Making Measurement Meaningful Customary Making Measurement Meaningful Metrics

What is measurement? Measurement is a comparison of an attribute of an item or situation with a unit that has the same attribute. Meaningful measurement and estimation of measurements depends on personal familiarity with the unit of measure being used.

What would you measure? Bucket Ball Around the house

Attributes we measure Length Mass or weight Capacity Area Volume Time Temperature Angles

3 steps to understanding measurement Students must understand the attribute they are going to measure Students must understand what a unit of measure is and how it is used to produce a measurement Students must understand the devices used to measure the attribute

Informal measures Linker Cubes Linker Chains Drinking straws Paper clips Giant footprints Body comparisons: Hand Digit Height

Informal advantages Make it easier to focus directly on the attribute being measured. Make a good case for why standardization is important. Fun! Informal measurement gives the student an opportunity to understand the attribute being measured before introducing the standard measurement.

Estimation of measures Estimation of measures and personal benchmarks for frequently used units help students increase their familiarity with units prevent errors in measurements aid in the meaningful use of measurement Is it a reasonable estimate?

Estimate before measuring Helps students focus on the attribute being measured and the measuring process Provides intrinsic motivation to measurement activities Helps develop familiarity with the unit of measure Emphasizes the use of approximate language, including “about” the measure of … Helps clarify “precision” of error – the most precise we can ever be is half the measured unit of measure

Length – we’re going on a measure hunt! Find 5 items that are about the measure of 5 linker chains Find 5 items that are about the measure of a foot

Small lengths with ruler Don’t always start from the edge “Zero” on rulers vary Use a broken ruler Measure items smaller than the ruler Measure items longer than the ruler

Points of references: customary Length

Inch Length of a paper clip Length of the middle digit of your little finger About an inch

FOOT 12 inches A little more that the height of a piece of paper Adult foot

Yard 3 feet 36 inches Height of a small child

MILE 5280 feet Distance traveled Distance between Black Bob Rd. and Mur-Len Distance between Black Bob Rd. and Pflumm Distance between 127th St. and 135th St. Distance between 119th St. and 127th St.

Points of references: Metric length

millimeter Thickness of a dime Thickness of the lead in your pencil

centimeter 10 millimeters Width of your little finger nail Width of a paper clip

decimeter 100 millimeters 10 centimeters Length of a crayon Height of a soup can Small pocket comb Cell phone

Meter Height of a door knob Child Baseball bat Golf Club

deKameter 10 meters Length of a classroom ½ of a tennis court Small school bus

hectometer 100 meters Football field plus one end zone

Kilometer A little more than a half mile (.6 of a mile) Long distances Driving distances Marathons – 42 Kilometers (26 miles)

Race to the finish Customary – 10 yards Metric – 10 meters = 1 dekameter Which team will reach their mark first? Cooperative Learning Groups #1 Recorder: Select and read the card. Make an estimate of the item to be measured. #2 Coach: Select and locate the right measurement tool to use. Explain the markings on measurement tool. #3 Athlete: Measure the item. Get a confirmation from team members that the measurement is accurate. #4 Equipment manager: Locate the item to measure, explain how it is used. When finished, return the item.

Points of references: customary capacity

Cup 8 ounces Cup of milk Milk at lunch

pint 16 ounces 2 cups Fountain drink

quart 32 ounces 4 cups 2 pints Small Milk container Egg Nog Quart of oil

Gallon 128 ounces Milk Pitcher ½ Gallon

G 4th and 5th Grade Q P c Q P c The BIG “G” Q P c Q P c

Points of references: Metric capacity

Milliliter 20 drops of water Eye dropper Small amounts of medicine

centiliter 10 milliliters = 1 cubic centimeter Teaspoon of medicine Very small perfume bottle Small bottle of fingernail polish bottle

deciliter 100 milliliters 10 centiliters Tea cup

liter 2 liters 1000 milliliters 100 centiliters 10 deciliters A little more than a quart 2 liter pop bottle 2 liters

decaliter 10 liters Fish tank Large punch bowl

kiloliter 1000 liters Tank of gas Small child’s wading pool

Which has a larger capacity? Piece of paper taped the short way into a cylinder Piece of paper taped the long way into a cylinder

Points of references: customary mass (weight)

ounce Weight of a letter taking one stamp

pound 5 pounds 16 ounces Baked potato Can of vegetables Box of pasta Large bag of marshmallows Bag of sugar or flour 5 pounds

ton 2000 pounds Small Car

Points of references: Metric mass

milligram 1/1000 of a gram Mass of a bee’s wing

gram Paper clip Note: A penny weighs approximately 2.5 - 3 grams.

kilogram 1000 grams Textbook 5 bananas A little over 2 pounds

Measurement Line-up Line up the 5 items in order from smallest capacity to largest capacity. Estimate Line up the items Check on the label

Measurement Line-up Line up the 5 items in order from lightest weight to heaviest. Estimate Line up the items Check on the label

Metrics – King Henry doesn’t usually drink chocolate milk Kilometer Hectometer Dekameter Meter – Basic UNIT Decimeter Centimeter Millimeter

Area Measurement of covering Don’t use formulas, allow the students to create the rules Use informal – How many deck of cards will fit onto a piece of paper? Formal – How many 1” color tiles does it take to fill the piece of paper?

Volume Amount of space inside an object Cubic units Use wooden cubes to find fill containers.

Customary Capacity Points of References Gallon – 128 ounces, milk jug, 4 quarts Quart – 32 ounces, eggnog, quart of milk Pint – 16 ounces, medium fountain drink Cup – 8 ounces, milk container at lunch

Metric Length Points of References Kilometer – a little over ½ mile (6/10 of a mile) Hectometer – football field + one end zone Dekameter – length of a small school bus, width of your bedroom Meter – height of a door knob, baseball bat, a little more than a yard Decimeter – height of a soup can, width of your hand, length of a crayon Centimeter – width of your little fingernail, width of a paper clip Millimeter – thickness of a dime

Metric Capacity Points of References Kiloliter – child’s wading pool of water – metric ton Hectoliter – car’s gas tank Dekaliter – large punch bowl, fish bowl Liter – a gulp more than a quart Deciliter – tea cup Centiliter – teaspoon of liquid medicine Milliliter – 20 drops of water

Metric Mass Points of References Kilogram – textbook, 5 bananas, a little over 2 pounds (2.2 lbs.) Gram – mass of a paperclip Milligram – mass of a butterfly’s wing

home links Link learning of measurement by having the students measure items at home Measurement Line-ups Cooking and Baking Scale drawings of rooms which would include measurements Informal – measure the length and width of their room by stepping it off. Build a ramp (skateboard or handicap)

Measurement Displays Throughout the school – make measurement a focus. Points of reference A daily question with the answer given at the end of the day. How far is it from our the office to the playground? Estimate the weight of a fire truck. How much does one gallon of water weigh? How long is your principal? – Estimate, then measure. How cold is it in Hawaii today? What is the difference between our temperature and Hawaii’s temperature? Metric Units and conversion The Big “G” and “Gallon Guy” The temperature of the day in Olathe

Make Measurement happen The more the students measure, the better they get at estimating and measuring! Experience measurement by measuring!