Students determine the coefficient of restitution (or the elasticity) for super balls. Working in pairs, they drop balls from a meter height and determine how high they bounce. They measure, record and repeat the process to gather data to calculate average bounce heights and coefficients of elasticity. Then they extrapolate to determine the height the ball would bounce if dropped from much higher heights.

With this assessment task, students solve a measurement problem involving differences of lengths.

For this assessment task, students select the appropriate tool to measure keys and record their measurements. Using the measurement data, students place the data on a line plot.

In this assessment task, students measure various graphical keys with appropriate tools and plot results on a graph.

Please note this lesson has been aligned to math standards, as North Carolina does not currently have a STEM SCOS for K-5.

Please note this lesson has been aligned to math standards, as North Carolina does not currently have a STEM SCOS for K-5.

This short video and interactive assessment activity is designed to teach first graders about single object length (english measurent).

Students plant sunflower seeds in plastic cups, and once germinated, expose them to varying light or soil moisture conditions. They measure growth of the seedlings every few days using non-standard measurement (inch cubes). After a few weeks, they compare the growth of plants exposed to the different conditions and make bar comparative graphs, which they analyze to draw conclusions about the needs of plants.

Who really cares about precise measurement anyway?  Students will read a current article about international disagreements about measurement. Then students will find a record of the longest or shortest of something. They can share this information with classmates on a poster, bulletin board, or in a booklet.  They may want to identify the location of this record on a world map as well.  Students should give the length measurement in both customary and metric units and be able to discuss the relationship between the units. This lesson was developed by NCDPI as part of the Academically and/or Intellectually Gifted Instructional Resources Project. This lesson plan has been vetted at the state level for standards alignment, AIG focus, and content accuracy.

Students learn about the unique challenges astronauts face while eating in outer space. They explore different food choices and food packaging. Students learn about the engineering design process, and then, as NASA engineering teams, they design and build original model devices to help astronauts eat in a microgravity environment --- their own creative devices for food storage and meal preparation.

In this activity, students will engage with a variaty of resources to practice and assess their understanding of measurement standards.

This 2 unit of measurement lessons explores length in US customary units through 12 hands-on activities and 2 worksheets.

This 2 unit of measurement lessons explores length in metric units through 3 hands-on activities.

In this video segment from Cyberchase, Bianca is getting ready to run in a race on a 200 meter track. She notices that the starting positions in the six lanes are at different points along the track. She believes this is unfair and sets out to measure the distance between the starting point and the finish line in both the outside and the inside lanes. Teaching tips are also provided that discuss frame, focus and follow-up suggestions for using this video in a math lesson.

Students choose tools to measure the length of objects and distances in the school environment.  They explore the relationship between the size of the unit used and the number of units in the measure.  They discuss which tools are most appropriate to the situation. They consider what is the largest length or distance in their school environment that they can measure and what is the smallest object or distance they can measure in their school environment.  They may need to problem solve using the available tools.  This lesson was developed by NCDPI as part of the Academically and/or Intellectually Gifted Instructional Resources Project. This lesson plan has been vetted at the state level for standards alignment, AIG focus, and content accuracy.

Students looks at three paths and predict which path they believe will be the longest and which will be the shortest. Using rulers, yarn, or string, students measure the length of each path and record their findings.

In this assessment task, students select their own measuring tools (and units) to measure various parts of their body.