1. Measurement
June 14, 2012

2. Measurement To measure something, one must perform 3 steps:
Decide on the attribute to be measured.
Select a unit that has that attribute.
Compare the units, by filling, covering, matching, or some other method, with the attribute of the object being measured.

3. A Logical Sequence for Concept Development
Step 1: Goal: Students will understand the attribute to be measured. Type of Activity: Make comparisons based on the attribute. For example, longer / shorter, heavier / lighter. Use direct comparisons whenever possible. Notes: When it is clear that the attribute is understood, there is no further need for comparison activities.

4. Step 2: Goal: Students will understand how filling covering, matching, or making other comparisons of an attribute with measuring units produces a number called a measure. Type of Activity: Use physical models of measuring units to fill, cover, match, or make the desired comparison of the attribute with the unit. Notes: In most instances it is appropriate to begin with informal units. Progress to the direct use of standard units when appropriate and certainly before using formulas or measuring tools.

5. Step 3 Goal: Students will use common measuring tools with understanding and flexibility. Type of Activity: Make measuring instruments and use them in comparison with the actual unit models to see how the measurement tool is performing the same function as the individual units. Be certain to make direct comparisons between the student-made tools and the standard units. Notes: Student-made tools are usually best made with informal units. Without a careful comparison with the standard tools, much of the value in making the tools can be lost.

6. Linear Measurement
Link to Best Practices Weekly Video: Teaching Measurement Concepts

7. Area and Perimeter 3rd grade and above
Comparison Activities (Pg )
Two-Piece Shapes
Tangram Areas
Fill and Compare
Smaller to Larger
Fixed Areas
Fixed Perimeters

8. Measuring Volume and Capacity
3rd grade and above
Comparison Activities (Pg )
Capacity Sort
Capacity Lineup
Make your own measuring cups

9. Weight and Mass 3rd grade and above Making comparisons (Pg. 328-329)
Compare by lifting objects, then by using a balance and / or a spring scale.
Weight is a measure of the pull of gravity on an object.
Mass is the amount of matter in an object and a measure of the force needed to accelerate it.

10. Measuring Angles 4th grade and above Comparing Angles (Pg. 329-331)
Making a Protractor

11. Developing Unit Familiarity in Both Systems
2nd grade and above
Standard Units (Pg )
About One Unit
Familiar References
Personal Benchmarks
Guess the Unit

12. Some examples and relationships among units
1 liter of water weighs 1 kilogram, so 1 cubic meter — 1000 liters — of water weighs 1000 kilograms or 1 metric ton.
1 mL = 1 cm3
1 milliliter is the same volume as 1 cubic centimeter.
1 mL of water has a mass of approximately 1 g
The mass of 1 milliliter of water is approximately 1 gram.
1 L of water has a mass of approximately 1 kg
The mass of 1 liter of water is therefore approximately 1 kilogram.
1 m3 of water has a mass of approximately 1 t
1 ha is 1002 m2
1 hectare is square meters, equivalent to the area of a square 100 meters on a side. A football field is about 100 meters long, so imagine a square the length of a football field on each side, and that's 1 hectare.

13. Benchmark Examples
The diameter of a CD or DVD is 12 cm. The diameter of the center hole is 15 millimeters.
1 liter of water weighs 1 kilogram, so 1 cubic meter — 1000 liters — of water weighs 1000 kilograms or 1 metric ton.
Although there's no precise standard for doorknob heights, a doorknob is typically about 1 m high.
A US cent weighs exactly 2.5 g, while the nickel weighs exactly 5 g.

15. Estimating Measures
Pre K and above Pre K and K (Pg ) 1st and above (Pg )

16. Developing Formulas
3rd grade and above
(Pg )

17. Measuring Temperature
Benchmark Temperatures
32°F and 0°C are the temperatures at which water freezes
Room temperature is approximately 70°F or 21°C
212°F and 100°C are the temperatures at which water boils

18. Measuring Time Reading a Clock
Start with a one-handed clock. (hour hand only)
Estimate the time.
Discuss what happens with the minute hand as the hour hand goes around. Predict where the minute hand will be when the hour hand is ___.
Teach time in 5-minute intervals.
SMART Notebook Clock with hidden numbers

19. Time - Common Core
First Grade – tell and write time in hours and half hours using analog and digital clocks
Second Grade – Tell and write time from analog and digital clocks to the nearest 5 minutes, using a.m. and p.m.
3rd Grade – Tell and write time to the nearest minute and measure time intervals in minutes. Solve word problems that involve adding and subtracting time intervals and represent the problem on a number line.