How Fast Do a Manatee and a Dolphin Swim?

How Fast Do a Manatee and a Dolphin Swim?: Grade 4 Science Worksheet

Who is faster, a manatee or a dolphin? Speed is how far something moves in a certain amount of time. Students read a short story about a manatee and a dolphin in a Florida bay and a 50-meter beach race. They compare who goes farther in the same time and who takes less time for the same distance, then answer circle questions about speed.

Key Science Vocabulary

• speed: how far something moves in a certain amount of time
• distance: how far something goes
• time: how long something takes
• meter: a unit for measuring distance
• faster: going farther in the same time, or the same distance in less time

What Students Do

• Read a short story about a manatee, a dolphin, and a beach race with three doodles
• Part A: three circle questions comparing the manatee and dolphin
• Part B: three circle questions about the beach race
• Answer key with red reason lines

Standards

Florida SC.4.P.12.2: Investigate and describe that the speed of an object is determined by the distance it travels in a unit of time and that objects can move at different speeds. Builds toward NGSS MS-PS3-1 (speed and kinetic energy).

Where It Fits in Grades 3 to 8

Earlier grades compare fast and slow. Grade 4 defines speed with distance and time. In grade 5 and middle school, students calculate speed, graph motion, and connect speed to energy.

Teaching Tip

Time two students walking the same 10 steps. The one with less time is faster. Then time both for 10 seconds and see who goes farther. Prints clearly in black and white and takes 8 to 10 minutes.