Click to access fully formatted lesson and materials:

Lesson excerpt:

Something’s Fishy

Objective: Measurement

                  Comparing length and width using nonstandard measurement

Theoretical Foundation: Students at this grade level are just beginning to gain an understanding of length and width.  They build on this understanding by using nonstandard units of measure to explore these attributes.  As they explore, they are also investigating key components of measurement such as iteration and unit.

Estimated Time: 40 minutes

Materials:  the bookFish Eyes by Lois Ehlert, yarn cut different lengths, Goldfish crackers, recording sheet

Description:

1.  Read aloud and discuss Fish Eyes.  Be sure to introduce vocabulary of length and width of the different fish as you discuss the illustrations.

2.  Give each pair of students a string tied into a circle and ask them to create a lake for the fish.

3.  Have students use Goldfish crackers to estimate the length of the new home and to record it on the recording sheet.

4.  Next, allow students to find the length and record it on their sheets.

5.  Once students have finished recording the length, have them to estimate the width.  Is it going to be less than, equal to, or greater than the length?  How many Goldfish crackers wide do they think the lake is?  Encourage students to discuss their reasoning.

6.  Have student to find the width using the Goldfish crackers.  How accurate were their predictions?

7.  If time allows, have students to change the shape of their lakes and to measure the length and width again. Did the measurements change?

8.  Allow students to explore the area of the lake by filling it up with a single layer of Goldfish.  Encourage students to see if changing the shape of the lake changes the number of Goldfish it takes to fill it up.

Differentiation Suggestions:

1.      Decide ahead of time which students will need to work with a smaller/larger string.

2.      Allow students to explore distance around lake (perimeter) with crackers.

3.      Allow students to work independently.

Probing Questions:

1.      Why did you make that estimate?

2.      What could we do to make the length more?

3.      What could we do to the lake to make the width bigger?

4.      How could you tell that the width was going to be greater than the width?

Assessment:

1.      Do students immediately get to work or do they watch their neighbors for guidance?

2.      Are students using strategies to find estimates or do they just pick a number at random?

3.      Do the students put the Goldfish crackers end to end or are there gaps in the way they line them up to count?

4.      Can the students visually (and accurately) see which is longer or wider?

Building Mathematical Thinkers

Measurement  – Something’s Fishy

Page 1