 |
| 7. Name one fast animal and one slow animal. | Cheetah; snail. | 1 |
| 8. How can you make a car faster? | A bigger push. | 1 |
| 9. Order three things from slow to fast. | A correct order. | 1 |
| 10. Explain who wins a race. | The one who arrives first. | 1 |
| Total | 10 |
Independent practice answers. Level 1: 1 Fast.; 2 Slow.; 3 The fastest.; 4 Fast.; 5 Slow.. Level 2: 1 A bus.; 2 Cheetah; snail.; 3 A bigger push.. Level 3: 1 A correct order.; 2 The one who arrives first.; 3 Same start line and finish..
Quiz answers: 1 B, 2 C, 3 A, 4 B, 5 C, 6 A, 7 B, 8 C, 9 A, 10 B, 11 C, 12 A, Challenge 1 B, Challenge 2 C.
Mastery and remediation
| Objective | Bronze (Developing) | Silver (Proficient) | Gold (Advanced) |
|---|---|---|---|
| O1 Say fast and slow | Shows this with help from an adult or a picture | Does this independently and explains how they know | Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation |
| O2 Compare two moving things | Shows this with help from an adult or a picture | Does this independently and explains how they know | Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation |
| O3 Name fast and slow animals and vehicles | Shows this with help from an adult or a picture | Does this independently and explains how they know | Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation |
| O4 Say that a stronger push can make something faster | Shows this with help from an adult or a picture | Does this independently and explains how they know | Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation |
Courseversity badge thresholds (overall quiz score): Gold = 90–100%; Silver = 80–89.9%; Bronze = 70–79.9%. A badge is never a full record of progress.
If a learner struggles
- Find the misconception: “Big things are always slow.” Some big things are fast.
- Explain another way: use real objects, pictures or actions first, then words.
- Show a simpler example: Use two toys. Say which is faster and why.
- Guided practice: work through one example together and let the learner try the next one.
- Reassess: use the quiz again or the worksheet.
- Move on when the learner shows Silver-level evidence independently.
For parents and guardians
In this lesson your child learns to describe and compare fast and slow movement. You do not need to be an expert to help.
- Compare speeds on a walk.
- Ask, “Which is faster?”
- Race toys safely.
- Ask “how do you know?” after each answer, and listen.
- Praise effort, not only right answers. Mistakes are how we learn.
- Ten to fifteen minutes a day is better than one long session.
Teacher package
1–5. Objectives, prerequisites, materials, preparation, duration
Lesson objectives. Learners will: say fast and slow; compare two moving things; name fast and slow animals and vehicles; say that a stronger push can make something faster.
Prerequisite knowledge. None. Learners should be able to look, listen and talk about what they notice.
Materials. Toy cars, a board for a ramp, books, chalk and a ruler. Low-resource options: use chalk or charcoal on a board or wall, drawings in the sand, and objects from the classroom instead of printed materials.
Preparation. Make a ramp. Mark start and finish. Clear the track.
Suggested duration. 45–60 minutes. It can be split into two shorter sessions.
6–9. Teaching procedure, explanation notes, guided and independent activities
Introduction (5 min). Ask, “Who is the fastest in the class?”
Explanation (10 min). Teach fast and slow.
Guided activity (10 min). Learners race toy cars.
Independent activity (10 min). Learners record results.
Assessment and reflection (5 min). Ask each learner to say one thing they learned and how they know it.
Key questions. Which is faster? How do you know?
Teacher explanation notes. Start with real objects and safe, hands-on observation. Then talk about what was seen, then draw and write. Always say “how do you know?”. Keep to the safety notes, and use local, safe materials.
10–12. Differentiation, formative assessment, common misconceptions
Support. Use real objects and pictures, short sentences and a partner. Let learners point, show or draw instead of writing. Extension. Ask learners to find a new example at home and explain how they know.
Formative assessment. Listen to learners read and explain, ask “how do you know?”, and check the independent work.
Misconceptions. “Big things are always slow.” Some big things are fast.
13–15. Assessment questions, answer keys, marking scheme
Use the quiz, the 12-mark exam practice and the worksheet on this page. All answers and marking guides are in the answer sections above. Re-check every answer before use.
16–19. Remediation, enrichment, homework, teacher reflection
Remediation. Use two toys. Say which is faster and why. Enrichment. Look for one new example near your home or school, draw it and explain it to someone. Homework. See above.
Teacher reflection. After teaching, record: which ideas learners understood; which misconceptions occurred; which activities worked; which learners need more practice; and what to improve next time.
Sources and standards
This lesson is based on the sources below, and no official endorsement is claimed. Reference starting points: Next Generation Science Standards, Cambridge Primary Science and the IB Primary Years Programme. Where a standard code is named, it points to the official framework.
Research used to shape this lesson. Courseversity Science curriculum, Grade 1 Unit 7, topic 5; Next Generation Science Standards, motion and stability: forces and interactions; Cambridge Primary Science Stage 1, forces; IB Primary Years Programme, how the world works. These sources informed the lesson.