How to Teach Speed, Velocity, and Acceleration

Jun 7, 2021

2 min read

Most of understanding science is knowing the vocabulary words. I teach a lot of vocabulary in my digital science units, but sometimes I run across words that don’t fit into a specific unit. When this happens, I make vocabulary pages that explain the words so that students will recognize them when they see them later. Speed, velocity, and acceleration are three of those words.

Speed, velocity, and acceleration are three words students need to know to understand force and motion. My vocabulary pages connect these terms to what students already know to help them learn the new vocabulary because science is vocabulary.

Speed

Speed is a measurement of how fast something moves. We can find either average speed or instantaneous speed. To find average speed, we divide the total distance traveled by the time it took. Calculating instantaneous speed requires calculus. Speed is a scalar quantity, the direction an object is traveling does not affect its speed.

Velocity

Like speed, velocity is a measurement of how fast something moves, but velocity includes both speed and direction. To change velocity, either speed or direction can change. For example, turning changes velocity without changing speed. Velocity is a vector quantity. The direction of the motion matters.

Relative Velocity

Relative velocity is an object’s observed velocity based on a specific reference point. For example, a person riding a train has a different relative velocity for the person standing on the platform watching the train race by than the person sitting next to him on the train.

Acceleration

Acceleration is a change in velocity. It can be a change in either speed or direction. A positive acceleration means something is speeding up, and a negative acceleration means something is slowing down. If an object is changing direction, it is acceleration. Like velocity, acceleration is a vector quantity.

Videos to Teach Speed, Velocity, and Acceleration

I also use videos to teach vocabulary. Here are my favorite videos for teaching students about speed, velocity, and acceleration.

Vocabulary Pages for Speed, Velocity, and Acceleration

Want vocabulary pages to reinforce these vocabulary words? Then, you need my speed, velocity, and acceleration vocabulary pages. These are great for a science word wall or students’ notebooks. Plus, they are only $1. I include pictures to help students learn the vocabulary, so you can’t even make them yourself for that little!