Primary Type: Formative Assessment
Status: Published
This is a resource from CPALMS (www.cpalms.org) where all educators go for bright ideas!
Resource ID#: 36534
Measurable Attributes of an Elephant
Students describe an elephant 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, Measurable attributes, length, weight
Resource Collection: MFAS Formative Assessments
ATTACHMENTS
MFAS_MeasureableAttributesOfAnElephant_Reference Sheet.docx
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 his or her 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 the Measureable Attributes of an Elephant Reference Sheet in front of the student and asks the student to describe what a real elephant would
be like using the words that have already been discussed.
TASK RUBRIC
Getting Started
Misconception/Error
The student describes the elephant using a non-measurable attribute (e.g., color) and, despite prompting, is unable to describe the elephant correctly using a measurable
page 1 of 3 attribute.
Examples of Student Work at this Level
The student describes the elephant by saying it is grey.
The student says the elephant is short, despite the teacher prompting the student to consider how a real elephant would look.
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?
If there were a real elephant in this room, do you think it would be tall or short?
Instructional Implications
Have the student sort pictures of objects into categories of heavy or light and short or tall.
Show pictures of an elephant with a person standing next to the elephant. Ask the student if people in real life are taller than the image of the person in the picture. Guide
the student to understand that pictures of objects sometimes have to be made smaller so that the objects will fit on the page. Then, ask the student to describe the
elephant again.
Provide direct instruction on the meaning of words that describe size, weight, length, or height. Then, encourage the student to use words that describe size, weight,
length, or height.
Moving Forward
Misconception/Error
The student initially describes the elephant using a non-measurable attribute (e.g., color) or inaccurately describes the elephant 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 elephant is short. After prompting the student to think about how an elephant would look in reality, the student is able to hesitantly describe an
elephant by saying it would be tall.
The student says the elephant is tall, but says it would not be very heavy.
Questions Eliciting Thinking
Do you think it would be easy or difficult to pick up something that is heavy? Do you think you could pick up a real elephant? Why not?
If there were a real elephant in this room, do you think it would be tall or short?
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 elephant but cannot describe several attributes of it.
Examples of Student Work at this Level
The student can only use one attribute to describe the elephant (e.g., tall or heavy) despite prompting to describe the elephant another way.
Questions Eliciting Thinking
You said the elephant would be “heavy”, and you are correct. Is there another word you can use to describe the elephant?
Do you think the elephant would be taller than me?
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 elephant 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 linking cubes, and have the student go on a scavenger hunt around the room looking for objects that are heavier and lighter than the bag of
cubes.
ACCOMMODATIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS
Special Materials Needed:
Measurable Attributes of an Elephant reference sheet
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.
page 3 of 3