1. Measurement Activities
Sizing up species
Measurement Activities

2. What things do we measure?
What do we use to measure them?
Start the discussion by asking students to think of the different things humans measure and what we use to measure them.
What do we measure?
Height, length, width, weight, distance, time, temperature,
How do we measure it?
Ruler, tape measure, scales, stop watch, thermometer
Questions to discuss
1. As you’ve grown, how has your height been measured?
2. If you’ve had a pet, how old was it when you got it, has it grown since you got it?

3. How are plants and animals measured?
Central American river turtle
Discuss the various methods scientists use to measure species in the wild.
Why is it important for scientists to measure things?
What tools could be used?
Most measurements run the length of an animal’s body or the height of a plant. If an animal has a tail, would it be helpful to include the measurement of the tail?
Pink-footed shearwater
Kagu egg

4. Predicting the length of different plants and animals
Activity 1
How long is a dugong?
Predicting the length of different plants and animals
Introduce students to the first activity - How long is a dugong?
Explain that students will choose a species, research its size and create a measurement box to compare the length of their species to other species. They will also practice estimation skills by guessing the size of other species.
To begin, students choose which species they will work on for the activity from the sample species sheet.
Dugong

5. Box Measuring stick Prediction Prediction Prediction Actual Actual
Giant anteater
Wandering albatross
American crocodile
Measuring stick
Prediction
After each student learns about their species, split the class into groups of 3 with each group of students working to create their measurement box with each of their species. See the teachers’ notes for an explanation on how guide the students through creating the box.
After the boxes are complete, half the class will become student ‘visitors’ and interact with the measurement boxes of the other students who will act as student ‘hosts’. Then the students will switch roles so each student has a chance to both participate and host the activity. Students are encouraged to record their estimates on the Measurement Chart so that at the end of the activity, comparisons between the estimates and actual sizes of species can be made.
Actual
Actual
Prediction
Prediction
Actual

6. How accurate were your estimates?
Results?
How accurate were your estimates?
Lead the class in a discussion to compare and analyze the results.
What percentage of student visitors did or did not accurately estimate a species size?
Discuss with the class,
- Did any of the species lengths surprise you? If so, which ones and why?
- If you were a scientist or an explorer, how would you measure animals in the wild? Is it easier to measure plants?

7. Activity 2 Who’s taller: You or a gentoo?
Comparing your height to other animals and plants
Review what was learnt about measurement in the previous session, then introduce students to activity – Who’s taller: You or a gentoo?.
Explain that students will choose a species, learn it’s height, then measure it out and mark it onto a wall measurement chart. They will then measure their own height against the species heights.
To begin, students choose which species they will work on for the activity from the sample species sheet.
Gentoo penguin

8. Creating a species measurement chart
WALL
Lion, (male, shoulder height) 120 cm/47 in
Gentoo penguin
77 cm/30 in
After students have researched their species they can then enter the measurements onto the wall measurement chart.
Fairy slipper orchid
25 cm/10 in 8

9. Creating a student measurement chart
WALL
Mrs Jones
160 cm/63 in
Male lion
120 cm/47 in
James
125 cm/49 in
Amy
98 cm/38 in
Gentoo penguin -
77 cm/ 30 in
Fairy slipper orchid
25 cm/10 in
Once students have finished measuring their species they can then mark their heights against the species they have measured and marked onto the wall chart. 9

10. What species are you taller than? What species are you shorter than?
Results?
What species are you taller than?
What species are you shorter than?
After students have measured their heights onto the wall measurement chart, engage students in a discussion to compare and analyze their results:
1. How do the heights of the students compare to the heights of various species?
2. Did any sizes surprise you? If so, which ones and why?
3. Which are the shortest / tallest species?
4. What species would you expect to be too big to fit on your wall chart –elephant, giraffe? Try measuring out these heights if you have space.
5. How might a species’ size impact what they are capable of doing? (Consider their habitat, how they move, what they eat, whether they are predator or prey)
6. Comparing students’ heights to the heights of the species, which species are they the closest to in size?

11. Creating a species measurement chart
WALL
Spotted hyena -
1.57 m
Wandering albatross
(wingspan) m
As a possible extension activity a floor chart can be used to compare species lengths – the species from the ‘How long is a dugong’ activity can be used here.
Leatherback turtle -
1.6 m
Komodo dragon -
2.0 m
FLOOR 11

12. Creating a student measurement chart
FLOOR
Tim
101 cm
Students can lie down beside the length measurements and compare themselves to the species they have just measured out on the floor.
This is a good way to look at species that would be too long for the box activity (killer whale, Madagascar ground boa etc).
Sara
96 cm
Justin
90 cm 12