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Questions to ask:

What is my driving question for student-centered STEM investigation and learning?

How will the students engage in the engineering design process?

How will I assess student learning (formative and summative)?

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Questions to ask:

How will use my resources to support my driving question and instructional delivery?

What teacher moves will I use (explicit teacher talk, modeling, providing support based on specific student struggles)?

How will I provide opportunities for cooperative learning and productive struggle in my lesson?

Where will students be leading the work?

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Questions to ask:

What am I going to use/not use?

What do I need to adjust?

What is my plan for implementation with the materials?

Are these materials and my instructional design meeting all students' needs?

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Questions to ask:

What resources in my curriculum are useful here?

What is missing from my curriculum resources?

Where can I find resources to support the curriculum I already have?

What online resources could I add or adapt using to teach the standard(s) and move students toward mastery of my lesson objective(s)?

Where can I make connections to other subject areas and find the resources to do so?

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Questions to ask:

Am I prepared for my students?

Do I have all the knowledge that is required for this lesson?

What can go wrong in the lesson?

How can I prevent these moments from happening?

Are all my materials gathered?

Is my plan B ready?

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Questions to ask:

What standards am I teaching? What are the objectives of my lesson?

What do students need before coming into this lesson?

What do I want students to know and understand?

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As We Grow: Measuring Heights and Graphing Data

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Inch by Inch [Lionni, Leo, Lionni, Leo] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Inch by Inch

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Goldilocks and the Three Bears [Brett, Jan, Brett, Jan] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Goldilocks and the Three Bears

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As We Grow: Measuring Heights STEM Lesson

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As We Grow: Measuring Heights STEM Lesson

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Students visit second- and fourth-grade classes to measure the heights of older students using large building blocks as a non-standard unit of measure. They also measure adults in the school community. Results are displayed in age-appropriate bar graphs (paper cut-outs of miniature building blocks glued on paper to form bar graphs) enabling a comparison of the heights of different age groups. The activities that comprise this activity help students develop the concepts and vocabulary to describe, in a non-ambiguous way, how heights change as children age. This introduction to graphing provides an important foundation for creating and interpreting graphs in future years.
This engineering curriculum aligns to Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).

Learning Objectives

After this activity, students should be able to:

Measure heights in a non-standard, age-appropriate way, such as by using building blocks instead of rulers.

Display data in the form of pictorial bar graphs.

Interpret bar graphs.

Describe how the heights of children change as they age.

Educational Standards
Suggest an alignment not listed above

Materials List

long building blocks, about 10 inches long; one for every two students in the class

medium building blocks, half as long as the long blocks above; one for every two students

15-30 sheets of construction paper (preferably all the same color)

glue, for student use

poster board, several sheets, either all one color, or four different colors, one for each age group

markers and pencil

paper cutter or scissors

ruler

Introduction/Motivation

(Gather the class together and remind them of the discussion that was held after they measured each other using building blocks. Point out the list of student heights that was obtained during that discussion.)

I know a way to show all that information in a special type of picture called a graph. Who has heard of a graph? (Listen to student responses.) Where have you seen a graph? How was it used? What did it tell you?

Graphs are very useful because they let people share or learn about a lot of information in a quick and easy way.

Today, you will help me make a large graph of your heights.

Procedure

Before the Activity

Create and make copies of a data sheet for each student to use when visiting the other grade classrooms to record the names and heights of a second grader and a fourth grader, and provide space to make tally marks as they measure the older students.

Prepare about 500 construction paper rectangles, all sized ~1 x 3-inches, for students to use, with glue, to make bar graphs. It helps to use a paper cutter to make this easier! The exact size does not matter but make them similar in proportion to the building blocks being used and an easy size for students to handle. Since construction paper measures 9 x 12-inches, 1 x 3-inche rectangles are easy to mark off and cut (1½ x 4-inch rectangles are also easy, but require more construction paper). The exact number of rectangles needed depends on the class size.

Use a meter stick and pencil to lightly draw vertical lines about every three to four inches across the sheets of poster board. Draw one vertical line for each student in the class, and write a different student's name at the bottom of each of line. The vertical lines make it easier for students to glue the rectangles neatly onto the poster board into bar graphs. Use the wider spacing if your rectangles are the larger size. This way, when students glue down the rectangles, they can line up the pieces along the vertical lines to keep the graphs from leaning or becoming too crooked.

A week or two in advance, recruit a dozen or so adults to visit your class and be measured by your students. These might be parents, administrators, librarians, janitors or counselors-anyone who can spare a few minutes. Try to get both men and women, and include yourself. It is best if all the recruited adults visit the class at the same time, but if not, schedule over several different days and times.

A few days in advance, arrange times when your class can visit a second-grade class and a fourth-grade class. It works best if you determine in advance which pair of kindergartners will measure the heights of which two older students in each class.

OVERVIEW: During the course of several days, students will:

As a class activity, create a bar graph that shows all the heights of the students in the class. This is accomplished by students gluing pre-cut rectangles, resembling the measuring blocks students used, onto lined prepared chart paper.

Visit second-grade and fourth-grade classes to measure the heights of those (older) students.

Measure the heights of several adults recruited from the school community.

As a group activity, create bar graphs that compare the heights of second-graders, fourth-graders and adults.

Part 1: Making a Class Graph

1. Show the class the already-prepared poster board and rectangles. Place the poster paper on the floor or a table so that it is flat. Then, using the actual data for one student, show how you can line up the rectangles on end, one above the other, to represent that student's height. Do not glue those rectangles down. Also point out how to use the vertical lines drawn on the poster paper to keep the line of rectangles straight, and that you placed the rectangles on the line marked with the name of the student whose data you chose.

2. Explain that each person's task is to glue rectangles on the poster board to show his or her height, using the vertical line above his or her name. Then, remove the rectangles you used for demonstration and let students begin creating and gluing down their own graphs. To avoid congestion, do this as a center activity in which groups of three rotate through.

Part 2: Measuring Second and Fourth Graders

1. Explain to students that it would be fun to visit some other classes and see how tall some older students are. Explain that you have arranged visits to a second-grade and a fourth-grade class. Ask students: How do you think the heights of these older students will compare to your heights? When students say they think the older students will be taller, ask them how much taller. Students may use their arms to demonstrate, but ask them how many blocks taller they think each group will be. Record their predictions on chart paper or the classroom board.

2. Next, explain that this time, students will work in pairs to measure two second-graders and two fourth-graders. This way, one kindergartner can work as the tally marker while the other does the block measurement. Suggest that they trade jobs each time they measure a new student.

3. When you return to your own classroom, ask the class how their measurements compared to the predictions recorded earlier.

Part 3: Measuring Adults

1. On the appointed day (or just before the first of the adult visits), ask the class how many blocks tall they think adults are, compared to their heights. As before, record their predictions.

2. As the adult recruits visit the class to be measured, record their names and heights on the large data sheet prepared in advance.

3. As the data comes in, compare the actual adult heights to the student-predicted heights.

Part 4: Graphing Older Students and Adults

1. Using the poster boards prepared in advance, have students glue on rectangles to represent the measured second-grader and fourth-grader heights. These should be made in the same manner as the graphs of their own heights. Again, do this as a center activity.

2. Likewise, assign individual students to glue bars representing the adults onto the poster board prepared earlier for the adult height graph.

Part 5: Discussion and Investigating Questions

Display all four completed graphs in a row, ordered from the youngest to the oldest age groups. Ask students to comment on what they observe about the graphs. Expect their first response to be: as people get older, they get taller. Then ask questions to focus their observations, such as:

Do you see a big difference between the heights of kindergartners and the heights of second graders?

Do you see a big difference between the heights of kindergartners and the heights of fourth graders?

What about the difference between second and fourth graders?

What about the difference between kindergartners and adults?

Are all kindergartners the same height? What about all second and fourth graders?

Do you see a difference between the heights of boys and girls in each class? (Expect not much height difference between genders, or possibly girls may be slightly taller on average.)

Do you see a difference between the heights of men and women in the adults?

1. Real-World Engineering Connection: Explain that the way students just spent some time carefully examining all the measurements and graphs they made is similar to how engineers look at the data they collect and the graphs they make, looking for comparisons, averages, trends and patterns. It is how engineers figure out what sizes to make everything from skyscrapers to doorways, car seats, bicycles, phones and shoes.

2. Next, explain that there is a more exact way to talk about the differences between the heights of the four age groups. Starting with the kindergartner poster, ask who is the shortest person in the class. At the bottom of the chart paper, write down that student's measurement. Then ask who is the next taller student. Write down that student's measurement directly above the first's. Continue putting the student heights in order from shortest to tallest.

3. Then explain that you are going to start crossing off heights two at a time, by crossing off the shortest and tallest together. Then cross off the second shortest and second tallest together, and continue crossing off pairs of measurements until only one or two measurements in the middle of the list remain. Explain to the class that since you have crossed off all the short and tall students, you now have the middle-sized kindergarten height remaining. (In mathematical terms, you have determined the median height, but avoid using this term with young children; "middle-sized" is a term they can understand and serves just as well.)

4. Repeat the same procedure for the second-grade class. Point out that you can now easily compare the heights of middle-sized kindergartners to middle-sized second graders. For example: A middle-sized kindergartner is 4 blocks tall, and a middle-sized second grader is 4½ blocks tall. So a second grader is one-half a block taller than a kindergartner."

5. Do the same for the fourth grade class and the adults. By having them compare the heights of the different age groups using numbers (quantitatively), you are helping them develop both number sense and an understanding that numbers can be used to help describe and compare things of interest.

Assessment

Summary Assessment: To assess whether students are now able to independently use non-standard methods of measurement, ask them to measure the heights of several objects in the classroom. This time, have them use smaller building blocks to measure objects such as a book, teddy bear or doll and paint brush. See if they are able to show their results in the form of a bar graph by having them use paper cut-outs of the blocks (prepared in advance, or else use existing toy blocks, such as LEGO bricks) to create bar graphs that compare the measurements of the various objects.

Safety Issues

Students may need to stand on chairs or tables to measure adults, so be sure to monitor this activity closely.

Watch that students who are easily angered or frustrated do not use the large building blocks to harm others.

Activity Extensions

Conduct a similar exercise with home-grown seedling plants by having students use stacking 1-inch cubes (such as Unifix cubes) to measure the heights of growing plants over a period of weeks. Have students plant bean or zinnia seeds according to package directions, using 16-ounce plastic drinking cups with drainage holes made in the bottoms. Use a good quality potting soil, and make several extra plantings in case some seeds do not germinate. Keep the pots moist but not soggy, and leave them in a sunny window.

Once the seedlings are about two inches high, have students measure the heights with Unifix cubes every three or four days. Provide data sheets for recording the height measurements and the number of days since planting. Provide a large calendar with the planting day prominently marked to help with this data collection procedure.

After a few weeks, when the plants reach full height, have students create bar graphs showing how their own plants grew each time they were measured.

In a follow-up discussion, be sure students realize that like humans, plants grow steadily at first, and then their growth slows or even stops. Unlike humans, however, many plants keep growing indefinitely, as long as they have enough nutrients and water and remain disease-free. Trees are a familiar example.

Copyright © 2013 by Regents of the University of Colorado; original © 2004 Duke University

Contributors Mary R. Hebrank

Supporting Program Engineering K-PhD Program, Pratt School of Engineering, Duke University

Acknowledgements

This content was developed by the MUSIC (Math Understanding through Science Integrated with Curriculum) Program in the Pratt School of Engineering at Duke University under National Science Foundation GK-12 grant no. DGE 0338262. However, these contents do not necessarily represent the policies of the NSF, and you should not assume endorsement by the federal government.

Last modified: September 3, 2020

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As We Grow: Measuring Heights and Graphing Data - Activity

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Students visit second- and fourth-grade classes to measure the heights of older students using large building blocks as a non-standard unit of measure. They also measure adults in the school community. Results are displayed in age-appropriate bar graphs (paper cut-outs of miniature building blocks glued on paper to form bar graphs) enabling a comparison of the heights of different age groups.

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Ramirez - As We Grow STEM Lesson Plan Curation - PD Cohort 3- Fall 2022

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How can we create a non-standard unit of measure to represent the different sizes of people around the school (students/staff/administration)?

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Students will visit upper grade classes as well as school staff to measure their heights using large building blocks as a non-standard unit of measure. Their results will be displayed in age-appropriate bar graphs (paper cut-outs of miniature building blocks glued on paper to form bar graphs) enabling a comparison of the heights of different age groups. There will be Math, Science, and engineering content embedded in this lesson.

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NGSS: Next Generation Science Standards - Science

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NGSS: Next Generation Science Standards - Science

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Make observations (firsthand or from media) to collect data that can be used to make comparisons. (Grades K - 1)

Analyzing data in K–2 builds on prior experiences and progresses to collecting, recording, and sharing observations. (Grades K - 2)

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V.F.1:  I can measure object attributes using a variety of standard and nonstandard tools.

V.F.2:  I can identify measurable attributes such as length and weight and solves problems by making direct comparisons of objects.

V.F.3:  I can seriate (place objects in sequence) up to six objects in order by height or length (e.g., cube towers or unit blocks).

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Measuring and graphing are important skills used in all engineering disciplines. When engineers design houses or cars or bicycles, they need to know the likely shapes and sizes of the people who will be using those structures, vehicles or products. Making graphs enables engineers to look at lots of data at once, in order to see averages, trends and patterns.

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After this activity, students should be able to:

Measure heights in a non-standard, age-appropriate way, such as by using building blocks instead of rulers.

Display data in the form of pictorial bar graphs.

Interpret bar graphs.

Describe how the heights of children change as they age.

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How can understanding measurement help us in real life? (help us compare weight, determine growth)

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The teacher will give each student a piece of string cut to a specific length. Then, the teacher will guide them to use the string to measure several objects in the room to find those that are the same length and compare lengths. Model first by measuring one longer object and one shorter object. Then measure an object the same length. Emphasize the words longer, shorter, and same. Encourage children to predict lengths before they measure and compare (e.g., The book will be longer than my string).

The teacher will engage students in comparing and measuring activities each day throughout the unit. they will use linking cubes, string, strips of paper, balance scales, and objects to guide students to measure and compare. Focus on more/less/fewer, shorter/longer/ taller, and lighter/heavier. For example, place objects next to each other. Have children observe, then measure each with string.

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Tall and Short | Jack Hartmann | Measurement Song

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Measuring Activities: Measuring with Blocks

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Measuring Activities: Measuring with Blocks

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Here is a super simple preschool measuring activity for the whole family! Early math skills start with lots of playful opportunities that don't even have to be planned ahead of time. Encourage mathematical investigation for kindergarten and preschool with a simple measuring activity like this one. Measuring different items takes place everyday and here we chose to use our unifix cubes to measure hands and feet. Check out all our preschool math activities!

Preschool Measuring Activity with Unifix Cubes

MEASURING WITH UNIFIX CUBES

Today we practiced measuring our hands, feet and shoes. All of us, including Daddy too! The goal was to see, by measuring, who had the longest hand and foot. OK, kind of easy to tell but he was happy lining up the unifix cubes and counting them. Creating visuals and allowing children to explore mathematics in a hands-on way is vital to brain development.
MEASURING WITH BLOCKS?
Yes! Although we typically think of measuring things by pulling out a ruler, we can teach kindergarten and preschoolers the concept of measurement with this simple activity.

A couple important things to remember is that the item you use to measure with, in our case unifix cubes or the DUPLO below, should all be the same size and type. They should also be carefully placed end to end. Using an assortment of random size objects just won't work!

MEASURING ACTIVITY

SIMPLE SET UP

Set out large pieces of paper, markers, and unifix cubes (LEGO or small blocks work too!)

HOW TO MEASURE YOUR HANDS AND FEET

STEP 1. Take turns tracing your hands, feet and shoes onto the paper with a little help as needed.

I had Liam practice his letters by writing an M, a D and a L for each person inside each tracing. Depending on the letter we made dots for him to follow, guided his hand or let him have it. We also decided to practice writing his name.

TIP: Feel free to color and decorate your feet and hands if your child is interested. You certainly can explore all avenues of early learning, not just math.

STEP 2. Start at the bottom of each foot, hand or shoe and carefully line up the unifix cubes until you get to the highest point.

We talked a bit about looking for the highest point and although the top of the hand could be several places, we were looking for the highest, tallest part to line up our cubes and measure.

STEP 3. After you have finished lining up one page (feet first) count the number of unifix cubes. You can write down how many you counted by each one.

STEP 4. Repeat this same sequence for each hand, foot or shoe and then go back to compare results. Who had the longest hands or feet?

You can also use your blocks or cubes to measure the height or length of toys. Measure a room, measure the height of the table, measure the length of a shoe. The possibilities are endless!
Looking for easy to print Math activities for preschoolers? We have you covered...
MORE FUN HANDS-ON MATH ACTIVITIES

MEASURING ACTIVITIES FOR PRESCHOOLERS

See what other preschool math activities we have been enjoying! Click photo.

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Measuring Activity For Preschoolers - Little Bins for Little Hands

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Here is a super simple preschool measuring activity for the whole family! Early math skills start with lots of playful opportunities that don't even have to be planned ahead of time. Encourage mathematical investigation for kindergarten and preschool with a simple measuring activity like this one.

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Kids will learn all about measuring with these 12 hands-on measuring activities for kids - including measuring with candy, Lego bricks, and Magna-Tiles!

Follow our Math for Kids Pinterest board!

Measurement is one of those math skills that we use pretty much everyday, whether we're measuring ingredients for a recipe or figuring out how many more miles we can go on what's left in our gas tank. By involving children in these opportunities, kids can easily gain experience working on their measuring skills in a meaningful way.

You can also create learning opportunities for your child right at home. Most of the hands-on measurement activities for kids in this collection require very little materials and are super easy to set up. Here's 12 simple ways to encourage your child to explore measurement right at home!

Measurement Exploration Center from Buggy and Buddy

Lego Measurement from No Time for Flashcards

Estimating Circumference Using an Apple from Gift of Curiosity

Frog Jump: Measurement and Gross Motor Activity from Coffee Cups and Crayons

Measuring Perimeter with Candy from Fantastic Fun and Learning

Measuring with Unifix Cubes from Little Bins for Little Hands

Measuring Distance with a Homemade Catapult from Stir the Wonder

Measuring with Non-Standard Units from Frugal Fun for Boys

Measuring with Feet from Inspiration Laboratories

Measuring with Magna-Tiles from And Next Comes L

Teach Measurement Using Yarn from The Measured Mom

Measuring with Candy Hearts from Buggy and Buddy

Find more STEM activities in our ebook! Learn more about it here, or buy it now here!

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Hands-On Measurement Activities - Buggy and Buddy

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Kids will learn all about measuring with these 12 hands-on measuring activities for kids - including measuring with candy, Lego bricks, and Magna-Tiles! Measurement is one of those math skills that we use pretty much everyday, whether we're measuring ingredients for a recipe or figuring out how many more miles we can go on what's left in our gas tank.

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This Mindful Math Kindergarten Measurement and Time unit is a comprehensive math curriculum that was designed to be teacher and student-friendly and includes 9 lessons to teach measurement and time in Kindergarten (compare and order length, height, weight, capacity; non-standard linear and weight measurement; passage of time; time to the hour).

It was created to give teachers a ready-to-teach math curriculum that is fun, engages minds, and leaves students knowledgeable and fluent in math concepts.

Go from boring, complicated math to lessons that are enjoyable, effective, and easy to use. This comprehensive, differentiated unit has everything you need to teach the kindergarten math standards.

This ready-to-teach unit of teacher-tested, hands-on math curriculum provides teachers with EVERYTHING they need to teach kindergarten math with no need to supplement from other sources.

Mindful MATH includes thoughtful lessons and activities to help meet the needs of different learning styles. Students will have many opportunities to learn and practice new strategies and develop math fluency through whole group warm-ups, lessons, mental math, journal prompts, math centers, math games, and more.

This unit is included in Mindful Math for Kindergarten. Check out the Mindful MATH Kindergarten Curriculum BUNDLE available at a HUGE discount NOW!
Mindful MATH for Kindergarten has what teachers LOVE!
⭐Easy to implement, effective lesson and activities that kids enjoy!

⭐Detailed, easy-to-teach lesson plans that take the guesswork out of what to teach!

⭐ALL lesson materials provided so you don't have to waste time gathering supplies!

⭐"I Can" concept posters to introduce topics so your students understand concepts more easily!

⭐A variety of activities for every lesson (math games and centers) to keep engagement high!

⭐Build math skills and develop fluency with math journals, task cards, mental math, and TONS of differentiated practice printables!

⭐Quick Check assessment review cards so you can check that your students understand what they need to know!

↑↑↑ See the PREVIEW PDF for a detailed look at what is included in this curriculum unit! ↑↑↑
Teachers will create SUCCESS with all that is included in this unit of Mindful MATH!
⭐ Lesson Overview

An explanation of the parts of a lesson plan and how they can be used.

⭐ Unit Overview

A list of the 8-10 math lessons included and what curriculum standards they cover with the US Common Core, as well as B.C.'s and Ontario's curriculum.

⭐ Lesson Plans

Mindful MATH lesson plans provide teachers with a detailed plan to follow from start to finish. Instructions for whole group math lessons, individual math practice, and follow up activities are given. Also included are lesson goals, vocabulary, questions to ask, material list, and book suggestions to match concepts.

⭐ Lesson Materials

All the extra materials needed for teaching a lesson and student practice are provided. Math manipulatives and tools, such as words, ten frames, number lines, are included to support students and the lesson.

Chart pieces and "I Can" Concept Posters are provided to support lesson instruction.

⭐ Warm-Up Task Cards

Mindful Math task cards are short math warm-up activities that students can complete independently. There are a variety of tasks that build on skills previously taught in other lessons to build fluency.

⭐ Journal Prompts

Mindful Math Journal Prompts are perfect for a warm-up activity, for extra practice, or for homework. Each prompt reviews the skills and concepts taught in the previous lesson. They make a great review activity and help build math understanding.

⭐ Mental Math

Mindful Math mental math cards are perfect for building mental math skills and quick recall of important math concepts. Mental math cards are provided and suggested to use as a whole group as a warm-up activity.

⭐ Practice Printables

Every lesson in Mindful Math includes practice printable pages for students to complete independently following a lesson. The pages help build math skills and review important concepts. The pages range in difficulty to allow for differentiation.

⭐ Hands-On Activities (Math Centers and Games)

Each lesson includes math games, activities, and centers. The lesson plans and activity cards provide instructions on how to use.

⭐ Assessment

Mindful Math Quick Checks are assessments that can be performed after math lessons and practice. Each Quick Check includes a short activity for individual or small groups to complete and show to the teacher.

⭐ Supplemental Materials (Answer Key & Book List, & Canadian pages)

Answer keys are provided to help teachers assess and check the practice printable pages, as well as the pre & post-test assessments.

A suggested book list is provided with children's literature to help teach math concepts.

Extra pages are provided for Canadian teachers with Canadian spelling and content (coins and money, for example).

USA BUYERS: The curriculum aligns with the U.S. Common Core standards. This unit covers Second Grade standards and builds on to those skills with challenges and rigor.

CANADIAN BUYERS: Mindful Math also aligns with the Canadian math curriculum in British Columbia and Ontario (Curriculum standards are included and matched to lessons within the product).
**EXTRA PAGES FOR CANADIAN CONTENT AND SPELLING ARE PROVIDED.** Lessons Included in this Kindergarten Unit:

1. Length & Width

2. Height

3. Weight

4. Capacity

5. Non-standard Linear Measurement

6. Non-standard Weight Measurement

7. Passage of Time

8. Parts of a Clock

9. Time to the Hour

A FEW of the ENGAGING & MINDS-ON activities included in Measurement & Time unit:

Task cards

"I Can" posters (letter "I" is capitalized)

Interactive math journal pages

Printable practice pages

Mental math flash cards

Tons of balance scale activities

Playdough snakes

Measurement scavenger hunt

Foot measuring activity

'Measuring My Friend' activity and mini-book

Measuring animals with cubes

Timeline of the day activity

'In a Minute' timing activity

Time of day picture sort

Build a clock mat

Clock clip cards

Time Match Game

Decorate a watch craft

& much MORE!

FAQ: How do you set it up and organize all the materials?
Check out the info guide HERE! See a breakdown of what is included, how to use, implement, and organize it and read the frequently asked questions.
How do you differentiate with Mindful Math?
Mindful Math includes many opportunities and options for differentiation. Lessons encourage students to show their understanding in different ways and practice math concepts with or without supports. The curriculum includes many practice pages with different levels of difficulty, as well as a variety of activities, games, and centers.
Are digital resources included in this curriculum?
This is a printable program, however, you can now create your own digital activities using the TPT Digital Tool to assign pages to Google Classroom by clicking the 'Create Digital Activity' button of the product page.
Check out the other Kindergarten Mindful Math units: Numbers to 5 Kindergarten Numbers to 10 Kindergarten Numbers 11-20 Kindergarten Graphing & Sorting Kindergarten Patterning Kindergarten Addition to 10 Kindergarten Subtraction to 10 Kindergarten Counting to 100 Kindergarten Geometry & Shapes Kindergarten You might also be interested in: First Grade Mindful Math Second Grade Mindful Math Math Mats Bundle Math Workshop Tool Kit Math In A Minute - Addition Fact Practice Math In A Minute - Subtraction Fact Practice
Looking for Social-Emotional Learning lessons and activities? Check out the curriculum that is needed in ALL classrooms -> The BEST-SELLING mind+heart curriculum available for K-2 and grades 3-5. This curriculum would make the perfect addition to your SEL instruction!
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©2013 to Present - Proud to be Primary - Elyse Rycroft

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Kindergarten Math - Measurement & Time Unit - Math Centers, Worksheets & Lessons

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This Mindful Math Kindergarten Measurement and Time unit is a comprehensive math curriculum that was designed to be teacher and student-friendly and includes 9 lessons to teach measurement and time in Kindergarten (compare and order length, height, weight, capacity; non-standard linear and weight me...

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Measurement Project Make a Measurement Garden Measuring Craft

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Measurement Project - Make a Measurement GardenMeasure in INCHES Measuring CraftThis resource includes everything you need for your students to make this measurement project:Directions to project on your interactive board or print as mini-anchor chartsPrintable flowers (1 inch - 5 inches) and stemsT…

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Measuring and Graphing: How Tall Are We?

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Measuring and Graphing: How Tall Are We?

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Kindergartners measure each others' heights using large building blocks as the unit of measure. For their measurement technique, they tally how many blocks high each student is. Then they display the collected data in bar graphs made from from paper cut-outs of miniature building blocks glued on paper, which helps them see how bar graphs look like the various student heights they observe. Doing this establishes an important foundation for both creating and interpreting graphs in future years, as well as prepares students for the associated activity when they visit a second- and a fourth-grade class to measure those older students' heights. They also measure adults in the school community. Creating bar graphs from this additional data enables students to compare the different age groups to foresee how they may grow taller. Through this introduction to graphing lesson and its associated activity, students develop the concepts and vocabulary to describe, in a non-ambiguous way, how height changes as children age.
This engineering curriculum aligns to Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).

Learning Objectives

After this lesson, students should be able to:

Measure the heights of their classmates using a non-standard method (building blocks instead of rulers).

Record collected data in an organized fashion.

Educational Standards
Suggest an alignment not listed above

Worksheets and Attachments
Visit [www.teachengineering.org/lessons/view/duk_tall_mary_less] to print or download.

Introduction/Motivation

(By the time they are in kindergarten, most children are well aware of the size differences, most notably in height, between babies, young children, older children and adults. Furthermore, adults frequently comment on how much children have grown, and from the tone of voice used, children understand that this is a good thing. These comments make a good way to open this lesson.)

Have grownups ever told you how big you are getting or how much you've grown since the last time they saw you? (Let some students share their stories.)

Have you ever had your height measured, maybe at a doctor's office? How were you measured? (Listen to a few student descriptions.) Why is it important to have your height measured. (Listen to student ideas.) Growth is an indication of the health of a body. If a child isn't growing as expected, it can be a sign of an underlying health problem that needs attention.

Well, we don't have the same equipment that is in doctors' offices. But we can measure your heights in a different way, by measuring each other with building blocks. Let's get started.

Lesson Background and Concepts for Teachers

Lesson Procedure

Estimation: With the class still gathered together, ask one student to come to the front and stand against the wall. Then place a building block on end next to the student. Ask if the student is taller than the block. Then ask how many blocks tall they think the student is, that is, how many blocks need to be stacked up to reach the top of the child's head. Let students share their guesses. Record their guesses on chart paper or the classroom board.

Measurement Technique: Then ask another student to come help you measure the first student. Ask this helper to hold a finger at the top of the block. Then show how you can pick up the block, and move it to a position right on top of where the block was originally. At this point, count aloud and say something like, "One, two, it takes two blocks to go part way up Ben's leg." Ask a third student to make two tally marks on the chart paper or board, to show how to keep track of how many blocks tall the first student is.

With your helpers, continue to use the block to measure the first student. Ask the rest of the class to help the tally-marking student keep count. When you get to the first student's head, it is unlikely that the student will be exactly as tall as a full block. So show the class how to decide if the student's height is closer to the height obtained by adding a half-block, or if it is closer to that by adding a whole block. Once the determination has been made, ask the class to help you count the tally marks, and then write down the final measurement. Compare this to the guesses students made earlier .

Students might have trouble with the last part of the measuring technique, in which a half-block or whole-block decision must be made. As you deem necessary, repeat the measurement demonstration using a different student and two other helpers.

Data Recording: Divide the class into groups of three students each and give each student a data sheet. The data sheet should be divided into three sections. Each section is identical and contains a space for recording the tally marks and a space for recording the final height measurement (see the Example Data Sheet). Direct students to use the three different sections to record the names and data for each of the three students in the group. Make sure everyone understands what needs to be written on the data sheet. Then, provide each group with a measuring block and have the group members work together to measure and record the heights of all three students in the group. Following the lesson, students can then follow the associated activity As We Grow: Measuring Heights and Graphing Data to take their new skills outside of the classroom to measure the heights of older students, and display the results in bar graphs.

Associated Activities

Lesson Closure

(Gather the class together and hold a brief discussion of the in-team measurements that just took place.) How did it go? Was there anything particularly difficult about making the measurements? (If you noticed any problems students were having, bring these up and ask how students solved them.)

(Ask each child what his or her height was, and make a list on the chart paper or classroom board.) Let's look at our collected measurements. Which student in our class is the tallest? Which is the shortest?

(Direct all the students stand up and arrange themselves in order by height. Give them time to sort this out for themselves; try to avoid intervening.) Look at the numbers again. Do your measurments, the data you recorded, match your line-up? In other words, are the students at each end of the line the same students that were measured to be the tallest and shortest? (If there are any discrepancies, discuss how these may have come about. These are most likely to occur due to differences in the ways students decide whether the last block added is closer to a whole block, half block or no additional block. In other words, they are due to differences in the ways students "round" their measurements.This is a fairly sophisticated concept, however, which is beyond the grasp of most kindergartners. Therefore, it is fine to mention it, but do not imply that students made poor measurements or got wrong answers if their line-up does not match the recorded measurements. Instead, simply point out that it can be hard to make these sorts of judgments sometimes.)

Assessment

Measurement Technique: Observe students as they manipulate the blocks to make sure they are able to obtain reasonable height measurements and record the measurement data accurately. Observations of students as they complete the lesson should be adequate for assessment purposes at this stage. Identify and assist students who have difficulty in either the measurement or data recording aspects of the lesson, since these skills are needed for the associated activity.

Copyright © 2013 by Regents of the University of Colorado; original © 2004 Duke University

Contributors Mary R. Hebrank, project and lesson/activity consultant

Supporting Program Engineering K-PhD Program, Pratt School of Engineering, Duke University

Acknowledgements

This content was developed by the MUSIC (Math Understanding through Science Integrated with Curriculum) Program in the Pratt School of Engineering at Duke University under National Science Foundation GK-12 grant no. DGE 0338262. However, these contents do not necessarily represent the policies of the NSF, and you should not assume endorsement by the federal government.

Last modified: April 30, 2021

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Measuring and Graphing: How Tall Are We? - Lesson

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Kindergartners measure each others' heights using large building blocks as the unit of measure. For their measurement technique, they tally how many blocks high each student is. Then they display the collected data in bar graphs made from from paper cut-outs of miniature building blocks glued on paper, which helps them see how bar graphs look like the various student heights they observe.

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All About Measurement - PowerPoint Presentation

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All About Measurement - PowerPoint Presentation

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How can we create a non-standard unit of measure to represent the different sizes of people around the school?

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Students will learn about measurement and non-standard measurement units we can use to represent the different sizes of students and adults in our school.

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Students will think about what materials they will use to create a non-standard measurement unit, like construction paper, glue, scissors, etc.

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Students will use bar graphs to represent their non-standard units of measurement. They will use data from students in their classroom, upper grade levels, and adults in school.

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Students will work in groups to compare/contrast their results and find the best way to represent their data results in a bar graph.

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Students will work in groups to identify what things they did/did not do correctly, they will try to improve their representations and find other ways to represent their data, using other manipulatives as non-standard units of measurement.

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Conduct a similar exercise with home-grown seedling plants by having students use stacking 1-inch cubes (such as Unifix cubes) to measure the heights of growing plants over a period of weeks. Have students plant bean or zinnia seeds according to package directions, using 16-ounce plastic drinking cups with drainage holes made in the bottoms. Use a good quality potting soil, and make several extra plantings in case some seeds do not germinate. Keep the pots moist but not soggy, and leave them in a sunny window.

Once the seedlings are about two inches high, have students measure the heights with Unifix cubes every three or four days. Provide data sheets for recording the height measurements and the number of days since planting. Provide a large calendar with the planting day prominently marked to help with this data collection procedure.

After a few weeks, when the plants reach full height, have students create bar graphs showing how their own plants grew each time they were measured.

In a follow-up discussion, be sure students realize that like humans, plants grow steadily at first, and then their growth slows or even stops. Unlike humans, however, many plants keep growing indefinitely, as long as they have enough nutrients and water and remain disease-free. Trees are a familiar example.

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There is a variety of resources for this lesson that can help me to introduce Measurement to my students, this will really benefit the activity, especially because this is a unit for Pre-Kindergarten students.

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For my group time, I am planning to place high level students with the low level ones, in order to offer support and have a balance between groups. This will be a great opportunity for the high level students to show mastery and be able to reteach to their peers that are having difficulties understanding the topic and lesson objectives.
Also for small group intervention, I will have the chance to go over the standards and reteach the lesson using a variety strategies as visuals and manipulatives so my low level students, as well as the English Language Learners are able to successfully complete all the activities.