Basics of Measurement

Jessica Kitchen
Second Grade/ Mathematics (Measurement)

Common Core Standards:

2. MD.1- Measure the length of an object by selecting and using appropriate tools such as rulers, yardsticks,
meter sticks, and measuring tapes.

2.MD.2- Measure the length of an object twice, using length units of different lengths for the two
measurements; describe how the two measurements relate to the size of the unit chosen.

2.MD.3- Estimate lengths using units of inches, feet, centimeters, and meters.

2.MD.4- Measure to determine how much longer one object is than another, expressing the length difference
in terms of a standard-length unit.
Lesson Summary:
As a large group students will be introduced to standard units of measurements and tools that they can use to
determine somethings length; a ruler, yardstick, meter stick, and measuring tape. The teacher will find
common classroom items like pencils, smart board, windows, door, etc. and show students how to measure
and how to determine the appropriate tool to use to measure said item. They will discuss why some tools
make more sense to use than others by measuring one object with two separate tools. The class in large
group with teacher leading will find objects in the class such as books, backpacks, classroom carpet, etc. and
together decide which tool they should use and estimate its length in different units of measurement.
Students will then be paired up and go around the school measuring different items and comparing length
and units used. Students will document these findings in a google doc provided by their teacher that the class
will go over as a whole. Class will participate in a Kahoot where teacher can judge the overall understanding
and complete worksheets for teacher to evaluate individual understanding. Students will also have access to
education.com as well as ixl.com that both provide free measurement games and activities to strengthen their
understanding and skills learned.

Estimated Duration:
5 40-minute class periods.

Commentary:
To begin our lesson, I will gather the students in a large group and ask them if they are familiar with
“measurement” and what they know about it. This will give a good indication on where we are starting as a
class. Next, I will show the class the tools we will be using in our classroom as we learn more about the
topic. I will show them a ruler, a yard stick, and a measuring tape and a meter stick. We will discuss what
they all have in common, numbers that relate to centimeters, inches, and feet and give an example of how
those all relate. Example would be a book, it is roughly 30 centimeters, it is 12 inches, and it is also 1 foot
long. From here we can transition into the main lesson. I anticipate that students will struggle with knowing
the names of each tool and declaring where measurement marks are on each given tool. I can also see a
challenge with students determining centimeters since they are so small. This will be a good time to use a
large visual aide of the smart board. To aid with this difficulty there will be visual aides on the smart board
with large pictures as well as the tools themselves that students can explore and hold.

Instructional Procedures:
Day 1:
Students will gather in a large group where we will begin discussing measurement. I will ask the students
what they know about measurement, if they have ever measured anything themselves, and anything they can
tell me about the topic. I will ask the students if they know why measuring might be important or help them
in life and then give them several details on why we need to know how to measure. Those examples would
include using a ruler to cut a piece of paper to the right length (something a bit more relatable to their own
age), their parents measuring a room to buy the right size furniture and knowing how tall they are. I will
explain that measurement can also help them when comparing two things. I will start by showing the class
the different tools that we will commonly use in our lives to measure, a ruler, a yardstick, and a measuring
tape and a meter stick. I will show them the lines on the measuring sticks and explain how to read them.
From here I will find 5 items in the classroom to measure with the class, the smartboard, a book, my desk, a
pencil, and the distance from one wall to the other. During these measurements we will discuss which tool is
the most appropriate to use. For a given object this discussion will look like “your tables with a measuring
tape measures to 5 feet long, with a meter stick it takes about one and half and with a ruler we have to
measure five times and with a yardstick it takes about one whole and 2/3’s of another. In this case it would
be easiest and take the least amount of time to use the measuring tape. While measuring each object we will
compare the units of length for each object, with the example of their table this will sound like “your tables
are 5 feet long, 5 feet also means 60 inches, and 5 feet or 60 inches also means about 152 centimeters. After
measuring 5 items of my choosing, I will get a read on how well the class is following. Depending on their
level of understanding I will choose anywhere from 4-8 students to pick random objects in the classroom.
With each object will discuss which tool we think makes the most sense to use, estimate how many, inches,
or feet the object is and measure together. Here I can identify where students are struggling with the lesson
and reevaluate my plans if needed. Remaining time students will have access to education.com to play free
measurement games as well as explore interactive measurement activities on ixl.com
Day 2:
On day two I will gather the students as a large group again and we will review what we learned the previous
day. I would ask students if they had any questions about what we went over. From here I will put the
students in groups of 2-3 depending on class size. I will create a google doc that I share with the students.
They will be instructed to go around the school and find different objects to measure supplied with the
different measuring tools. The document will have 8 photos of things around the school that I had already
measured so that I can compare their measurements with my own to see how they are doing with this skill.
They will fill out questions provided in the document. 1. What do you estimate the length of this object is, be
sure to include inches or feet 2. What tool would be best to measure it 3. What is the length, circle the
correct unit of measurement. From those 8 objects 4 will include a question such as “how much longer was
the gym door compared to the height of the chairs in the cafeteria.” Students will also be asked for find 2
objects of their own choosing to measure, fill out the same questions and compare the length. When
returning to class we will open the google documents and discuss what everyone measured as a large group.
During discussion I will ask if everyone agrees with the tool used and if not ask what tool could have been a
better choice. We will also discuss what measurement students got and how that compares in inches, and
feet. From there we will compare length of objects. We will also spend time discussing the importance of
why certain tools make more sense to use than others and what the differences look like when using different
tools and units of measurements. Remaining time students will have access to education.com to play free
measurement games as well as explore interactive measurement activities on ixl.com
Day 3:
Day three will be a whole class review. We will start by playing a Kahoot where students will be given the
names of different objects and there will be questions about estimations and which tool to use to measure
said object. One example would be the word “Crayon” and the question “Which tool would you use to
measure a crayon” choices would be a) ruler b) yardstick c) measuring tape. An example for estimation
would be the word “Smart board” the question would be “what is an appropriate estimated length of our
classroom smartboard” answer choices would include a) 5 inches b) 3 yards c) 4 feet. After the Kahoot I will
have a google slide prepared that we will over as a class. The google slide will contain 10 different slides
with pictures of different objects. As a class we will discuss an estimated length, the tool we should use, and
I will give them the correct measurement of the object. I will give the students an opportunity to ask any
questions about information presented on this day. These assignments will give me a view of how the class
is doing as a whole and we can discuss questions and answers as we go. Remaining time students will have
access to education.com to play free measurement games as well as explore interactive measurement
activities on ixl.com
Day 4:
Day 4 On day four the students will do a short quiz where there will be pictures of different objects and they
will circle and answer on what tool they would use to measure said object. There will also be 4 provided
rectangles on the quiz where the students will be required to document measurements of each rectangle and
provide the correct unit of measurement. This assessment will get me a good understanding of where
students are individually. Remaining time students will have access to education.com to play free
measurement games as well as explore interactive measurement activities on ixl.com
Day 5:
On day five I will provide the students with three options to strengthen skills learned through the week.
Option one will be for them to play the measurement games on education.com and ixl.com. Option two will
be to take the rulers, yardsticks, and measuring tapes, and meter sticks around the classroom and out in the
classroom hallway to continue to measure different objects. If they chose option two students will be
required to document measurements on a prepared google doc. The document will ask students what they
measured, and estimated length and its actual length. It will also ask them to compare two lengths they
measured that day. Option three will be a variety of measurement worksheets they can work on by
themselves or with a partner. During this “free choice” I will pull students aside who missed any questions
on the quiz. One-on-one we will go over what they missed, I will ask them if they have any questions, we
will do some practice questions if they missed more than 2 questions and I will provide them with a practice
worksheet.

Pre-Assessment:
As a pre-assessment teacher will gather students in a large group and discuss the topic of measurement.
Teacher will ask questions such as “who here knows what measurement is”, “what can we use to measure
different things”, “would you use the same tool to measure your foot as you would a school bus and if no,
why not”, “have you ever measured something before and if so, what was it”. This pre-assessment can give
the teacher and idea of where their class is starting at as whole as well as what areas need the most focus
during lesson.
 Scoring Guidelines:
Teacher should make a moderate judgement of students understanding during the initial conversation of the
pre-assessment. Through out the lesson teacher can evaluate how students are understanding the information
based on answers given during group discussion. On day two while students are in small groups measuring
items in the school the teacher will walk around and observe students’ interactions and methods of
measurements. While observing small groups the teacher should be able to determine which students may
need extra assistance as well as what areas need more explaining and practice.

Post-Assessment:
Post- assessment will come in the form of a small quiz on day four. On the quiz students will have pictures
of different objects, from those pictures students will circle either ruler, yardstick, measuring tape, or meter
stick to show is they understand when certain tools are appropriate forms of measurements. On the quiz
there will be four rectangles of different sizes, students will use a ruler to determine each rectangles length
and must provide the correct unit of measurement.

Scoring Guidelines:
The quiz will be a total of 12 questions. Students who score above a 90%, meaning they only missed
1 question show an understanding of the topic and will be considered to have full understanding of
the topic. Students who score about a 75% meaning they only missed two-three questions will revisit
the topic in small groups and practice material. And students missing more than three questions and
scoring below a 75% will revisit material one-on-one with teacher as well as additional practice work
sent home.

Differentiated Instructional Support

Describe how instruction can be differentiated (changed or altered) to meet the needs of gifted or accelerated
students:
Students who demonstrate gifted abilities in this area will be challenged by doing more comparisons in
objects. Example: how long is your desk and how long is a cafeteria table, which is longer, and by how
much. Students who have a full understanding of the topic will also be asked to answer more questions about
unit comparison. Example, if the classroom door is 6 feet high how many inches is it. These students can
also use their knowledge to explore different units of measurements with provided material from teacher.
These students will also have more challenging questions with centimeters and meters since these are more
particular measurements.

Discuss additional activities you could do to meet the needs of students who might be struggling with the
material:
For students who are struggling with this concept there are a variety of ways to help them succeed. It is first
important to pinpoint exactly what the student is struggling with.
If a student is having a hard time with the names of the tools, they may need each tool to have a label with
it’s given name. A visual prompt will help the student recognize it throughout the lesson.
For students who are struggling knowing the difference of centimeters, inches, feet, yards, and meters I
would break down those measurements and spend more time on each individual one. I would also provide
them with tools where the lines and numbers have a color-coded system.
Students struggling with estimations will get more practice on those areas with one-on-one teacher time and
worksheet practice.
Students who struggle with deciding what tool to use, determining difference in length, or any other subject
matter will have one-on-one teacher time and additional practice to target their specific needs and help build
on their skills.

Extension
https://www.education.com/games/second-grade/?q=measurement%20gmae
Education.com provides students with grade level specific games focused on different topics with a handful
of engaging games for measurement.

https://www.ixl.com/math/grade-2
ixl.com provides interactive activities and quizzes for second grade students learning measurement.

Homework Options and Home Connections

Students will be given the opportunity to take home a ruler, yardstick, and measuring tape to measure items
around their house with their family.

Interdisciplinary Connections
Social Science- Students will interact in both large and small groups. They will have to listen to others’
opinions and accept different points of views on why others might think one tool for measurement is better
than the other.
Science- Students will explore their classroom, school building, and home to find different items to measure.

Materials and Resources:

For teachers Ruler, yardstick, measuring tape, laptop, smartboard, practice worksheets.
 For students Ruler, yardstick, measuring tape, chrome books, pencil.

Key Vocabulary
Measurement, ruler, yardstick, measuring tape, centimeters, inches, feet, yards.

Additional Notes
Technology was used in this lesson plan in the form of google docs and a Kahoot. (Online games as well but
those are not created by the teacher).