Preview · the opening missionRead this to the class:
The school is planning a walking club, and the gym teacher wants to put the walkers into groups by speed. Sam said, "Easy: count how many steps everyone takes in a minute. Most steps means fastest." Ana said, "People with short legs take more steps. That doesn't make them faster." Your team's job: measure everyone's walking speed and steps, and find out which number really tells you who is fastest.
Teams of three, with jobs that rotate after each walk: Walker (walks the course at a normal, steady pace), Timer (starts on "go" and stops when the walker's front foot crosses the finish), Step Counter (counts every step out loud).
Look inside the PDF
Sample pages, stamped “preview”. The download is the clean, full lesson.
In the full lesson PDF
7 printable pages
- Predict (5–10 min)
- Hunt (20 min)
- Reveal (10–15 min)
- Act (10 min)
- Background for the teacher
- Assessment
- Student sheet
- Worksheet: Label it
- Worksheet: Try it at home
On the student sheet
- My prediction
- Our walks (20 m course)
- What did we find?
- Our advice for the gym teacher
- Exit ticket
- Label it
- Try it at home
US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white. The student sheet is on its own page, ready to photocopy.
Free with an account (any 3 lessons), or US$19 for all 4 lessons in this unit.
What students show by the end
- Calculates a unit rate
- Compares with unit rates
- Explains speed and steps
From the lesson’s rubric, which scores each one as not yet, getting there or got it.
Questions teachers ask
How long does “Who walks fastest?” take?
50–60 min. Group size: teams of 3.
How much prep does it need?
15 minutes: in a hallway, gym or schoolyard, measure a straight 20 m (65 ft 7 in) course with a measuring tape and mark the start and finish with tape, chalk or cones. Leave 3 m after the finish to slow down. Each team needs a stopwatch or a timer app. Calculators help for the division.
What materials do I need?
Measuring tape, 20 m (or a metre stick and patience); tape, chalk or 2 cones for the start and finish lines; stopwatch or timer; calculator. Cost: free with a measuring tape and timers you already have.
Which curriculum standards does it cover?
Common Core Math (US): 6.RP.A.2 and 6.RP.A.3.
What’s in the lesson PDF?
A teacher guide that walks you through predict, hunt, reveal, act, background for the teacher and assessment, then a student sheet (“My prediction”, “Our walks (20 m course)”, “What did we find?”, “Our advice for the gym teacher”, “Exit ticket”, “Label it” and “Try it at home”) on its own page, ready to photocopy. It’s US Letter and prints cleanly in black and white.
Can I try it for free?
Yes. A free account includes any 3 full lessons of your choice, and this can be one of them. After that, this unit is US$19 for all 4 lessons, yours to keep, or every lesson is US$199 a year.