Unit 3, Lesson 1
Standard Units of Measure
Grade 2
Preparation
Lesson Narrative
In grade 1, students learned how to measure length by laying multiple copies of a shorter object end to end without gaps or overlaps. In this lesson, students use these measuring skills to measure the length of objects by iterating with straws and centimeter cubes. In the first activity, students use different length units when measuring the same objects and see that this leads to different measurements. In the second activity, students use the same length unit (centimeter cubes) and see they all find the same measurement. In the Lesson Synthesis, students are introduced to the centimeter as the length of a centimeter cube. Students will use the centimeter as a length unit in future lessons.
Give students access to centimeter cubes during the Cool-Down.
- Representation
None
- Comprehend (in spoken language) the term “length unit” refers to the length of the object you use to measure.
- Use same-size length units to measure the length of objects and express (orally) the length as the number of objects without gaps or overlaps.
- Let’s measure length.
Required Preparation
- Create a 40-cm length of string or ribbon for each group of 2–3.
- Create five 10-cm length straws for half of the groups of 2–3.
- Create ten 5-cm length straws for half of the groups of 2–3.
- Gather a connecting cube to display in the Activity Synthesis. Students will not need connecting cubes for this activity.
Teacher Reflection Questions
In grade 1, students measured objects by iterating length units of the same size. How did students demonstrate their understanding and skill with measurement in this lesson? What can you do in future lessons to build on these strengths?