Lesson Title: Let’s Measure!
Creator: Shelly Prince
Grade Level: 4-5
Big Idea: Measurement
Essential Question: Why do we need standard units of measure?
CSOs, LS, TT:
CSOs –
 M.O. 4.4.1 - Students will select appropriate measuring tools, apply and
convert standard units within a system to estimate, measure, compare and
order real-world measurements including:
lengths using customary (to the nearest one-fourth inch) and metric
units, weight, capacity, temperature, and justify and present results.
 M.O.5.4.1 Students will estimate, measure, compare, order and draw
lengths of real objects in parts of an inch up to 1/8 of an inch and
millimeters.
 M.O.5.4.5 Students will solve real-world problems requiring conversions
within a system of measurement.
LS –
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TT 
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21C.O.3-4.2.LS.1 Student engages, with teacher assistance, in a critical
thinking process that synthesizes knowledge and ideas.
21C.O.3-4.2.LS.3 Student engages in a problem solving process that
promotes questioning, planning investigations and finding answers and
solutions.
21C.O.3-4.3.LS.4 Student appreciates, accepts and works cooperatively
with others, in both academic and social contexts, shares responsibility for
continued improvement of the academic performance and climate of the
school, and exhibits ethical behavior while working alone or
communicating with others.
21C.O.3-4.2.TT.4 Student uses technology tools (e.g., calculators, data
collection probes, videos, educational software) for problem solving, selfdirected learning, and extended learning activities
21C.O.5-8.2.TT.3 Student uses multiple technology tools for gathering
information in order to solve problems, make informed decisions, and
present and justify the solutions.
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Launch/Introduction: (suggested time 15-25 minutes)
Activating Prior Knowledge
1. Post the Essential Question and draw students’ attention to it. Give them a
minute to think about how they would answer this question, and have them
jot their answers down on sticky notes and place the notes around the
question. You will refer back to them at the end of the lesson.
2. Pose the situation to students: Let’s say that we are getting a new student in
our class, and we need to adjust the height of the desk for him.
 What kind of instrument would we use the find the measurement?
 What if we didn’t have a ruler or yardstick available to us? Could we still
find a way to convey the height in some other terms?
3. One way to help students begin to think of alternate ways to measure the
desk would be to discuss ancient ways of measuring length. Lead them in a
discussion of the following ancient measurements, allowing the students to
demonstrate each one:
cubit – the length of the forearm from elbow to the end of the fingers
digit – the width of a finger
fathom – the length of a man’s outstretched arms from fingertip to fingertip
foot – the length of a man’s foot
handspan – the distance from the tip of the thumb to the tip of the little finger
when the hand is fully extended
league – the distance a person, or a horse, can walk in one hour of time
pace – a deep or “giant” step
palm – the width of a human hand at its widest point
4. Have students trace a hand with their fingers extended and closed against
one another and their thumb closed against the side of their hand. Then
tell them to cut out the palm unit and use it to measure the width of their
desks in palms.
5. Using a document camera or a transparency on an overhead projector, record
the measures of the palm widths of several students for the class to view.
Help students see that the measurements vary from person to person and
that desks measured with palm measures would be different sizes for most of
the students in the class.
6. To illustrate the point, use palm cutouts that were prepared beforehand,
showing the palms of a baby, a child, an adult male, and an adult
female. Ask the students, “How can we use the information that we have
collected on palm width to help ensure that two people could measure a
desk independently with palms and come up with fairly consistent
measurements?” Discuss with students how using one palm width as a
standard would help achieve consistency among measures.
7. Now give every student a “standard” size palm that has been prepared
beforehand. Using this palm of the same size, have students re-measure
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the width of their desks and discuss the greater consistency in measures.
Specialized Vocabulary Development – These are terms that will be introduced
through this first lesson on measurement. Some terms such as measurement
and length are essential terms for students to add to their math vocabulary, while
other terms, such as handspan and palm are only necessary for the success of
this lesson. The terms that are essential for math understanding should be
reviewed in subsequent lessons and at the end of the measurement unit. A
game format, such as math vocabulary dominoes could be used as an informal
assessment of students’ mastery of the essential word meanings. A domino
template for writing in your own words and student friendly definitions is included
with this lesson.
measurement
measure
length
palm
handspan
pace
cubit
units
precise
digit
fathom
foot
league
Investigate/Explore: (suggested time varies from 30-40 minutes)
1. Arrange students in pairs, and distribute two connecting cubes and two sheets
of differently colored paper to each pair.
2. Explain to students that they will be working in pairs to make a new style of
ruler that they will then use to measure the lengths of objects in the
classroom. Tell them to use the two cubes as their unit and to begin by
measuring off lengths of paper that are equal to the unit. (See example of
student ruler.)
3. Distribute scissors and ask the students to cut out the lengths of the paper.
4. Give the pairs the 40cm strips of construction paper or tagboard, and tell
them to paste their unit lengths to these longer strips in alternating colors.
Note Let the students decide how many units they will include in the rulers.
Encourage them not to use an edge of the strip as the starting point for the
ruler, and explain that many conventional rulers are offset in this fashion.
5. Once the students have made their rulers, they will be ready to use them to
measure the lengths of objects in the classroom. Distribute the Measuring
Lengths Recording Sheet. Explain that they will be measuring in the same
units, with one unit equal to two cubes. Have them label the units on their
rulers. Ask students to take a close look at how long one unit “looks” to be
so that they can estimate the lengths of objects before they actually measure
them.
6. As a whole class, practice estimating the number of whole units of objects
and then measuring these same things with their ruler. Measure such things
as the edge of a book, etc.
7. Have student pairs to move through the stations that were set up beforehand
to measure an object that has been placed there with their new rulers.
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8. When the students have measured different objects with their calibrate rulers,
have them post their lists of objects and the corresponding measurements.
9. Have groups look for patterns in the answers of different pairs by asking
questions such as the following:
 Did you get the same measures when you measured the same objects?
(In theory, they should have.)
 Why do you think there were differences in the lengths measured for the
same objects?” (Differences may be due to faulty counting, imprecision in
the construction of the rulers, or incorrect placement of the ruler while
measuring the objects.)
Note – For pairs of students who understand the concept and quickly work
through the stations, an extension of the lesson would be to have them
modify their rulers to the nearest half inch, then quarter inch, and even to the
eighth of an inch to obtain more precise measurements for the items at the
measuring stations. Attention should be given to these students to make sure
that they accurately divide their rulers to the half inch, quarter inch, and eighth
inch before they begin using them to measure in these subunits.
Summarize/Debrief the Lesson: (suggested time varies from 30-40 minutes)
Reflections
Use the following questions to bring closure to the lesson:
 Which way of measuring gave you more accurate measurements – using
palms or using the ruler you made?
 Why do you think the ruler is a better measuring tool?
 When you were measuring with your ruler, did you always measure the
lengths of objects in whole units?
 Can you think of any changes you can make to your ruler that would make
it a more precise measuring tool?
 Draw students’ attention back to the Essential Question and allow
students to discuss if they still agree with their answers posted on the
sticky notes at the beginning of the lesson.
Materials:
For each pair of students –
 Two connecting cubes (about 5 cm long when connected)
 Two sheets of colored paper (different colors) that can be cut into strips
 A strip of tagboard approximately 5 cm wide by 40 cm long
 A pair of scissors
 Paste or a glue stick
 A “Measuring Objects” recording sheet
 Colored pencils
 Construction paper for tracing palms
For the teacher –
 Document camera or Overhead Projector and Transparency Sheets
 LCD Projector (if using a Document Camera)
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Sketch – “Ancient Ways of Measuring”
Cut outs of traced palms of different aged people
Cut outs of “standardized” palms traced from one person and duplicated
Sticky note pad
Duration:
90 minutes
Discussion for Teachers about the Lesson:
This is the first lesson in a unit on measuring length. After this lesson, I use the
children’s book, How Big Is a Foot? by Rolf Myller, to reinforce the concept of
standard units of measure. Then I do a series of lessons on measuring length to
the nearest 1/4th inch in fourth grade and 1/8th inch in fifth grade.
*Note – This lesson has been adapted from Navigating through Measurement in
Grades 3-5, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (2005), pp. 20 – 23.
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