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1st grade · Math · Unit 6 of 16

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.

New York State Learning Standards learning standard: NY-1.MD.1; NY-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 New York

In the New York State Learning Standards, this is unit 6 of 16 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: New York State Education Department (NYSED)

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

    How many paper clips long is the snake?

    🐍📎📎📎📎📎📎
    • 1
    • 10
    • 6

  2. Question 2

    Which is longer?

    Measured in cubes

    🔑 key
    🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦
    🍌 banana
    🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦

    Each picture = 1

    • 🔑key
    • 🍌banana

  3. Question 3

    Where should the first cube go when you measure?

    🟦
    • Right at the end
    • In the middle
    • Anywhere at all

  4. Question 4

    Which is shorter?

    Measured in paper clips

    🥕 carrot
    📎📎
    ✏️ pencil
    📎📎📎

    Each picture = 1

    • ✏️pencil
    • 🥕carrot

  5. Question 5

    To measure fairly, the units should be…

    📎
    • All different sizes
    • All the same size

  6. Question 6

    Tap them from shortest to longest.

    Measured in cubes

    🔑 key
    🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦
    🥄 spoon
    🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦
    ✏️ pencil
    🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦

    Each picture = 1

    • ✏️pencil
    • 🥄spoon
    • 🔑key

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