Speed of a bat: Maths primary resource

This primary resource helps with the teaching and learning of speed and time values. Use this fun, real life example to open up discussion about speed and durations of events.

Pupils will have the opportunity to discuss and compare units for measuring speed using our National Geographic Kids’ Measures primary resource sheet.

The teaching resource can be used in study group tasks, as a printed handout for each pupil, or for display on the interactive whiteboard.

Activity: Ask children to create a speed chart with an axis labelled 0kmph to 160kmph, adding the values presented in the resource, along with other notable animals (such as the cheetah, the tortoise) and well-known record holders (such as runner Usain Bolt, a sports car, etc.). How long would it take for the bat to fly the length of the school field at top speed?

N.B. The following information for mapping the resource documents to the school curriculum is specifically tailored to the English National Curriculum and Scottish Curriculum for Excellence. We are currently working to bring specifically tailored curriculum resource links for our other territories; including South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. If you have any queries about our upcoming curriculum resource links, please email: schools@ngkids.co.uk

This Maths primary resource assists with teaching the following Key Stage 1 Maths objectives from the National Curriculum:

Pupils should be taught to:

• compare, describe and solve practical problems for: time [for example, quicker, slower, earlier, later]

Pupils should be taught to: measure and begin to record the following:

• time (hours, minutes, seconds)

National Curriculum Lower Key Stage 2 Maths (Year 3) objectives:

Pupils should be taught to:  

• estimate and read time with increasing accuracy to the nearest minute; record and compare time in terms of seconds, minutes and hours

• Compare durations of events (for example to calculate the time taken by particular events or tasks)

National Curriculum Lower Key Stage 2 Maths (Year 4) objectives:

Pupils should be taught to:  

• convert between different units of measure (for example, kilometre to metre; hour to minute)

This Maths primary resource assists with teaching the following Numeracy and mathematics First level objectives from the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence:

• I have begun to develop a sense of how long tasks take by measuring the time taken to complete a range of activities using a variety of timers

Scottish Curriculum for Excellence Second level Numeracy and mathematics objectives:

• Using simple time periods, I can give a good estimate of how long a journey should take, based on my knowledge of the link between time, speed and distance

Scottish Curriculum for Excellence Third level Numeracy and mathematics objectives:

• Using simple time periods, I can work out how long a journey will take, the speed travelled at or distance covered, using my knowledge of the link between time, speed and distance

Scottish Curriculum for Excellence Fourth level Numeracy and mathematics objectives:

• I can use the link between time, speed and distance to carry out related calculations

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