![Picture](/uploads/1/0/4/3/10436839/321043646.gif)
In this activity, students practice estimating and measuring with non-standard measurement units.
Materials
Activity
Discuss with students about different ways they measure things. Do they always use exact units/measuring tools? Is it possible to always measure with exact units? Do they always have a ruler? Then, facilitate a discussion on why using nonstandard units might be helpful
Have small groups of pairs or 3-4 (depending on availability of materials) choose a non-standard measuring tool.
Pass out the measure it worksheet to students . Have them choose five different things in the class to measure. Encourage them to choose some objects that are very large and some that are small to measure.
Direct the students to estimate, then measure and record their response.
Go over their responses as a class. Have some students talk about what they measured. Was it easy to estimate? Why or why not? Is it always easy to tell
Assessment:
Evaluate student responses on measure it worksheet. Were there estimations relatively close? During discussion, can students explain what a nonstandard measure is? Do they identify times when it might be useful to use them?
References:
Worksheet: Classroomfreebies.com
http://www.classroomfreebies.com/2011/11/measurement-fun-freebies.html
Materials
- Variety of nonstandard measuring tools: paper clips, unifix cubes, linking chains, etc
- Measure it worksheet: found here
Activity
Discuss with students about different ways they measure things. Do they always use exact units/measuring tools? Is it possible to always measure with exact units? Do they always have a ruler? Then, facilitate a discussion on why using nonstandard units might be helpful
Have small groups of pairs or 3-4 (depending on availability of materials) choose a non-standard measuring tool.
Pass out the measure it worksheet to students . Have them choose five different things in the class to measure. Encourage them to choose some objects that are very large and some that are small to measure.
Direct the students to estimate, then measure and record their response.
Go over their responses as a class. Have some students talk about what they measured. Was it easy to estimate? Why or why not? Is it always easy to tell
Assessment:
Evaluate student responses on measure it worksheet. Were there estimations relatively close? During discussion, can students explain what a nonstandard measure is? Do they identify times when it might be useful to use them?
References:
Worksheet: Classroomfreebies.com
http://www.classroomfreebies.com/2011/11/measurement-fun-freebies.html