Primary Type: Formative Assessment
Status: Published
This is a resource from CPALMS (www.cpalms.org) where all educators go for bright ideas!
Resource ID#: 36533
Measurable Attributes of a Paper Clip
Students describe a paper clip in terms of weight and length.
Subject(s): Mathematics
Grade Level(s): K
Intended Audience: Educators
Freely Available: Yes
Keywords: MFAS, MAFS.K.MD.1.1, Length, weight, measurable attributes
Resource Collection: MFAS Formative Assessments
FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT TASK
Instructions for Implementing the Task
This task should be completed individually.
1. The teacher talks with the student about different ways to describe height, length, and weight.
2. The teacher asks the student to show with hands what the following would look like:
a. Tall
b. Short
c. Long
3. The teacher then asks the student to use words to describe how much something might weigh. The teacher should observe if the student uses the words heavy and
light correctly. The teacher may need to ask the student to give an example of something that is heavy and something that is light.
4. The teacher then places a paper clip in front of the student and asks the student to describe the paper clip using the words that have been discussed (length and
weight).
TASK RUBRIC
Getting Started
Misconception/Error
The student describes the paperclip using a non-measurable attribute (e.g., color) and, despite prompting, is unable to describe the paperclip correctly using a measurable
attribute.
Examples of Student Work at this Level
The student describes the paper clip by saying “it’s shiny” but, despite prompting, does not use a measurable attribute to describe the paper clip.
page 1 of 3 Questions Eliciting Thinking
What does long mean?
What does short mean?
Do you think it would be easy or hard to pick something up that is heavy?
Can you think of an object that doesn’t weigh very much? Instructional Implications
Have the student sort pictures of objects into categories of heavy or light and short or tall.
Provide direct instruction on the meaning of words that describe size, weight, length, and height. Then, encourage the student to use words that describe size, weight,
length, and height.
Give the student several objects, some heavy and some light, and have the student compare the objects and sort them into “heavy” and “light”. Then, have students sort
by “long (or tall)” and “short”.
Moving Forward
Misconception/Error
The student initially describes the paper clip using a non-measurable attribute (e.g., color) or inaccurately describes the paper clip with a measurable attribute but, with
prompting, hesitantly describes it appropriately using a measurable attribute.
Examples of Student Work at this Level
The student says the paper clip is “long” but with several prompts is able to say it is “short”.
Questions Eliciting Thinking
What does long mean?
What does short mean?
Do you think it would be easy or difficult to pick something up that is heavy?
What are some objects in our room that are long?
Instructional Implications
Model for the student how to describe objects within the classroom using measurable attributes.
Guide the student to locate objects in a picture book, and have the student describe the objects using measurable attributes.
Almost There
Misconception/Error
The student can describe a measurable attribute of the paper clip but cannot describe several attributes of it.
Examples of Student Work at this Level
The student can only use one attribute to describe the paper clip (e.g., light or short) despite prompting to describe the paper clip another way.
Questions Eliciting Thinking
Is there another word you can use to describe the paper clip?
What word would you use to describe the paper clip’s length?
Instructional Implications
Model for the student how to describe a single object with more than one measurable attribute.
Give the student an object that can be held and guide the student to describe the object using more than one measurable attribute. Then, have the student choose an
object in the classroom and describe the object using more than one measurable attribute.
Got It
Misconception/Error
The student has no misconceptions or errors.
Examples of Student Work at this Level
The student is able to describe the paper clip using at least two measurable attributes.
page 2 of 3 Questions Eliciting Thinking
What are some other objects that are heavy?
What are some objects that are light?
What are some objects that are long?
What are some objects that are short?
Instructional Implications
Encourage the student to compare lengths of two objects using words like shorter or longer.
Allow the student to weigh several objects and to observe and compare the values that describe the object’s weight.
Give the student a bag full of paper clips and a bag full of sand. Have the student compare the weights of the two bags.
ACCOMMODATIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS
Special Materials Needed:
One paper clip
SOURCE AND ACCESS INFORMATION
Contributed by: MFAS FCRSTEM
Name of Author/Source: MFAS FCRSTEM
District/Organization of Contributor(s): Okaloosa
Is this Resource freely Available? Yes
Access Privileges: Public
License: CPALMS License - no distribution - non commercial
Related Standards
Name
MAFS.K.MD.1.1:
Description
Describe measurable attributes of objects, such as length or weight. Describe several measurable attributes of a single
object.
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