Lesson Information

Student
Teacher’s Name: Michelle Andrus
Grade: Second Grade
Title: The Centimeter
Content Area(s): Mathematics
South Carolina Standards and/or Common Core
2.NSBT.1 Understand place value through 999
2.NSBT.3 Read, write, and represent numbers through 999 using concrete models, standard
form, and equations in expanded form
2.NSBT.8 Determine the number that is 10 or 100 more or less than a given number
2. ATO.2 Demonstrate fluency with addition and related subtraction facts through 20.
2. MDA.1 Select and use appropriate tools to measure the length of an object.
2. MDA.2 Measure the same object or distance using a standard unit of one length and then a
standard unit of a different length and explain why the measurements differ.
Objective(s)
Students will be able to compare the centimeter to the inch.
Students will be able to measure different objects using different standard units of measurement.
(inch and centimeter)
Estimated Time Required
45 minutes

List of Materials
Promethean Board
Every day Mathematics Teacher Guide
Student Math Journals
Student Set of 12-inch rulers
Student Set of 10-centimeter rulers
Class copies of “Mending Fences” activity sheet

Instructional Procedures
Review
Students will warm-up their math brains by completing place-value exercises on their
whiteboards. The teacher will give the students a number on their white board to write and the
students will have to put an X on the digit in the ones place and circle the number in the tens
place.

After the math warm-up, the teacher will review what the students learned previously about
measurement. “Now that our math-brains are warmed-up, we are going to learn more about
measurement today. Who can raise their hand and tell me what unit of measurement we learned
about yesterday? (The inch)”

Overview
“Today we are going to learn about a new unit of measurement. We are going to learn about the
centimeter and then we are going to compare it to the inch. It is important for us to learn about
measurement because we need it to measure everyday things for example, to figure out how tall
you are and how much you have grown."
Presentation
Teacher Demonstration:
Teacher will pass out the inch and centimeter rulers. Students will be instructed to compare the
two rulers- how are they similar and how are they different? The teacher will hold up the 10-
centimeter ruler and state “Each of the spaces between the numbers is a centimeter, which is a
unit of length in the metric system. The abbreviation for the centimeter is cm. Although in the
United States we used the U.S. customary system (the inch, foot, etc.), people around the world
use the metric system for scientific purposes so it is important that we know both.” The teacher
will ask the class which unit of measure is smaller-the inch or the centimeter?

Guided Practice:
Students will turn to page 87 in their student math journals. The teacher will guide the students
through making measurements with their inch and centimeter rulers. The teacher will ask “Why
do our measurements in inches always come out in smaller numbers than our measurements in
centimeters?”
Exercise
The teacher will pass out the “Mending Fences” activity sheet for continued practice on
measurement. The teacher will review the assignment and the directions. Students will
complete the rest of the activity independently and turn into the pink bin. The teacher will
walk around the monitor students’ work.
Summary
“Friends, while you are finishing your worksheet I want to tell you that I see some great
practice with measurement. Remember that we have been learning about the different types
of measurement this week (foot, inch, and centimeter). We will continue to work on
measurement and exploring how to use it.”

Post Unit Plan Procedures

Assessment
Teacher will gauge student understanding by the responses given during whole group
instruction. The teacher will monitor student understanding of how to measure through
guided practice. The teacher will assess student understanding of measurement to the nearest
centimeter with the “Mending Fences” activity sheet.
Intervention/Adaptation for Special Needs
Visual Impairment: Student is seated at the front of the classroom so that they may see the
board.
ESL: When describing the new unit” centimeter” make sure to describe that object that is
being measured as well to limit terminology confusion. For example, “This is a paper clip; it
is 2 centimeters long.”
Early Finishers
Once students have completed their “Mending Fences” activity and turned it into the pink
bin, they will be instructed to turn to page 88 in their math journals and begin working on
their math boxes.