Lesson Summary: The teacher will begin by asking students to make comparison statements about the heights of two students and then the lengths of two pieces of yarn or ribbon. The teacher will then post the words students used to compare the heights and lengths. Each student will then make predictions about many paper clips and colored tiles long a piece of notebook paper and sticky note or index card are. The teacher will lead a discussion on what strategies students used to make the predictions. Students will then compare the lengths of a piece of construction paper, a piece of notebook paper, and either a sticky note or index card. For independent practice, students will estimate the lengths of familiar objects using paper clips and colored tiles and compare the lengths of objects. Advanced learners will work in groups to conduct a scavenger hunt to find classroom objects that they estimate to be specific given lengths. They will then measure the objects they found to see how their estimates compared to the actual lengths. Struggling learners will compare the lengths of real-life objects and then measure the lengths of each object.
Lesson Objectives:
The students will know…
· How to use benchmark objects to estimate the lengths of common items.
· How to compare the lengths of common items.
The students will be able to…
· Use benchmark objects to estimate the lengths of common items.
· Compare the lengths of common items.
Learning Styles Targeted:
Visual / Auditory / Kinesthetic/Tactile
Pre-Assessment: Choose two students who are different heights to stand at the front of the class. Ask students for some words to compare the heights of the two students. Write words like “taller” and “shorter” on the board for students to see. Ask the students to sit down, and hold up two pieces of yarn or ribbon that have been cut to different lengths. Again, ask students to compare the lengths of the yarn. Write any new words, such as “longer,” that students use to compare the yarn on the board.
Whole-Class Instruction
Materials Needed: writing utensils, 1 piece of notebook paper per student, 1 paper clip per student, a box of paper clips for the teacher, 1 piece of notebook paper to project under a document camera, a document camera connected to a projector, 1 colored tile per student, several colored tiles to project under a document camera, 1 sticky note or index card per student, 1 sticky note or index card to project under a document camera, 1 copy of the Independent Practice* per student
Procedure:
1) Tell students that today they are going to learn how to estimate the lengths of some everyday objects. Give each student a piece of notebook paper and a paper clip. Project a piece of notebook paper under a document camera. Tell students that they are going to estimate, or make a prediction, about how long the notebook paper is. Have students trace the length of the notebook paper with their fingers so they know which dimension of the paper they will estimate. Next, have students fold the notebook paper in half like a hamburger and then draw in the folded line with their pencils. Model this for students under the document camera. Make sure students understand that the folded line represents the halfway mark.
2) Write “Guess 1” somewhere on the notebook paper. Students should copy this on their papers. Tell students that you want them to make a prediction about how many paper clips will equal the length of the notebook paper. Allow students a minute to think and write, and then ask students about what strategies they used to make their predictions. Tell students that they will be able to revise their guess before finding out the correct number of paper clips.
3) Under the document camera, place one paper clip along the edge of the notebook paper. Add a second paper clip, and tell students that if they want to revise their prediction that they should write “Guess 2” on their papers and make a new prediction. Add paper clips until you reach the folded line that marks the halfway point on the notebook paper. Again, allow students to revise their predictions by writing “Guess 3” on their papers. Stop and discuss the different strategies used by students to make new predictions based on how many paper clips were used to reach the halfway point. Continue adding paper clips until the length of the notebook paper has been found.
4) Give each student a colored tile. Repeat the same prediction and revision process by asking students to figure out the length of the notebook paper in colored tiles.
5) Give each student a sticky note or index card. Again, tell students that you want them to predict how long the paper is in paper clips. Have students record their predictions. Use the document camera to show students how many paper clips long the paper really is. Discuss strategies used by students to make the prediction. Repeat this process but have students predict how many colored tiles long the paper is. You want students to be familiar with estimating lengths with each of these objects.
6) Take up the paper clip and colored tile, and ask students which paper was longer—the notebook paper or the sticky note/index card. Elicit a response from a student, leading him/her to explain why the notebook paper is longer. Make sure students understand that the notebook paper was longer in paper clips and colored tiles than the sticky note/index card.
7) Give each student a piece of construction paper. Ask students to lay the construction paper, notebook paper, and sticky note/index card side-by-side on their desks. Ask students, “Which piece of paper is the longest?” Elicit responses, prompting the student to explain his/her answer. Ask students, “Which piece of paper is the tallest?” Again, elicit responses, prompting the student to explain. Ask students, “Which piece of paper is the shortest?” Elicit responses, having the student explain his/her answer.
8) Take up all papers from students, and tell them they will be answering some questions that will ask them to estimate the lengths of some familiar objects and some questions that will ask them to compare the lengths of familiar objects. Give each student a copy of the independent practice, read the directions aloud to students, and allow them to work independently.
Advanced Learner
Materials Needed: 1 colored tile per group of students, 1 paper clip per group of students, 1 copy of the Scavenger Hunt* per group of students, 1 box of colored tiles per group, 1 box of paper clips per group, writing utensils
Procedure:
1) Put students into groups of 3, and give each group a colored tile, a paper clip, and a copy of the Scavenger Hunt sheet. Tell students that they are going to go on a hunt looking for objects in the classroom that they estimate to be each of the lengths listed on the scavenger hunt sheet. Students may use the colored tile and paper clip given to them to estimate the lengths of the objects. When students understand the directions, allow them to work in their groups to find an object for each of the lengths on the paper.
2) After students have had a chance to find an object for each of the lengths, ask them to bring their five objects (if possible) back together with the other groups. Give each group access to a box of colored tiles and paper clips. Tell students that you now want them to check their measurements by using the colored tiles and paper clips to measure each of the objects. When students find the actual measurement, they should record it in the “Actual Measurement” column on the paper. Monitor that students are correctly measuring the objects’ lengths with colored tiles and paper clips.
Struggling Learner
Materials Needed: 3 cups of different heights, 3 pencils of different lengths, 3 books of different heights, 1 box of colored tiles per group of students, 1 box of paper clips per group of students, 1 whiteboard per group of students, 1 dry-erase marker per group of students, 1 tissue per group of students
Procedure:
Prior to the lesson, gather 3 cups of different heights, 3 pencils of different lengths, and 3 books of different heights.
1) Put students into 3 different groups, and give each group a whiteboard, a dry-erase marker, and a tissue. Tell students that you are going to ask them some questions about the lengths of different objects, and they are going to write down their group’s answer on the whiteboard. Show students the three different cups. Ask students, “Which cup is the shortest?” Have students confer in their groups and write down their answers. At your instruction, have students hold up their whiteboards to reveal their answers. Prompt a group who chose the correct answer to explain how they chose the right cup.
2) Present the 3 pencils, and ask students, “Which pencil is the longest?” Repeat the same answering procedure as before. Present the 3 books, and ask students, “Which book is the tallest?” Repeat the same answering procedure as before.
3) Give each group one set of objects (one group gets the cups, one group gets the pencils, and one group gets the books). Tell students that you want them to lay them flat on their whiteboards. You may want to give 3 pieces of tape to the group with the cups to keep the cups from rolling. Give each group a box of colored tiles and paper clips. Have the groups measure each object with both colored tiles and paper clips. As students are working, circulate among the groups, asking them why the longest object would be measured with more colored tiles or paper clips than the shorter ones.
*see supplemental resources
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