Okay, that was fun! I handed my group of kindergartners and first graders tape measures (the non-metal kind) and told them they could measure whatever they wanted. What a hit! On so many levels.

First, I showed them how they could measure how far they jumped. After being stuck inside all day due to rain, this was the perfect way to get them to move around a bit and still sneak in some great math.

Once I showed them how to use and “read” a tape measure, they paired up and I let them loose. The math that happened was amazing. Most groups wanted to see if they could jump farther the second time. So now they’re comparing numbers. Some students even found the difference!

Students who measured items longer than 60 inches, which was the length of the tape measures, had to figure out how to add the additional inches on the end. If you read my blog entry yesterday, you know how I feel about white boards. Students were using their boards to figure out all the math.

The kindergartners, who I had as my first group of students, were a real hoot! A lot of them couldn’t even read the numbers on the tape measure. But they were so involved in measuring that they WANTED to know. So I found myself, along with the two aides I had, running around to each group helping them read the numbers. (I had some some practice number-reading before the activity, but there’s nothing like the length of your own jump to really motivate you to want to learn.) For numeral-writing practice and to help solidify the numbers, I had the kindergartners write their numbers on the white boards.

Time flew by. It was hard for me to tell them to clean up! They wanted to keep measuring. No doubt, I’ll be bringing those back to class again soon!

CCSSM: K.MD.2; 1.MD.A.2; 2.MD.A.1; 2.MD.A.3; 2.MD.a.4