Length
Strand: Measures
Strand unit: Length
Curriculum Objectives
Compare and order objects according to height and length.
Estimate and measure length in non-standard units.
Record estimates and actual measurements and compare the results.
Pages in the textbook: 104, 105, 106 and 107
Colour
Draw
Daddy Bear
Measure
Measure
Measure with cubes. Write each amount.
Measure the distance from Betsy to her toys. Use cubes. Record.
Mammy Bear
Start
here
Baby Bear
blue
yellow
red
Draw a bigger circle.
Draw a shorter line.
Draw a smaller fish.
Draw a longer snake.
my estimate
cubes
my estimate
cubes
my estimate
cubes
Colour Baby Bear blue, Mammy Bear yellow and Daddy Bear red.
my estimate
Length
Draw a taller tree.
Compare and order objects according to height.
Page 105
Strand
Strand
Strand Unit
Strand Unit
Measures
Number
Length
xx
Compare
X
length.
Draw a smaller box.
and order objects according to height and
105
Page 106
106
Strand
Strand Unit
Measures
Length
Estimate and measure length in non-standard units.
Page 107
Strand
Strand
Strand Unit
Strand Unit
Measures
Number
Length
xx
Objectives
Objectives
Measures
cubes
my estimate
cubes
my estimate
cubes
my estimate
cubes
cubes
Objectives
Strand
Strand Unit
Objectives
Objectives
104
Objectives
Page 104
my estimate
Estimate and measure length in non-standard units.
X
107
Let’s look back: What the Junior Infants programme covered
1. Develop an understanding of the concept of length through exploration, discussion and use of
appropriate vocabulary.
2. Discuss objects in the environment in terms of length and height.
3. Compare and order objects according to length or height.
Maths skills used in this topic
Integrating and connecting
Recognise mathematics in the environment
Implementing
Use appropriate manipulatives to carry out tasks and procedures
Applying and problem-solving
Select and apply appropriate strategies to complete tasks or solve problems
Recognise solutions to problems
Concrete materials
Sets of different sized bears, classroom fittings (e.g. windows, doors, blackboard, tables, chairs,
press, shelf), classroom equipment (e.g. string, márla, cubes, lollipop sticks, matchsticks)
Vocabulary
Long, short, tall, longer than, shorter than, longest, shortest, wide, wider, widest,
narrow, narrower, narrowest, the same length, the same width, the same height
Linkage
Number: Addition, ordering and comparing.
119
Integration
Physical education: Comparing the length of pieces of equipment, e.g. skipping ropes, measuring
distance in informal units, e.g. handspans, footsteps
Pre-page ideas
Page 104:
Discussion based on the length of objects/fittings around the classroom (use hand spans/lollipop
sticks/cubes as non-standard units to check answers). Encourage children to estimate all answers
before checking.
Is the door taller than the window?
Is the blackboard longer or shorter than the teacher’s table?
Are the children’s tables longer or shorter than the teacher’s table?
Is the door wider or narrower than the window?
Is the press taller or smaller than the table?
Is the pencil longer or shorter than the crayon?
Is the book wider or narrower than the copy?
Page 105:
Line up the children on one side of the classroom and give them instructions.
Walk across the room taking very long steps. What is your total?
Walk across taking very short steps. What is your total?
Walk across taking alternate long and short steps. What is your total?
Lie down and make a tall/short/wide/narrow shape with your body.
Repeat some of the above activities with children working together with partners.
Page 106:
Invite groups of children to come to the top of the classroom to arrange themselves in a row from
the tallest to the smallest. Repeat this activity with the group arranging themselves from the smallest
to the tallest. Ask the rest of the children some questions based on the row. For example:
Who is the tallest/smallest child in the row?
How many children are taller/smaller than Ann?
Are any of the children the same height?
Extension: Ask the class to close their eyes, then rearrange the row of children in the wrong order.
The children open their eyes and a volunteer puts each child in his/her correct position in the line
according to height, either in descending or ascending order.
Page 107:
Distribute a random collection of bears to each group. Invite the children to sort the bears into 3
sets or categories based on their height, i.e. tall, small and medium. Discuss the results:
How many bears are there in each row?
Which row is longer/shorter?
Which row is longest/shortest?
120
Lesson suggestions
Pair work:
1. Put the children in pairs and give each pair some márla and a board. The first
child makes an object on the left-hand side of the board, e.g. a snake, road or
box, and invites his/her partner to make a longer/shorter/wider/narrower/taller/
shorter object on the right-hand side.
2. Invite the children to arrange themselves in 2s and choose a partner who is taller/smaller/the
same height as themselves. Invite the children to discuss the differences between a selection of
the partners. For example:
Tom is taller than Ann
Jane has longer hair than Lisa
Jack and Eva are the same height
3. Use cubes/handspans/lollipop sticks to measure various items around the classroom. Encourage
the children to estimate before measuring. Compare actual measurements to estimates. Who
made the closest estimate to the correct measurement?
4. Stick a length of masking tape (approximately 2m long) to the floor. Invite children to measure
the length of the tape in long/short steps, always estimate before measuring.
5. Hold up a number of classroom items, e.g. a book, a copy, a pencil or a ruler, and invite the
children to name an item which is longer/shorter/wider/narrower than the focal item. Initially,
the children should be encouraged to compare the items indirectly (i.e. not placing the items
side by side) but later place the objects side by side so that a direct comparison can be made.
6. Assign all groups an identical set of classroom objects to measure. Each group must select a unit
of measurement, e.g. handspan, lollipop sticks, cubes, blocks, piece of string. Record the results
on the blackboard and discuss them with the class leading to a discussion about the necessity of
standard units of measurement.
Parental involvement
1. Informal estimation/comparison involving length at home, e.g. household items or personal
belongings (books, toys, shoes, knives, spoons, forks, etc.).
2. Use of household items as informal units of measurement, e.g.
clothes pegs, teaspoons, pasta.
Photocopiable templates
Colour the shortest objects blue. Colour the longest objects red.
Put spots on the big
fish.
Colour the small fish
red.
X the smaller balloon.
Colour the big balloon
yellow.
Draw a longer snake
and a shorter snake.
Colour each snake a
different colour.
Draw a taller bear. Colour it red. Draw a smaller bear. Colour it blue.
Name: _______________________________________
smaller
Date: ___________________
Draw a taller
flower.
Name: _______________________________________
Page 204: Length
Date: ___________________
© Folens Photocopiables
Page 203: Length
© Folens Photocopiables
taller
Draw a
smaller tree.
204
203
121