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2nd grade · Math · Unit 18 of 18

Lengths & Line Plots

Units, number lines and line plots

What your child practices

Measuring the same thing with two units and seeing that a smaller unit takes more of them, showing sums and differences as jumps on a number line, and reading line plots of measured lengths.

New York State Learning Standards learning standard: NY-2.MD.2; NY-2.MD.6; NY-2.MD.9 · measuring with two different units, showing sums and differences on a number line, and showing measurements in a line plot

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. A shorter unit fits more times: 1 foot is 12 inches.
  2. On a number line, a number is its distance from 0. Jumps right add; jumps left take away.
  3. A line plot puts an X above each length you measured.

Example: A rug is 2 feet long. Is it more or less than 2 inches long? An inch is much shorter than a foot. It takes 24 inches to make 2 feet. Answer: More: 24 inches

Lengths & Line Plots in New York

In the New York State Learning Standards, this is unit 18 of 18 in 2nd grade Math, after Add Up to Four Numbers.

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

    The jumps start at 0. What sum do they show?

    0102030405060708090100
    • 60
    • 40
    • 100
    • 85

  2. Question 2

    How many pencils are longer than 6 inches?

    Pencil lengths (inches)
    Length (inches)X marks
    4X X X X
    5X
    6—
    7X X X
    8X X X
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 3

  3. Question 3

    The jumps start at 0. What sum do they show?

    0102030405060708090100
    • 40
    • 95
    • 75
    • 80

  4. Question 4

    A path is 5 paper clips or 2 pencils long. Which unit is longer?

    • the pencil
    • the paper clip
    • they are the same

  5. Question 5

    Each X is one of the crayons. How many crayons were measured?

    Crayon lengths (centimeters)
    Length (centimeters)X marks
    6X X
    7X X X
    8X
    9X X X X
    10X X X X X
    • 18
    • 5
    • 16
    • 15

  6. Question 6

    Lena measures a rug: 1 meters. Ana measures it: 100 centimeters. Who is right?

    • Only Ana: the bigger number is right
    • Neither: the numbers should match
    • Only Lena: the smaller number is right
    • Both: centimeters are shorter, so it takes more of them

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