Primary 6 Maths | Speed, Distance and Time Lesson-Prep Guide (for tutors) | 45-minute flow, teaching script, common errors

2026-11-15

Tutor lesson-prep guides · Primary Maths

Almost every speed question that goes wrong is not a formula problem but a unit mismatch: hours against minutes, kilometres against metres. Fix the units first, then substitute. The second trap is average speed, where the two speeds are never simply averaged.

Objectives — By the end of the lesson the pupil can: (1) state that speed is distance divided by time and write the matching unit; (2) convert the time to the same unit as the speed before calculating; (3) convert between kilometres per hour and metres per second; (4) find average speed using total distance over total time, and explain why the two speeds are not averaged.

01 Prerequisites (3-minute check)

If any of these fails, fix it before the lesson starts.

Skill	Quick check	Pass mark
Time units	says what 45 minutes is in hours	answers 0.75 hours
Decimal division	works out 120 divided by 2.5	answers 48
Finding a distance	finds the distance at 80 km per hour for 15 minutes	converts to 0.25 hours first, then multiplies

02 Lesson flow (45 minutes)

Time	Stage	Tutor does	Student does
0-6 min	Entry check	sets three quick items and watches each one	answers aloud and converts minutes to hours
6-15 min	The formula and its units	writes speed equals distance divided by time and labels all three units	reads it back and writes the unit form
15-24 min	Convert the time before you calculate	models 80 km per hour for 15 minutes	writes 0.25 hours first, then multiplies
24-33 min	The average speed experiment	models an out and back trip over the same distance at two speeds	finds total distance over total time, which is 48
33-41 min	Independent practice	reads the questions only	works the three items alone
41-45 min	Exit check	collects and marks at once	says which step went wrong

03 Teaching script (read it out)

Scene 1: Act 1: Speed is how far you travel in one unit of time

“Speed means the distance covered in one unit of time, so the formula is distance divided by time. A journey of 120 kilometres completed in 2 hours has a speed of 120 divided by 2, which is 60 kilometres per hour. Always read the unit with the number: sixty kilometres per hour. A bare 60 means nothing, because nobody knows whether it is per second or per hour.”

What does a speed of 60 kilometres per hour actually mean, and why does the unit matter?

Scene 2: Act 2: If the units disagree, convert first

“The most common failure is units. If the speed is in kilometres per hour and the time is given as 15 minutes, convert the time to hours first: 15 divided by 60 is 0.25 hours, so the distance is 80 times 0.25, which is 20 kilometres. The other way round, a speed in metres per second with a time in minutes needs the minutes multiplied by 60. Converting is one habit only: all three numbers in the formula must use the same family of units.”

At 60 kilometres per hour, what must 45 minutes become before you multiply?

Scene 3: Act 3: Average speed is never the average of two speeds

“Outward 120 kilometres at 60 kilometres per hour takes 2 hours. Back the same 120 kilometres at 40 kilometres per hour takes 3 hours. Total distance 240 kilometres over total time 5 hours gives an average speed of 240 divided by 5, which is 48 kilometres per hour. Adding 60 and 40 and halving to get 50 is wrong, because the slow half lasted longer, so it pulls the average down.”

Why can you not simply add two speeds and halve them to get the average speed?

04 Question types and worked steps

Type	Example	Steps	Answer
Speed from distance and time	120 km in 2 hours, find the speed	120 divided by 2	60 kilometres per hour
Distance from speed and time	80 km per hour for 15 minutes, find the distance	15 minutes is 0.25 hours, then 80 times 0.25	20 kilometres
Time from distance and speed	400 metres at 5 metres per second, find the time	400 divided by 5	80 seconds
Average speed	outward 120 km at 60 km per hour, back at 40 km per hour	total 240 km over total 5 hours	48 kilometres per hour

Sanity check (teach this): Three checks: a speed unit is always a distance unit per time unit, so a bare 60 without a unit is not an answer; the time must be converted into the unit the speed uses, so mixing minutes and hours is the moment to stop; and an average speed always lies between the fastest and the slowest leg, so 48 between 40 and 60 is plausible while 50 needs a second look.

05 Independent practice (3 questions)

Question	Answer	What to watch
250 metres in 50 seconds, find the speed.	5 metres per second	whether the pupil divided distance by time rather than the reverse
At 90 kilometres per hour for 1.5 hours, find the distance.	135 kilometres	whether the pupil multiplied rather than divided
At 4 kilometres per hour for 90 minutes, find the distance.	6 kilometres	whether the pupil converted 90 minutes to 1.5 hours first

06 Common mistakes and what to say

Mistake	Student writes	Say this
Mixing the units	at 80 km per hour for 15 minutes, multiplies 80 by 15	The 15 is minutes, not hours. Divide by 60 to get 0.25 first, then multiply.
Inverting the formula	divides time by distance when asked for speed	Speed is how far per hour, so it is distance divided by time, never the other way round.
Averaging the two speeds	adds 60 and 40 and halves to get 50	The slow leg lasted longer, so use total distance over total time.
Leaving the answer as a bare number	answers 60	Sixty what? Write sixty kilometres per hour, otherwise the number has no meaning.

07 Homework (paper, section and question numbers)

Primary 6 maths paper 1: speed and word problems section — Section C, questions 1 to 4

08 Exit check (last 5 minutes)

Question	Answer	Decision
Convert 72 kilometres per hour into metres per second.	20 metres per second	if wrong, reteach the 3.6 conversion
How many minutes does 3 kilometres take at 4 kilometres per hour?	45 minutes	if wrong, reteach time conversion
At 60 kilometres per hour for 45 minutes, find the distance.	45 kilometres	if wrong, reteach converting units first in Act 2

09 Tutor FAQ

Where does speed sit in the Primary 6 syllabus?

It is the speed topic, used together with decimal operations and time calculations. This guide concentrates on choosing the right formula, matching units and average speed.

Is 45 minutes enough?

Yes. The flow gives 27 minutes to the formula, units and average speed, 8 to independent practice and 4 to the exit check. If minutes to hours is not automatic, repair time conversion first.

Is there a matching practice paper?

Yes. The homework links straight to the TutorZone Primary 6 maths paper, which carries answers for immediate checking.

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A TutorZone lesson-prep guide. Written by the TutorZone team; questions and lesson flow are original and are not taken from any school or publisher material.

Practice papers　Paper 1 (basics)　·　Paper 2 (intermediate)　·　Paper 3 (challenge)　·　Paper 4 (error clinic)