MA 7.03Measuring with Non-Standard Units

1. 1

   Lay a pencil on the table. Place cubes along it, starting at one end, touching each other with no gaps.

2. 2

   Stop where the pencil ends. Count the cubes: 'The pencil is seven cubes long.'

3. 3

   Show a wrong way with gaps between the cubes, and ask the child what is wrong.

4. 4

   The child measures a book and records the object and the count.

5. 5

   Measure the same pencil with paper clips. Discuss why the count is different.

6. 6

   The child measures three objects and says which is longest using the counts.

What catches the child’s eye

• Cubes snapping together along the length of the object
• The same pencil measuring a different number of paper clips

Extensions, easiest to hardest

1. Measure with hand spans and foot lengths, and compare with a friend's measurement.
2. Measure around objects with string, then measure the string.
3. Make a list of objects that are about ten cubes long.