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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.

Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards benchmark: 1.2.3.1; 1.2.3.2 · 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 Minnesota

In the Minnesota K-12 Academic 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: Minnesota Department of Education (MDE)

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

    Which is the longest?

    • 🚆train
    • 🛹skateboard
    • 🚗car

  2. Question 2

    Tap them from shortest to longest.

    Measured in paper clips

    🖍️ crayon
    📎📎📎📎📎📎📎📎📎📎📎
    🐍 snake
    📎📎📎
    🥄 spoon
    📎📎📎📎📎📎

    Each picture = 1

    • 🐍snake
    • 🖍️crayon
    • 🥄spoon

  3. Question 3

    Which is longer?

    Measured in cubes

    🐛 caterpillar
    🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦
    🔑 key
    🟦🟦🟦

    Each picture = 1

    • 🐛caterpillar
    • 🔑key

  4. Question 4

    How many paper clips long is the crayon?

    🖍️📎📎📎📎
    • 14
    • 4
    • 7

  5. Question 5

    Which is shorter?

    Measured in cubes

    👟 shoe
    🟦🟦🟦🟦
    🖌️ paintbrush
    🟦🟦🟦

    Each picture = 1

    • 🖌️paintbrush
    • 👟shoe

  6. Question 6

    What is best for measuring a pencil?

    • 📎paper clips
    • 👣footsteps

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