CFISD First GradeMath
Measurement
Teacher Notes / Page #Unit Title / Length
Use Nonstandard Units to Measure Length
Make a Nonstandard Measuring Tool
Exploring with Length
Problem Solving: Deciding on a Unit of Measurement
Additional Activities / 2 – 4
5 – 8
9 – 10
11 – 13
14 – 16
17 – 20
TEKS / 1.7 A use measuring tools to measure the length of objects to reinforce the continuous nature of linear measurement
1.7 B Illustrate that the length of an object is the number of same-size units of length that, when laid end-to-end with no gaps or overlaps, reach from one end of the object to the other.
1.7 C Measure the same object/distance with units of two different lengths and describe how and why the measurements differ
1.7 D Describe a length to the nearest whole unit using a number and a unit
Vocabulary / Length, distance, measure, unit, objects, long, short, about, accurate
Tips for Teachers / Essential Understandings:
The teacher should give the students plenty of opportunities to measure objects correctly with a starting point and lining up the units next to each other with no spaces. Remind them when measuring, get as close to the length of the object and that will be the number to represent the length of the object.
There is a list of math-related literature to set up the unit in the resources.
Brainpop.com
First GradeTeacher Notes
Measurement
Length
TEKS:
1.7 A use measuring tools to measure the length of objects to reinforce the continuous nature of linear measurement
Materials:
Unifix cubes or Popcubes
Yarn, string or ribbon
Classroom objects to compare such as stapler, board eraser, markers, pencils, scissors, etc.
A school supply box
Objects that will fit inside, and that are too long for the school supply box
Different sizes of container or boxes
Instruction:
Solve this problem using number sense:
My teacher gave me 5 stickers in the morning and 5 stickers in the afternoon. Before we left school, I got one more sticker. How many stickers do I have?
Today mathematicians we are going to practice an important math skill that many people use every day; it’s called measurement, which means to measure things. We are going to measure things to compare their length, or how long something is. I have some objects that I gathered from our classroom to talk about length. Compare the lengths of two objects.
-Which is shorter? How do you know?
-Which is longer? How do you know?
I want you to notice that when I want to see if an object is longer than another I need to line them up to get an accurate answer. I have two pencils and I want to see which one is longer. When I do this I need to line up both pencils at the same starting point, that way I can accurately see which pencil is longer or shorter.
Tell your partner why it is important to line up the objects you are measuring.
Model this concept with students and have them practice using a starting point to compare objects by length by lining up 2 pencils on their table or floor.
Let’s practice length with a situation you might encounter in the classroom.
I have a school supply box that will hold several things that I need to do my work in school. I have a pencil, box of crayons, scissors, and a ruler. (Make sure one of these objects is too long to fit in the box.) I am going to take a piece of yarn and cut it to match the length of the box.
Now using this string, I can see what can fit in the box without putting them inside of the box.
All I need to do is take the string that is the same length as the box and see if the item is longer or shorter than the string.
-If the string is longer than the object, will it fit in the box? Why?
-If the string is shorter than the object, will it fit in the box? Why?
Using your own objects and astring that is equivalent to the length of the box, discuss with the class:
-Which objects will fit?
-How can I check?
-How do you know?
Practice:
Group #1: Independent-
Using a string that is the same length as their school box, have the students find things around the room that would fit in their supply box. They can record their findings on a sheet of paper.
Group #2: Partners-
One partner builds 3 trains with cubes, then the other partner will put them in order from shortest to longest. Switch roles.
Group #3: Small Group Instruction-
Using a random group of objects, ask students to compare the lengths by lining them up at a starting point. Then ask them to discuss how to put the objects in order from shortest to longest.
Guide the group to help you solve a common problem using length.
“I have to send a skateboard to my cousin, Andy, and I need a box that will hold the gift so that I can send it in the mail. What should I do to find a box that will work?”
You can use any object of your choice and different size boxes to explore this problem.
Monitor for understanding and record your observations.
First Grade Teacher Notes
Measurement
Use Nonstandard Units to Measure Length
TEKS:
1.7 B Illustrate that the length of an object is the number of same-size units of length that, when laid end-to-end with no gaps or overlaps, reach from one end of the object to the other.
1.7 D Describe a length to the nearest whole unit using a number and a unit.
Materials:
Pencil
Assortment of math manipulatives to use as units of measurement:
Group of classroom objects to measure
Measurement PowerPoint Presentation (resource)
Measurement Sheet (resource)
Comparing Units sheet (resource)
Instruction:
Mathematicians, help me solve this problem:
I want to buy a keychain at the school store that cost 30¢. Tell your partner what coins you would need to buy the keychain. Remember, there may be several different coin combinations that make 30¢.
Yesterday mathematicians, we discovered measurement using length. What is length? Talk to your partner what you learned about length.
Today we are going to start using numbers to tell about length. I have a pencil, and I want to measure how long it is. I have a lot of things in the classroom to measure with, but I am going to use these pattern blocks. I notice something about these blocks. Are they all the same size and shape? No, so I need to pick only one kind of pattern block to measure my pencil. Why is that important to only use one type of block to measure instead of different kinds?
When we measure something we need to make sure that the unit we use to measure is the same so we get an accurate measurement of the object.
Measure your pencil with the class reminding them about the starting point to measure and using the same unit. Demonstrate both examples displayed below.
Talk to your partner about which one is a better measurement of the pencil. Why is this more accurate?(Project this image from the Measurement PowerPoint presentation slide1.)
We can use anything to measure something as long as the units we use are the same size and shape.
Show the class that we can use several manipulatives to measure the pencil such as teddy bear counters, two-sided counters, links, paper clips, color tiles, etc.
Sometimes when we measure with certain units it will be a little longer, or be a little shorter than the object we measure. It’s okay, just get to the closest number of units.
Model this to demonstrate measurements that are too many or not enough.
(Project this image from the Measurement PowerPoint presentation slide2.)
The pencil is about 3long.
When the unit is close to the length of the object you can say the pencil is about 3 long.
Also remind students to line up the units of measurement closely to get an accurate measurement of the object.
(Project this image from the Measurement PowerPoint presentation slide 3.)
Today in rotation, you will practice measuring objects with your unit of choice. Remember these strategies to get the most accurate measurement:
-Line up the object and the unit of measure at the same starting point.
-The units you use need to be the same in size and shape
-Make sure your units of measurement line up closely
-Make sure your units of measurement do not overlap.
-Check to make sure you get an accurate measurement that is closest to the length of the object. (not too long, nor too short)
Practice:
Group #1: Independent-
Have students measure objects you have selected using different manipulatives as their units of measure. Record observations on paper and draw a picture.Students can also use the Measurement sheet from the resources and put it in a sleeve.
Example: The stapler is about 8 teddy bears long.
Group #2: Partners-
Measure each other’s hands, arms, legs, and feet using the manipulatives as your unit of measure. Record observations on paper and draw a picture. Students can also use the Measurement sheet from the resources and put it in a sleeve.
Group #3: Small Group Instruction-
Give each of the students in your group a pencil, the Comparing Units sheet and some pattern blocks to use as a unit of measurement.
Introduce this problem:
I want to make pencil boxes. Can you help me figure out how long the boxes should be by finding out how long the pencils are? What is one way you can find out how long the pencils are?
I want you to make measurements using the blocks that I gave you.
Have the children choose one type of block to use.
How many shapes long do you think your pencil is?
Looking at the pencil and the block they chose, have the students make an estimate.
Now measure the object with the block you chose. Make sure you line up the block against one end of the pencil and then make sure the others line up closely. Write the actual measurement on your paper.
Have the students measure the length of the pencil using another shape and write the actual measurement. Then ask them to tell the length of their pencil. Have the students explain why the two measurements are different.
Monitor for understanding and record your observations.
Example:
Object measured: Pencil / How are they different?Unit 1 / 3 yellow blocks / The yellow blocks are bigger than the green blocks, so I don’t need as many yellow blocks to measure the length of the pencil.
Unit 2 / 5 green blocks
First Grade Teacher Notes
Measurement
Make a Nonstandard Measuring Tool
TEKS:
1.7 B Illustrate that the length of an object is the number of same-size units of length that, when laid end-to-end with no gaps or overlaps, reach from one end of the object to the other.
1.7 D Describe a length to the nearest whole unit using a number and a unit.
Materials:
A variety of materials to use as measuring units
Outline of the teacher or students body on butcher paper
Measurement sheet (resource)
Instruction:
I have a party to go to at 6 o’clock. Tell your partner what that would look like on a clock. Remember to use the words long minute hand and short hour hand.
Mathematicians, we have learned a lot about length and measurement. Talk to your neighbor about what you’ve learned about measurement. Today, we will continue to measure objects, but we are going to use things we can find in our own home to measure.
You can have a pre-traced outline of you, the teacher, or trace a student for this part of the lesson.
I have an outline of me. We can measure to see how long I am, or see how long my legs are. We can measure a lot of things. I know that yesterday we used pattern blocks, teddy bears and color tiles, but those seem quite small and I would need a lot of them to measure the length of my body. I thought that I could use something else. I have a lot of markers in the classroom, and that could help me measure. Are they all the same size and shape? Yes! So I will use them to measure the length of my body.
This made think. I know there are other things that I can use to measure length. Turn and tell your partner some ideas of other things we can use to measure length.
I have a collection of measuring units that I found around the classroom and around my house.
I have Q-tips, tongue depressors, Craft sticks, paperclips, chenille stems, and markers. I am going to use these items to measure things around the room, we can even measure our friends in the class with these measuring units.
Turn and tell your partner the important steps you take to get an accurate measurement of an object.
Let’s make an anchor chart to help us remember those important steps. (You can also project this image on the Measurement PowerPoint presentation on slide 4.)
Practice:
Group #1: Independent-
Have students measure objects you have selected using different units of measurement. They can record observations and draw a picture, on the measurement sheet. (resource)
Example: The stapler is about 8 Q-tips long.
Group #2: Partners-
Using the trace out of the teacher, or student, have the students measure the length of the outline using different units of measurement. Have them fill out the measurement sheet to record their observations.
Group #3: Small Group Instruction-
Ask students to measure random objects you have selected using the nonstandard units measuring tools. This is a good time to assess this objective and record your observations in your monitoring notebook. You may want to guide students through a window pane problem that reflects measurement.
First Grade Teacher Notes
Measurement
Exploring with Length
TEKS:
1.7 C Measure the same object/distance with units of two different lengths and describe how and why the measurements differ
Materials:
A variety of materials to use as measuring units
Large paper die-cuts (mittens, foot, etc.)
Measurement sheet (resource)
Describing My Measurement sheet (resource)
How Long Is It? sheet(resource)
Instruction:
We go to the library at 2:30. What does that look like on a clock? Remember to use the words long hour hand, and short minute hand. (You might want to review the position of the hour hand being in between two hours, when referring to the time half past the hour.)
Mathematicians, discuss with your partner how we can find the length of an object.
Today we are going to discover how measuring the same object with two different units of measurement might give us a different result. I have an outline of my foot and I am going to choose two different units to measure the length of my foot. I chose cubes and craft sticks to measure.
Measurement may vary, this is only an example.
My foot is 7 cubes long, but my foot is also 2 craft sticks long. Talk to your partner about why they are different.
Even though my foot never changed, the units that I used to measure my foot changed. The cubes are smaller than the craft sticks, so I will need more cubes to measure the length of my foot. Since the craft sticks are longer than the cubes, I will not need as many to measure the length of my foot. I want to draw a picture of this and write a sentence describing these two measurements.
Now I want to measure something really big, or long. I want to know the length from one end of our classroom to another! I will need some help. Let’s first pick two different units to measure the room. I am going to use chenille stems and Q-tips. First before we start measuring, let’s make a prediction mathematicians. Do you think we will use more chenille stems or more Q-tips? Explain your answer to your partner. Now let’s measure. I need to make sure I practice the steps to get an accurate measurement. (Reference your anchor chart)
Practice:
Group #1: Independent-
Have students do the activity “How Long Is It?” The teacher will need about 4 to 6 different lengths of string, ribbon, or “Mardi Gras” beads that are labeled with a letter. Students will measure the different strings by using two different units of measurement. They will then write down their observation on the How Long Is It sheet. (resource)