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South Carolina ETV
1101 George Rogers Boulevard
Columbia, SC 29201-4761
Phone: 803-737-3545

How Long? How Wide? (Grades 2)

Master Teacher

Michael Ellis

Time Allotment

Two to three class periods

Overview

This lesson will provide students with the tools and concepts necessary to distinguish between standard and nonstandard units for measuring length and width. Learning activities give students opportunities to practice using standard and nonstandard units.

Subject Matter

Mathematics (Measurement)

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to:

• distinguish between and use nonstandard and
• standard units of measurement
• use appropriate tools and techniques to measure
• length and width
• record and interpret data using graphs

National Standards

Visit the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Standards website.

Content Standards

• understand measurable attributes of objects and the units, system, and processes of measurement
• apply appropriate techniques, tools, and formulas to determine measurements

Process Standards

• Problem-Solving
• Reasoning and Proof
• Communication
• Connections
• Representation

South Carolina Standards

Visit the South Carolina Department of Education for the South Carolina Mathematics Standards.

Mathematics—Grade 2

V. Measurement

A. Explore the concept of length, capacity, weight (mass), perimeter, area, time, temperature, and angle.

1. The student will estimate and then use a ruler to make linear measurements to the
nearest centimeter and inch, including
distance around a polygon (determine
perimeter).

C. Explore, discuss, and use nonstandard and standard (U.S. customary or English and
metric) systems of measurement.

VI. Probability and Statistics

B. Generate questions, collect data, organize and display information, and interpret findings.

1. The student will construct, read, and interpret appropriate tables, charts, pictographs, and bar graphs.

2. The student will generate questions, collect data using surveys, and organize
data by tallying.

Media Components

Video

Math Monsters, Lesson 2: Standard and Nonstandard Measurement is a delightful story of a group of monsters who are trying to have a playhouse built for them to use on rainy days. The Monsters encounter some problems when they are trying to decide what size the playhouse should be. Children will discover why it is important to use standard units of measurement.

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Web Site

Funbrain.com is targeted at K_8 teachers and students. This site makes learning fun, with pages for kids, their parents and teachers, free games, and a Quiz Lab.

Materials

Gather enough of the following materials for children in groups of two or four:

paper clips

pencils

rocks

nails

shoes

rulers

yardsticks

tape measures

computers

data collection sheets

mathematics journal (a notebook)

These materials will also be used in the interactive centers.

Prep for Teachers

• Familiarize yourself with the classroom surroundings. Then select areas around the facility, with starting and ending points, where students call walk off heel-to-toe measurements.
• Preview Funbrain.com. The Assessment for this lesson is located on this site. Instructions to access it are found under Step 5 of the Culminating Activity. It is also printed out as Activity Sheet 6.
• Prepare three or four interactive centers to use with Learning Activities. (See Learning Activities for more details.)
• Prepare a large Information Data Collection Sheet where students' responses to Focus for Media Interaction questions can be recorded.

• Prepare a spreadsheet that can take the data from Learning Activity 2 and turn it into a bar graph.

Introductory Activity: Setting the Stage

Step 1

Introduce students to the vocabulary terms for this unit. Use the vocabulary worksheet provided. (See Activity Sheet 1.) Help students to develop an understanding of the terms, which may be unfamiliar. Students should place these words in a mathematics journal (notebook). Tell students that they will see how these words will be used as this unit progresses.

Step 2

Ask discovery questions. How do we measure things? Why do we measure things? What are some things that need to be measured? Accept all reasonable answers. Direct the discussion to measuring length and width.

Step 3

Focus for Media Interaction: Ask students to see what the monsters are trying to figure out as they watch the first clip from Math Monsters, Lesson 2: Standard and Nonstandard Measurement. START the video at the beginning and STOP at the first break when you see a big question mark (?) on the screen. Give students an opportunity to respond to your question. Record students' responses on your large Information Data Collection Sheet. As students respond, have available tools used for measuring. Share these with your students.

Step 4

Focus for Media Interaction: Ask students to see what the problem is with the way the monsters give the ant contractor measurements for their new playhouse. START this segment at the same spot where you left off in Step 3. STOP the segment just before the ant says she needs numbers. You will see a big question mark (?) on the screen.

Step 5

Focus for Media Interaction: Ask students to identify the kind of units the monsters finally give to the ant contractor. PLAY the tape from where you left off in Step 4 and STOP after the monsters finish stepping out the measurements, and seek a response to the question, "What kind of units of measurements do the monsters finally use?"

Step 6

Focus for Media Interaction: Ask students to see if there will be a problem as the contractor ants build the monsters a playhouse. Prior to viewing this next segment, let students brainstorm responses to this question. (This may be a good place to stop for the day.)

Learning Activity 1:

Interactive Center Activity

Step 1

Develop Interactive Centers. An Interactive Center is a place where materials are provided for students to measure. Each center should be stocked with various items, such as rocks, paper clips, nails. The measuring tools are shoes, paper clips, rulers, yardsticks, and tape measures. Provide identical items at each center. The only difference will be the unit of measurement.

Step 2

Divide the class into three or four groups.

Step 3

Have students measure each item at the center using the measurement tool, and record their findings on the Information Data Collection Sheet (Activity Sheet 2). Students should visit as many centers as time will allow. A new Information Data Collection Sheet should be used for each center.

Step 4

Have the students report their findings to the group from the first center that they visited. Record this

data on the large Data Collection Sheet that you prepared beforehand. Let students brain storm questions as to why the measurements are not the same. They should begin to see that, because you use different units of measurement, the same items could have very different measurements. Do not draw any conclusion for students at this point.

Go on the next Learning Activity. Do, however, remind students about the question asked just before the tape was stopped: "Would there be a problem as the ant contractors build the monsters a playhouse?"

Learning Activity 2:

Measurement in Feet

Step 1

Divide the class into pairs.

Step 2

Show students how to stand heel to toe and walk off a measurement. Demonstrate this by walking off the distance from one end of the classroom to the other. Do not make a big deal about this measurement.

Step 3

Give students Activity Sheet 3 and a predetermined destination, and have them walk off the measurement. They should record this information on the sheet.

Step 4

Have students report their findings to the whole group. Record these findings for the class to see. You will use this data later to have students read and interpret data using a graph.

Step 5

Ask questions for thought. Lead students in a discussion of how their findings have now been standardized. This should lead students to an understanding that things and buildings are designed using standard units of measurement. What things? Houses, schools, desks, etc

Step 6

Go back to the question you asked at the pause in the videotape: "Using the measurements that the monsters gave, was there going to be a problem with the new playhouse? Remind students about their finding as they did the two learning activities.

Step 7

View the remainder of the videotape to see what the problem was. Stop at the question mark for discussion. See if any of the predictions that students made while brainstorming were correct.

Learning Activity 3: Reading

and Interpreting Data in a Bar Graph

Step 1

Gather students around a computer where you have loaded a spreadsheet with cells for the information that was collected as students walked off areas heel to toe. Have the data collection information available. This should be an interactive chart where students can see the bar graph being made as the information is put into the spreadsheet.

Step 2

Develop questions that can be answered by the graph. What two points had the greatest distance between them? What two points had the shortest distance? Were there points that were the same distance apart? What would be the distance if you combined.? Etc. (The development of questions could also serve as a homework assignment.)

Step 3

Give students copies of Activity Sheet 4 and have them fill them in using different colors to represent the groups. Inform students that they will need these later when they take their assessment.

Culminating Activity/Assessment

Step 1

Provide measuring tools-tape measures, rulers, yardsticks, etc.-and a data collection sheet.

Step 2

Have students rediscover the classroom measuring things.

Step 3

Observe this activity and provide students with feedback as they measure. As a student measures a chalkboard with a ruler, you might ask, "Is there another tool available that would make that task easier?" This could be used as an authentic assessment.

Step 4

Provide each student with a computer or work with those that are available and schedule computer time. Students should log onto the Internet and go to Funbrain.com.

Step 5

Have students take the Assessment located at Funbrain.com or distribute Activity Sheet 6 if computers or not available. To take the Assessment at Funbrain.com, do the following-

You must first establish an account. This is done by logging onto the site www.funbrain.com.

Click on teachers. Then click on Teacher, Sign up, Now- follow the on screen steps to establishing an account for your class.

You will need to supply the following information:

Username

Your password

Student secret password

You will be taken to a login screen where you will use your new user id and password.

Under classroom, click on List of Students. This is where you will identify the students in your class. Tell your students what the student secret password is so that they can use the Quiz Lab when they log on.

Go back to the teacher section under Quiz Lab Quizzes and select ready made tests. Click on grade 2 _ Math Browse. Find the test entitled "Standard and Non Standard Measurement." Click on save to edit. This test is now ready for your students use.

Have students login to www.funbrain.com.

Tell them to click on Quiz Lab

Then they enter the secret word that you assigned.

Next they enter their name and click go.

This will take them to the test.

Cross-Curricular Extensions

Language Connection: Lead students in the writing process with the topic "How Measurement Is Used in the World." Have students do creative writing on this topic using the steps of the writing process (first draft, revise, edit, proofread, and publish) in their work.

Art Connection: Provide students with a set of directions, and have them construct an object. (See Activity Sheet 5.)

Community Connections

At the conclusion of this unit, invite a surveyor, a building contractor, a carpenter, or others who use measurements in their daily work to talk about their jobs, to perhaps show some of the
tools that they use, and to talk about careers
using measurement.

Activity Sheets (PDF)

• Activity Sheet 1
• Activity Sheet 2
• Activity Sheet 3
• Activity Sheet 4
• Activity Sheet 5
• Activity Sheet 6