1. Making Measurement Meaningful
Customary
Making Measurement Meaningful
Metrics

2. 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.

3. What would you measure?
Bucket
Ball
Around the house

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

5. 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

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

7. 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.

8. 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?

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. Points of references: customary Length

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

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

15. Yard
3 feet
36 inches
Height of a small child

16. 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.

17. Points of references: Metric length

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

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

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

21. Meter
Height of a door knob
Child
Baseball bat
Golf Club

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

23. hectometer
100 meters
Football field plus one end zone

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

25. 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.

26. Points of references: customary capacity

27. Cup
8 ounces
Cup of milk
Milk at lunch

28. pint
16 ounces
2 cups
Fountain drink

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

30. Gallon
128 ounces
Milk
Pitcher
½ Gallon

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

32. Points of references: Metric capacity

33. Milliliter
20 drops of water
Eye dropper
Small amounts of medicine

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

35. deciliter
100 milliliters
10 centiliters
Tea cup

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

37. decaliter
10 liters
Fish tank
Large punch bowl

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

39. 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

40. Points of references: customary mass (weight)

41. ounce
Weight of a letter taking one stamp

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

43. ton
2000 pounds
Small Car

44. Points of references: Metric mass

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

46. gram
Paper clip
Note: A penny weighs approximately
grams.

47. kilogram
1000 grams
Textbook
5 bananas
A little over 2 pounds

48. 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

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

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

51. 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?

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

53. 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

54. 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

55. 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

56. 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

57. 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)

58. 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

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