This lesson covers why measurement is important; length, width, and height; and the use of a ruler, yardstick and measuring tape. Students will be able to distinguish among inches, feet, and centimeters and will use standard and non-standard units of measurement to identify the size of an object. Students will also recognize the different sizes of objects, compare them, and then connect those differences to length, width, and height. (Most appropriate for grade levels K-2.)
Lesson Time: 75-90 minutes
Adult Demonstration: Different measuring tools will be introduced (ruler, yard stick, measuring tape) and examples will be discussed of when one is better to use over another. For the next few minutes, the adult will go around the classroom measuring different items and giving examples of how long, tall, or wide different objects are; asking students if they are measuring length, height, or width; using the words inches, centimeters, and feet.
Student Activity 1: This activity has students deciding if an arrow on a specific picture is measuring length, width, or height.
Student Activity 2: This activity offers students the opportunity to measure the size of an object (or picture of an object) by lining up counting cubes next to it.
Student Activity 3: Students will need scissors for this activity. They will receive a worksheet with a ruler to cut out, and then use that ruler to measure (in inches) the items on the sheet.
Group work: There is no group work in this activity, students will be working on their own.
Math Standards:
K.MD.1: Identify and describe measurable attributes (length, weight, and height) of a single object using vocabulary terms such as long/short, heavy/light, or tall/short.
K.MD.2: Directly compare two objects with a measurable attribute in common to see which object has “more of” or “less of” the attribute and describe the difference.
1.MD.1: Order three objects by length; compare the lengths of two objects indirectly by using a third object.
1.MD.2: Express the length of an object as a whole number of length units by laying multiple copies of a shorter object (the length unit) end to end; understand that the length measurement of an object is the number of same-size length units that span it with no gaps or overlaps.
2.MD.2: Measure the length of an object twice, using length units of different lengths for the two measurements; describe how the two measurements relate to the size of the unit chosen.
2.MD.4: Measure to determine how much longer one object is than another, expressing the length difference in terms of a standard-length unit.