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Attributes/Measurement

Strand: Shape and Space (Measurement)
Outcome: 1

Step 5: Follow-up on Assessment

Guiding Questions

• What conclusions can be made from assessment information?
• How effective have instructional approaches been?
• What are the next steps in instruction?

A. Addressing Gaps in Learning

If a student is having difficulty learning to measure, work on what the attribute "length" means. Start with coloured rectangles and ask which one is longer, which one is shorter and which ones are almost the same. The next step is to introduce a nonstandard unit of measure. Students need many opportunities to measure with crayons, paper clips, their shoes, etc. This applies to mass and volume as well, which should be approached slowly in the same manner.

B. Reinforcing and Extending Learning

Students who have achieved or exceeded the outcomes will benefit from ongoing opportunities to apply and extend their learning.

Consider strategies, such as the following.

• Ask students which one is farther: the distance from the classroom to the office or the distance from the classroom to the gym. Have them measure the distances, allowing them to select a nonstandard unit of measurement. Have students justify the appropriateness of the nonstandard unit of measurement they select.
• Have students create different rulers to measure things in the classroom. Some may use paper clip chains, some may use a crayon ruler, etc. Have them create the ruler by attaching their chosen units to a strip of paper.
• Challenge students to find two objects where one is small and one is large but where the smaller item is the heavier of the two (e.g., a large bag of potato chips and a can of soup). Ask them to explain how this can happen.
• Ask students if it is always true that a taller container holds more than a shorter container. Have a series of containers on display when you ask this question, including a variation of shapes; e.g., tall thin graduated cylinders, short wide containers, large tall containers. Ask them how you could find out the answer to your question.