Learning Plan (Kindergarten)1

Measuring the Forest: Comparing lengths Duratio 30 minutes

Title of lesson
n
Subject area Mathematics
Class 5-year-old kindergarten Topic Measurement

Teacher: Ruler, construction paper, scissors

Materials
Required Rulers, construction paper, crayons, scissors, paper, and pencils
Child:

Competency 2: “To affirm his/her personality” – children will participate in group discussion about their
artwork while creating their trees, expressing their ideas and opinions in a considerate manner. They will
communicate their own ideas about what trees look like and share their opinions on others’ work.

Competency 4: “To communicate using the resource of language” – students will use their language to
receptively understand teacher instructions and express themselves while communicating with each other
and the teacher. Students will start and maintain social conversations with their peers about their artistic
Pre-school process and listen to peers’ experiences.
Competencies
Competency 5: “To construct his/her understanding of the world” – students will use the scientific
method and design thinking principles to develop a deeper understanding of the world around them.
Students will manipulate and measure objects with a ruler and make meaning of that numerical
information through categorizing items as tall or short.

Competency 6: “To complete an activity or project” – students will use the resources at hand to complete
their art project. During this process, students will apply previous learning with rulers and measurement
to their trees.

The objective for this math lesson is to correlate numerical values in relation to concepts of “taller” and
Objectives
“shorter”. This demonstrates both formal and informal methods of measurement. By the end of this
(curricular
lesson, students will be able to use a ruler to find differences in height and line up objects in order of
domain)
length.

 What does it mean for an object to be longer or shorter than another?

Essential
 What is the difference between “longer” and “longest” or “shorter” and “shortest”?
Question(s)
 How can we measure objects?

Lesson Introduction (hook): Student will know:

Timing
The teacher will have five paper trees taped to the front board, all  what “tall” and “short” mean
5 mins varying lengths and labelled 1 to 5. The teacher will ask the  how to use a ruler
students which one is the tallest and which is the shortest.  terms such as “measure”,
“compare”, and “order”
Teacher: Boys and girls, today we are going to talk about what is  How to read centimeters and
tall and what is short. Who can tell me what tall means? Who can millimeters on a ruler.
tell me what short means?

Call on students to identify the terms.

1
Based on a simplified version of Understanding by Design (UBD)
 Teacher: Now which tree here is the tallest? Which one is the
shortest?

Call on students to identify which one is the tallest/shortest.

Can someone come put them in order from shortest to tallest for
Development (Learning activities – step by step sequential Students will understand:
procedure):
15 mins  correctly use the terms “taller”,
The teacher will pull out a ruler and ask the children how to use a “shorter”, “tallest”, and “shortest”
ruler. This will be a review from a previous unit in which students  how to line up varying objects in
learned how to read millimeters and centimeters on a ruler. order of length
 students can use a ruler to find
Teacher: Boys and girls, who remembers what we use a ruler for? how much taller or shorter
Will someone come help me measure these trees? We’re going to something is than another
use centimeters today. Students will do:

Call on a child to come measure the difference between the tallest  guestimate various lengths in
and the shortest tree in centimeters. centimeters
 measurement of various objects
Teacher: At our tables, we’re going to make 3 trees of different  line up objects in order of length
lengths. When you have your trees, use a ruler to measure the Cross Curricular Competencies:
difference between the longest tree and the shortest tree.

Send the students to their tables. Circulate the room and ensure that
students understand the assignment. Ask various students to show
you their tallest and shortest trees.
Competency 1 & 2: to use information
and to solve problems
Students will use the information
provided in class to measure their trees
and align them in order from shortest to
longest. Additionally, students will solve
problem by testing their answers with
elements of design thinking.
Broad Areas of Learning:

Personal and Career Planning:

By involving children in this project

where they rely on their own resources to
come up with an answer, this lesson
encourages students to develop areas of
personal and career planning.
Closure (transition): Universal Design for
Learning/Differentiation:
Teacher: Okay boys and girls, once you have finished your trees, I
want you to tape them on the front board from shortest to longest. Enrichment:
When you’re finished, you can take your journal and draw a picture  these students can create up to 5
about your weekend. trees to place in order from
shortest to longest.
 Guide the children through taping their trees to the front board.
Scaffold experience by providing feedback/support to those Support:
children who require it.  review vocabulary
 students will arrange 5 trees in
10 mins Once all the trees are taped to the board, gather the children on the order of shortest to longest; then
reading carpet. Take the tallest and shortest trees and ask children teacher will provide additional
to guess the difference in height. support during the class
comparison.
Teacher: Okay boys and girls, please come sit on a square on the FORMATIVE - Assessment FOR
reading carpet. Let’s look at the shortest tree and the longest tree. learning:
How much taller do you think the tallest tree is? Observe students during class discussion
and during independent table work to
Take some guesses. Invite a student to come measure the trees for ensure that understandings are being
you to find the answer. achieved.
FORMATIVE - Assessment AS
Transition: after this activity students will wash their hands at the learning:
bathroom and return to the classroom to resume their journals.  Did students accurately identify
which objects were shorter and
longer?
 Were students able to appropriate
differentiate “longer”, “longest”,
“shorter”, and “shortest” in a
sentence?
 Were students capable of lining
up their trees in order of shortest
to longest?
SUMMATIVE - Assessment OF
learning:

N/A
Further considerations (follow up activities):

Extension Activity: Math Center will have different lengths of objects and rulers so that students can practice examining and
measuring the different lengths of each object.

Follow-up activity: Have students line up from tallest to shortest. Measure the height of each student and compare their
height to a partner’s height. On a nature walk, see if students can find the tallest tree on the playground.

Professional Competencies:

PC1: To act as a professional inheritor, critic and interpreter of knowledge or culture when teaching students.
I ensure that I adequately build on skills students have already acquired with rulers to teach the qualitative concepts of
tallest and shortest. I will pace my lesson and ensure that the lesson targets follow subject-specific knowledge such as
demonstrating both formal and informal methods of measurement, sequencing objects according to height, and
introducing basic notions of subtraction.

PC2: To communicate clearly in the language of instruction, both orally and in writing, using correct grammar,
in various contexts related to teaching.
I will articulate myself clearly in English as the language of instruction. I will use full sentences and correct grammar in
my communication with students. I will maintain a tone and pace consistent for the Kindergarten level and confirm that
all students understand my instruction.
PC3: To develop teaching/learning situations that are appropriate to the students concerned and the subject
content with a view to developing the competencies targeted in the programs of study.
I aim to communicate this lesson in a way that will help student achieve early mathematics skills. I want students to
understand the concept of formal and informal measurement by associating numerical values in relation to concepts of
“taller” and “shorter”. I aim for students to be able to use a ruler to find differences in height and line up object in order
of length. I will work to ensure that this lesson involves an age-appropriate level of complexity.

PC4: To pilot teaching/learning situations that are appropriate to the students concerned and to the subject
content with a view to developing the competencies targeted in the programs of study.
I will create this lesson to ensure students are engaged in meaningful problem solving and development of early
mathematics skills. I will guide students learning through open-ended questions and constructive feedback to ensure
learning potential is met.

PC5: To evaluate student progress in learning the subject content and mastering the related competencies.
I will gather student information regarding learning goals in a consistent and equitable way. I will evaluate whether
students could accurately identify which objects were shorter and longer and if students could sequence their trees in
order of shortest to longest. I will use this information to assess understanding of the material, denote student progress,
and evaluate mastery of competencies.