Sum Math Fun

Have fun mathing!

  • Home
    • About Me
    • Contact
  • Blog
  • Free Resources
  • Shop
    • Online Store
    • TPT Store
  • Contact

subscribe via email

The 3 Critical Skills Of Teaching First Grade Measurement

Pin651
Share
Tweet
651 Shares

Getting ready for your measurement unit? Wondering how to make it fun and hands-on without spending huge amounts of time gathering materials and “just right” measuring resources? And . . . how do you know for sure that you’ve taught all the measurement standards your students will need to be successful?

 

I love teaching measurement to our youngest students. It’s so hands-on and, well, that just makes it more fun. Student explorations quickly lead to many “Aha!” moments of discovery. One of my favorite parts of teaching math!

But, measurement in first grade can’t be just explorations. Students must have directed lessons that have a scaffold approach so that real understanding of concepts is developed. First grade is the foundation for building measurement skills to ensure that students will have future success as skills become more complex.

Some third and fourth graders still miss the basic understandings. They often don’t have the understanding of measuring space and not just counting the lines on a ruler. That’s why using non-standard measurements is so important.

I always find some students that place the item they are measuring at the 1 on the ruler. Not all the way to the end. Ugh! Understanding that you start at 0 is not an easy concept. 

Making sure your students have many experiences measuring with non-standard units is extremely important. Those experiences will help students understand the measurement of space. They will anchor the thinking behind beginning the measurement of an object at zero.

Some assessments will use a “broken ruler”. Have you seen this? The picture of the ruler for students to use may have the first visible number as a 3, 5, or another number. It seems a little crazy. The purpose is to assess which students have a deep understanding of measurement. And, to see who can think beyond the given visual number and into the meaning of measurement.

By teaching non-standard measurement skills to our younger students, we instill the concepts of measurement needed to be successful as they become more skilled and able to understand more complex measurements.

  • ESTABLISH MEASUREMENT CONCEPTS

By measuring with color tiles, blocks, teddy bear counters, and other manipulatives, students are placing the units as they measure and do not count “1” until the unit that occupies the space is placed – Perfect for developing understanding!

measurement-first-grade-non-standard #measurement #non-standard #firstgrade

  • ESTABLISH REFERENCE POINTS

Finding real objects they are familiar with that match given lengths helps students establish reference points. These reference points become very important later when students have to answer such questions as, “About how long is a ________?”  Because I don’t always recognize my first graders’ drawn pictures, I ask them to label them. 🙂

measurement-first-grade-non-standard #measurement #non-standard #firstgrade

  • BUILD COMPARING SKILLS

Comparing is another critical skill. This is a real-life application of the greater than and less than number skills we work on and spiral through our curriculum.

measurement-first-grade-non-standard #measurement #non-standard #firstgrade

 

The complete measurement unit below has the above pages plus much more. There are NO PREP measurement worksheets, a student favorite game, and a math center included! The game is so much fun! It will have your students measuring everything in your room in grasshoppers and ladybugs!

If you’d like a different version of the game to try out, download the freebie below! It will have your whole class measuring in caterpillars and bees!

GRAB A FREEBIE!

To get an even better idea of what’s inside the complete unit, GRAB a FREE Measurement Game with bees and caterpillars by subscribing below!

 

Inside the complete packet is a similar game with ladybugs and grasshoppers. Super fun!

Want the complete unit? Click this picture to find out all the details!

measurement-first-non-standard-hands-on

 

And as always,

sum-math-fun-bylineLeah-Popinski-sum-math-fun

The 3 Critical Skills Of Teaching First Grade Measurement
Pin651
Share
Tweet
651 Shares

Filed Under: Math, Measurement Tagged With: 1st grade, first grade, free, free printables, game, Kindergarten, measurement

« Student Accountability In Math Centers
I’m a Wanted Number! Reviewing Number Properties »

Comments

  1. Danielle Murphy says

    January 22, 2016 at 10:51 pm

    So cute!! Thank you for sharing the measuring freebie!

    http://kinderhumor.blogspot.com/

    Reply
    • Leah Popinski says

      February 9, 2016 at 1:50 pm

      You’re welcome, Danielle! I hope your students measure everything in your room in caterpillars and bees!

      Reply
  2. Coach Christopher says

    January 23, 2016 at 12:47 pm

    Really love to see kids measuring in non-standard units–leads them to understand measuring as more than just memorizing unit conversions, and leads really well into exponential notation. Well done!

    Reply
    • Leah Popinski says

      February 9, 2016 at 1:45 pm

      Thank you! I think it helps them understand that measurement isn’t just about counting lines on a measurement tool, but that those lines actually represent “space”.

      Reply
  3. sophia says

    April 28, 2019 at 10:55 am

    Hi there ,
    i have just purchased a measurement unit and i have not received the automatic download? does this happen or do you send your items in the post? I hope not as I was wanting to use this with my students tomorrow!

    Reply
    • Leah Popinski says

      May 7, 2019 at 2:45 pm

      Hi Sophia!
      I’m so sorry you had trouble with this. Sometimes the emails with the downloads go to spam folders. I am sending you a copy directly to your email to make sure it gets to you. Thanks so much!
      -Leah

      Reply
  4. Stacey Rice says

    April 29, 2019 at 2:24 pm

    I signed up for your email to get your measurement freebie game and now I can’t find it. I see all the math symbol worksheets but not the measurement games. could you please assist me?

    Reply
    • Leah Popinski says

      May 7, 2019 at 2:34 pm

      Sure, Stacey! So sorry you had trouble finding it. I’m sending it to you directly through your email address. It’s a lot of fun. I hope you and your kids love it!
      -Leah

      Reply
  5. Jennifer Cunniff says

    April 20, 2020 at 1:07 pm

    Hi! I signed up for your measurement freebie, but I can’t find it either. I did receive a different free download. Could you please help me? I know my students would love the measurement freebie! Thanks so much!
    -Jenny

    Reply
    • Leah Popinski says

      April 20, 2020 at 1:18 pm

      Hi Jennifer!
      Sure! I’m going to send it to you directly. It is buried in our free printables library. There are over 80 resources in it and I know, it’s hard to find specific ones.

      Reply
  6. Pam says

    September 3, 2020 at 9:09 pm

    I signed up for the measurement activity but I did not receive it and it’s not in my junk either.

    Reply
    • Leah Popinski says

      September 4, 2020 at 12:12 pm

      Hi Pam! Thanks for letting me know so I can fix that. But so that you get it right away, I’m sending it to you directly. You should receive it in an email in just a few minutes.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Subscribe via Email

Popular Posts

free-early-finisher-printables #earlyfinisher #math #fastfinisher #freeprintable

Early Finishers and Gifted – {Free} Printables

Do you dread having early finishers in your 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade classroom? … [Read More...]

easy-math-properties-project-review #mathproject

I’m a Wanted Number! Reviewing Number Properties

I looove quick and easy! So, here's a quick Idea I want to share with you that's … [Read More...]

free-measurement-printable-first-grade-non-standard #freemeasurement #nonstandard

The 3 Critical Skills Of Teaching First Grade Measurement

Getting ready for your measurement unit? Wondering how to make it fun and … [Read More...]

back-to-school-student-welcome-gift

Free and Easy Back-to-School Student Gift

This free gift tag and easy, quick student gift for back-to-school or Meet the … [Read More...]

Search

Grab A Button

Grab A Button

Archives

Categories

subitizing-color-by-number-recognition-activities-ten-frames #subitizing #numberrecognition #kindergarten #firstgrade
early-finishers-activities-3rd-4th-5th-gifted #earlyfinishers #fastfinishers #mathextensions
hidden-pictures-counting-coins-money-first-2nd
first-2nd-grade-problem-solving #first #2nd #problem #solving
gifted-math-early-finishers-fast-homework-extensions #giftedmath #earlyfinishers #fastfinishers #mathextensions
hidden-picture-equivalent-fractions-worksheets-centers-3rd-4th-5th-cut-glue #fractions #equivalentfractions
2-digit-regrouping-digital-game-first-2nd-grade
early-finishers-fast-enrichment-homework-math-challenges-tasks-gifted #earlyfiishers #fastfinishers #mathhomework #mathenrichmen
Copyright © 2023 · Website Design By Jumping Jax Designs · Terms + Conditions · Privacy Policy · Disclosure + Affiliate Policy