Activities inspired by children’s literature
Science Measures Up
By Karen Ansberry and
Emily Morgan
Can you measure a dog’s tail in dog biscuits? Can you measure a desk without a ruler? Which is better: measuring a room
in paces or meters? Which system of measurement do scientists use? This month’s column explores these questions
and more to help learners understand why we use standard systems of measurement.
This Month’s Trade Books
Measuring Penny
By Loreen Leedy.
Henry Holt and Company. 1997.
ISBN 0805065725.
Grades K–4
Synopsis
Lisa learns about standard and nonstandard units of measurement by measuring her dog Penny with all sorts of units,
including pounds, inches, dog biscuits, and cotton swabs.
How Tall, How Short,
How Far Away
By David A. Adler.
Holiday House. 1999.
ISBN 0823416321.
Grades K–4
Synopsis
Simple text and cartoonlike illustrations introduce the
history of measurement systems, beginning in ancient
Egypt and ending with the modern metric system.
Curricular Connections
The Science as Inquiry standard of the National Science
Education Standards (NRC 1996) includes measurement
as a fundamental ability necessary to do scientific inquiry.
Students should be able to employ simple equipment and
tools to gather data and extend the senses. The National Science Education Standards also suggest that children develop
some essential understandings about science and technology, including the idea that people throughout history have
invented tools and techniques to solve their problems.
Weights and measures were among the first tools invented by man. Ancient people used their body parts and
items in their surroundings as their first measuring tools.
As societies evolved, measurements became more complex. By the 18th century, England had achieved a greater
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Science and Children
degree of standardization in
measurement than other European countries. The English,
or customary system of measurement commonly used in
the United States, is nearly the
same as that brought by the
colonists from England.
The need for a single,
worldwide measurement system was recognized in 1670
when a French priest named Gabriel Mouton proposed
a measurement system (based on units of 10) that was
both simple and scientific. However, a century passed
and no action was taken. During the political upheaval
of the French revolution in the 1790s, the French Academy of Sciences proposed a new system, based upon
Mouton’s, as a way to bring order to the confusing and
often contradictory traditional systems of weights and
measures that were being used throughout Europe. The
metric system got its name from the unit of length, called
a meter, which is derived from the Greek word meaning
“a measure.” The standardized structure and decimal
features of the metric system made it well suited for
scientific and engineering work, and wide acceptance of
the metric system coincided with an age of rapid technological development. Although the English system of
measurement is commonly used in everyday situations
in the United States, scientists around the world primarily use the metric system (known as SI, from the French
Systeme Internationale d’Unites) in their daily work.
Karen Ansberry ([email protected])
is the elementary science curriculum leader at Mason
City Schools in Mason, Ohio. Emily Morgan (emily@
pictureperfectscience.com) is the science consultant
at the Hamilton County Educational Service Center
in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are the authors of PicturePerfect Science Lessons: Using Children’s Books to
Guide Inquiry, available from NSTA Press.
For Grades K–3: Measuring Pets
Engage: Ask, “Can you measure a dog’s tail in dog
biscuits?” Then show students the cover of the book
Measuring Penny and explain that in this book,
Lisa measures her dog Penny in a variety of ways.
Make connections by asking students to share their
own experiences with measuring, and then read
Measuring Penny aloud to the class. Pause after
reading pages 7 and 8 where Mr. Jayson gives the
class “Measuring Homework,” and point out that
there are two parts to a measurement, a number and
a unit. Ask students to signal each time
they hear an example of a different
unit of measurement as you read the
rest of the book aloud. After reading, revisit page 8 where Mr. Jayson
gives examples of standard and
nonstandard units and ask, “What is
the difference between standard and
nonstandard units?” Students should
realize that standard units are units of
measurement that are accepted and used
by many people and nonstandard units
are everyday objects that can be used
for measuring.
Explore/Explain: Have students bring
in a favorite stuffed animal to measure
in both standard and nonstandard units.
Provide dual-sided rulers as well as various items they could use as nonstandard
units (e.g., cotton swabs, dog biscuits,
and paper clips). After some modeling
and guided practice, have students measure the length of their stuffed animal’s
parts in as many ways as they can using
a standard unit and a nonstandard unit
for each part (see NSTA Connection
for a “Measuring Pets” worksheet).
As students are measuring, circulate
to ask the children how they arrived
at their measurements and to explain how they classified each unit as
standard or nonstandard. Then have
them trade stuffed animals with a partner and check
each other’s measurements.
Elaborate/Evaluate: Ask, “Which units do you
think are best for making accurate measurements,
standard or nonstandard? Why?” Students should
be able to explain that standard units are best
because they are always the same; for example,
an inch is always the same length but dog biscuits
can be different lengths. Explain that most people
around the world, as well as scientists, use a standard system of measurement called the
metric system because it is simpler
and more scientific than the English
(or inch-pound) system.
The metric system was invented
over 200 years ago, but people in
the United States have not entirely
switched over to it. Have students
find the metric side of their ruler and
point to a centimeter. Explain that a
centimeter is about the width of a pinky
finger. Then show students a meterstick
and explain that it is about as long as
their outstretched arms. Have them find
something in the room that is about a
centimeter long and something that is
about a meter long. Then have them
measure their desks in centimeters and
the length of their classroom in meters.
Evaluate their understandings about
metric measurement by asking questions such as, “Why do we need standard
units of measurement? What standard
system of measurement do scientists
use? Which metric unit would be best
for measuring the length of a dog’s tail?
The length of a schoolbus? A book?”
and so on.
NSTA Connection
For a Measuring Pets worksheet, click
on this article at www.nsta.org/elemen
taryschool#journal.
February 2007 13
For Grades 4–6: History of Measurement
Engage: Ask, “Can you measure a desk without a ruler?”
and then challenge students to measure the length of your
desk without using any traditional measuring tools. As a
class, brainstorm a list of ways that you could measure the
desk. Tell students that in ancient times, measurement
tools were not readily available, so people had to come
up with creative ways to measure things. In ancient Egypt,
one way to measure was the “span.” A span is from the tip
of the thumb to the tip of the little finger with the hand
stretched wide. Have a student measure your desk with
his or her hand span and record the number of spans on
the board. Call on several other students to measure the
desk using their hand spans and record the number of
spans on the board each time. Then measure the desk
using your own hand span, and record that number of
spans on the board. Ask, “Which measurement is the correct answer for the length of the desk?” Students should
understand that there is no “correct” answer in spans
because each person’s span is a different size.
Explore/Explain: Introduce the book How Tall, How
Short, How Far Away, and then read through page 7
about how the hands, fingers, and arms were used as measuring tools in ancient Egypt. Have students try measuring their height using ancient Egyptian nonstandard units
(cubits, spans, palms, and digits) as explained on pages
6–8. Next, tell students to have their height measured
by a partner using cubits, spans, palms, and digits and
compare those measurements to their own. Ask, “Is this
an accurate way to measure? Why or why not?” Read the
rest of the book aloud, and then ask, “Which metric unit
would you use to measure your height?” Have students
measure their own height in centimeters and compare it
to their height measured in centimeters by a partner. Ask,
“Is this an accurate way to measure? Why or why not?”
Then ask, “Which is better: measuring a room in paces
or meters?” Have students measure their classroom in
both paces and meters, and then explain which method
they think is more accurate and why.
Elaborate: Tell students that the standard system of
measurement used by most countries of the world—
and by scientists everywhere—is the metric system.
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Science and Children
Have students do research to create a Metric Measurement poster that includes: a timeline describing
and illustrating the major events in the development
of the metric system, a table showing four or more
common metric units and an example of something
that might be measured with each, and an argument
for or against adopting the metric system for all measurements in the United States. For fun, students can
include a song, rap, or cheer promoting the use of
either the metric system or the customary system.
Evaluate: Have students present their metric measurement posters to their classmates. In the presentations, they should include why they chose to include
certain events in their timelines, their metric unit examples, and their arguments (and song, rap, or cheer)
for or against adopting the metric system for all units
of measure in the United States.
Resources
National Research Council (NRC). 1996. National science education standards. Washington DC: National
Academy Press.
Internet
Department of Weights and Measures General Information
www.brocktonmass.com/weights/history.html
Metric History Timeline
http://library.thinkquest.org/J002831/metrictimeline.htm
U.S. Metric Association
http://lamar.colostate.edu/~hillger
Connecting to the Standards
This article addresses the following National Science
Education Standards (NRC 1996):
Content Standards
Unifying concepts and processes in science
Standard A: Science as Inquiry
• Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry (K–6)
Standard E: Science and Technology
• Understanding about science and
technology (K–6)
Name: __________________________
Your Assignment:
1) Choose a stuffed animal to measure.
2) Measure the length of its parts in as many ways as you can. Use a
standard and a nonstandard unit for each part you measure. Be creative!
3) Record your results.
Remember, a measurement always has two parts:
1) a number
2) a unit.
Example:
Animal Part
Standard Units
Nonstandard Units
ear
12 centimeters
1 ½ cotton swabs
My Animal:
Animal Part
Standard Units
Nonstandard Units
After you measure, draw a picture of your animal on the back. Label the
parts you measured.