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1st grade · Math · Unit 6 of 14

Measuring

Measure with cubes and clips

What your child practices

Measuring length with paper clips and cubes, comparing longer and shorter, heavier and lighter, and seeing why same-size units matter.

Alaska content standards learning standard: 1.MD.1; 1.MD.2 · ordering and comparing lengths and measuring with same-size units

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. Start at the very end of the thing.
  2. Use units that are all the same size.
  3. Leave no gaps. Count the units.

Example: A book is 5 cubes long. A pencil is 8 cubes long. Which is longer? Compare 5 and 8. 8 is more than 5. Answer: The pencil

Measuring in Alaska

In the Alaska content standards, this is unit 6 of 14 in 1st grade Math, after Equal or Not and before Shapes.

Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.

Source: Alaska Department of Education and Early Development

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    What is best for measuring a pencil?

    • 📎paper clips
    • 👣footsteps

  2. Question 2

    Which is the longest?

    • 🚆train
    • 🚗car
    • 🛹skateboard

  3. Question 3

    Tap them from shortest to longest.

    Measured in cubes

    🖌️ paintbrush
    🟦🟦
    ✏️ pencil
    🟦🟦🟦🟦
    🔑 key
    🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦

    Each picture = 1

    • 🔑key
    • 🖌️paintbrush
    • ✏️pencil

  4. Question 4

    Which is shorter?

    Measured in cubes

    🐍 snake
    🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦
    ✏️ pencil
    🟦🟦

    Each picture = 1

    • 🐍snake
    • ✏️pencil

  5. Question 5

    How should you line up the cubes?

    🟦
    • Piled on top
    • With gaps between
    • End to end, no gaps

  6. Question 6

    Which is longer?

    Measured in cubes

    🥕 carrot
    🟦🟦🟦🟦
    🍌 banana
    🟦🟦🟦

    Each picture = 1

    • 🍌banana
    • 🥕carrot

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