Primary Type: Lesson Plan
Status: Published
This is a resource from CPALMS (www.cpalms.org) where all educators go for bright ideas!
Resource ID#: 49381
Measuring Madness
This lesson consists of a fun inquiry-based activity that guides children to understand how to estimate lengths using inches, feet, centimeters, and
meters! It can be used towards the end of a unit on measurements due to the fact that they must have knowledge on all four units.
Subject(s): Mathematics
Grade Level(s): 2
Intended Audience: Educators
Suggested Technology: Overhead Projector
Instructional Time: 1 Hour(s)
Freely Available: Yes
Keywords: estimation, inches, feet, centimeters, meters, lengths, units of measurement
Resource Collection: CPALMS Lesson Plan Development Initiative
ATTACHMENTS
Independent Practice.docx
Object.docx
Rubric.docx
Summative Assessment.docx
LESSON CONTENT
Lesson Plan Template: General Lesson Plan
Learning Objectives: What should students know and be able to do as a result of this lesson?
The student will be able to estimate lengths using units of inches, feet, centimeters, and meters by estimating and then comparing the estimation to the real
measurement.
The student will be able to explain their logic in their estimations of various lengths in the units of inches, feet, centimeters, and meters.
Prior Knowledge: What prior knowledge should students have for this lesson?
The students should already know or have exposure to these standards:
MAFS.2.MD.1.1 Measure the length of an object by selecting and using appropriate tools such as rulers, yardsticks, meter sticks, and measuring tapes.
MAFS.2.MD.1.2 Measure the length of an object twice, using length units of different lengths for the two measurements; describe how the two measurements relate
to the size of the unit chosen.
Guiding Questions: What are the guiding questions for this lesson?
Why do we estimate lengths and how can we apply this skill to the real world?
(We estimate lengths to give us a round-about idea if things will fit in a space. One example of this is estimating if a picture will fit on a wall.)
What strategies can we use to help us estimate? What unit of measurement should we use to measure _________?
1. One strategy would be to encourage mental pictures of what a centimeter, inch, foot, and meter compare to. These comparisons can be formed with various
objects. Examples: A centimeter can be compared to a thumbnail. An inch can be compared to half of your finger. A foot can be compared to an adult foot. A meter
page 1 of 4 can be compared to three adult feet put in a row. This mental imaging strategy will also aid in the next strategy.
2. The next strategy is thinking about the relationship of these four units of measurement. The centimeter is the smallest unit of measurement for length out of these
four units of measurement. The inch is the next smallest unit of measurement for length. The foot would be next in the order. The largest unit of measurement out
of these would be the meter.
Why should we use a specific unit of measurement?
(We use a specific unit of measurement depending on what we are measuring. For instance- we would not use the centimeter to measure the length of a wall
because it would take incredibly too long. It would make much more sense to measure a wall with the meter stick. We would not use a meter stick to measure a
spoon because a spoon is much smaller than a meter.)
How do these units of measurement compare to each other?
(The centimeter is the smallest unit of measurement for length out of these four units of measurement. The inch is the next smallest unit of measurement for length.
The foot would be next in the order. The largest unit of measurement out of these would be the meter.)
Can we measure an item with more than one unit of measurement?
(Yes! Absolutely.)
Can you compare and contrast inches, feet, centimeters, and meters?
(Yes, you can. Since centimeters are smaller than inches, if you measure an object, that object will be more centimeters than it will be in inches. Same goes for feet
and meters- if you compare the feet and meters of an item, there will be more feet than meters because feet are much smaller than meters.)
Teaching Phase: How will the teacher present the concept or skill to students?
1. Anticipatory Set: The teacher will begin by presenting a jar of jelly beans. He or she will have the students estimate how many jelly beans are in the jar. This will
inspire conversation of estimation. The teacher will then ask the students the guiding question, "Why do we estimate?". The teacher will write the answers that the
students come up with on the board. The teacher will then ask what other things can we estimate in the real world? Examples would be distances to run/walk,
lengths of walls or furniture, etc. Why is it an important skill? If a student brings up measurement, continue on with the discussion of measurement.
2. Present a ruler with both centimeters and inches on it. Present a meter stick. Explain to the children that 12 inches make a foot. There are 100 centimeters in a
meter. A meter stick is a little over 3 feet long. Discuss the differences between these units of measurement. Explain how centimeters and meters are part of the
Metric System. Inches and Feet are part of the American Standard System. Make a real world connection, explaining that the United States of America mostly uses
the American Standard System, but the majority of the world uses the Metric System. It is important that students learn both. Science, even in America, heavily
involves the Metric System.
3. Use these guiding questions to see what the students come up with and deeply discuss them (see the guiding questions section for possible answers):
What strategies can we use to help us estimate?
What unit of measurement should we use to measure _________?
Why should we use a specific unit of measurement?
How do these units of measurement compare to each other?
Can we measure an item with more than one unit of measurement?
Can you compare and contrast inches, feet, centimeters, and meters?
Refresh students, or show students how to measure with each unit. Start at 0, at the very end of the ruler or meter stick, and place the 0 flush with the left corner of
the item and show them how to accurately read the ruler and/or meter stick. Measure an item with both centimeters and inches and compare the two. Measure an
item to determine how many feet, versus how many meters. Have a conversation on which measuring unit would be better to use for object.
Guided Practice: What activities or exercises will the students complete with teacher guidance?
1. Make a chart on the board or on the overhead projector and label the first column "object". Label the second column "estimation". Label the the third column "actual
length". Within the estimation column and the "actual length" column, write ____________inches in both. Then write ____________feet underneath. Then write
____________ meters underneath, in each of the two aforementioned columns. Lastly, underneath, write centimeters. It should look like this.
2. Call on a student to choose an object in the classroom (or have predetermined objects- your choice!). Have another student estimate how many inches it is. Have
another student actually measure it. Have the student choose the proper tool to measure the length of the object in the specific unit. Repeat for the rest of the
table. Be sure to clear up any misconceptions the students have.
While guiding the students, encourage the students to make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. This is the Mathmatical Practice
Standard - MAFS.K12.MP.1.1. They will be doing this throughout the independent practice.
Independent Practice: What activities or exercises will students complete to reinforce the concepts and skills developed in the
lesson?
For independent practice, the teacher will pair the students up for a structured inquiry activity. The teacher will pass out the worksheet attached to each student and
then provide directions.
It is important to note that even though the students are paired up, each child has the opportunity to put his or her OWN estimation down.
They are encouraged to have different estimations, but they do not have to. They must cooperatively talk about their reasoning and how they estimated.
The students will have 15- 20 minutes of time to find objects and estimate their lengths.
After the 15-20 minutes are up, the students must take turns actually measuring the items with the proper tool (either a ruler or a meter stick).
They will then indicate on the worksheet whether their estimation was correct or not.
The teacher should walk around to ensure that the students are having rigorous conversations and that they are measuring correctly. The teacher may use the
rubric from the formative assessment throughout the entire lesson if he or she wishes.
The teacher may call small groups over to the teacher table to have in-depth conversations about the students' estimations, if he or she so chooses to do so.
Closure: How will the teacher assist students in organizing the knowledge gained in the lesson?
After the structured inquiry activity, the teacher will ask the children about what they have learned whole group. How did they estimate?
Did they use any strategies? Did they encounter any issues or surprises?
What can they take away from this lesson?
The teacher will exam the students' worksheets to see how the students did with estimating with meters, feet, centimeters, and inches.
The teacher may decide to repeat this activity so students become more comfortable with estimating lengths in different units. If and when the students are ready,
page 2 of 4 the teacher will deliver the exit slip to the students.
Summative Assessment
There is an exit slip to determine if the students have reached the learning target of estimating using inches, feet, centimeters, and meters. This can be used at the
end of a unit on measurement after all four units of measurement have been taught. This will measure the impact of the lesson and practice provided. If the students
succeed at estimating properly, then the skill has been taught thoroughly. If the students did not manage to estimate correctly on the summative assessment, it is
important to go back and review the concepts again, either in small group or during whole group, depending on your classroom teaching preferences.
Please encourage the students to justify their thinking on the back of the exit slip. Estimation is difficult to grade because it will not be 100% accurate. Make sure that
they children are explaining their reasoning either verbally or in written form!
Formative Assessment
The teacher initially will gather information about the students' understanding by providing an activity where he or she passes out white boards and dry-erase
markers/erasers to the students. He or she may use the provided rubric to organize the information of who has this skill and who does not.
Print out a class list of your students' names so you can easily place a 1, 2, 3, or 4 next to each student's name during this formative assessment.
A 4 means that the student already estimates lengths using units of inches, feet, centimeters, and meters correctly and in an advanced manner. A 3 means the
student estimates proficiently but may have a few errors here and there. A 2 means that the student is developing a sense of estimation of length using the units of
inches, feet, centimeters, and meters but he or she is not quite proficient yet. A 1 means the student is beginning to estimate but truly has no concept of estimation of
length using inches, feet, centimeters, and meters yet.
On the board, the teacher will write inches, feet, centimeters, and meters.
The teacher will then ask the students to write their answers on the dry erase boards and hold them up when they are done without looking around or changing their
answers.
The teacher may generate and use his or her own questions to get an idea of where the students are in their progress toward estimating with lengths using units of
inches, feet, centimeters, and meters, or the teacher may use these questions below. The questions below are to see whether students understand the concept that
centimeters are the smallest unit of measurement out of theses four units. The inch is the next smallest unit. The foot is the third smallest and the meter is the
largest.
Tell the students to use one of these units of measurement (inches, feet, centimeters, and meters) to label their estimates:
1. Estimate how long a paper clip is in inches.
2. What would be the best way to measure a football field out of these four choices?
3. What would be the best way to measure the length of a beetle bug?
4. What is the best way to measure a picture to hang on the wall?
5. Estimate how long a book is. Choose the unit of measurement.
6. Put these units of measurement in order starting with the smallest unit first.
This quick formative assessment will guide your instruction and will also allow you to group the students for small group, if you choose to call small groups back to
your teacher table. Utilize the rubric above throughout the whole lesson to monitor progress.
Remember: Estimation is not always easy to grade- you must figure out why the student chose their estimated lengths. In this lesson the
students will have to do a lot of justifying and explaining. This will give you more insight into the students' knowledge of this skill.
Feedback to Students
Feedback will come mostly from deep discussion the teacher will have as the students are completing the structured inquiry activity.
The teacher will orally provide feedback for the students on their performance during the lesson. Please see the lesson for specific feedback.
The teacher may also give feedback during small groups.
The students will have the opportunity to use this feedback to hone in on problem areas and reevaluate their estimation strategies when it comes to measuring in
centimeters, inches, feet, and meters.
ACCOMMODATIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS
Accommodations:
If necessary, you may provide the specific objects for which you want the estimated and actual lengths.
You may pair a student up with a partner who can explain and support the problem solving skills.
You may demonstrate the skill for the students multiple times.
Extensions:
You may go into further depth when comparing the estimated length and the actual length. The students can then calculate the difference.
You may have students write objects down and have them switch with a partner so they can estimate the length of those specific objects, or at least what unit of
measurement one would use to measure the specific objects.
Suggested Technology: Overhead Projector
Special Materials Needed:
A classroom set of rulers (with inches and centimeters)
A classroom set of meter sticks
Formative Assessment Rubric and white boards/erasers/markers
Worksheet for Independent Practice
The students will need a writing utensil.
Summative Assessment
page 3 of 4 A board or overhead projector for the guided practice.
Further Recommendations:
Have the materials gathered beforehand.
This lesson may take a day or it may take a week, depending on student comprehension.
Small groups might aid in ensuring all students understand this standard.
Have a plethora of items available for measuring.
Additional Information/Instructions
By Author/Submitter
This lesson addresses the Mathematical Practice Standard: MAFS.K12.MP.1.1: Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.
SOURCE AND ACCESS INFORMATION
Contributed by: Rachel Lintner
Name of Author/Source: Rachel Lintner
District/Organization of Contributor(s): Brevard
Is this Resource freely Available? Yes
Access Privileges: Public
License: CPALMS License - no distribution - non commercial
Related Standards
Name
MAFS.2.MD.1.3:
Description
Estimate lengths using units of inches, feet, yards, centimeters, and meters.
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