Measuring to the Nearest 1/4 inch
Learning Context
Purpose
Students become familiar with making measurements to the nearest whole inch because making measurements is an important skill that is useful in everyday life. Through measuring lines, pictures on paper, and concrete objects students gain a better understanding of the skill of measurement.
Other than making real world connections, fourth grade testing is important, and measurement is one of the topics found on the New York State Math test. For the test, the students must know how to make accurate measurements. Along with the measurement, accuracy also includes having the correct unit of measurement, such as inches. This Learning Experience focuses on measuring to the nearest ¼ inch, but similar activities can be implemented for other measurements, as well. Overall, every necessary component of measurement is essential for everyday routines and future assessments.
Objectives
1.0 The learner will be able to orally state ¼ inch measurements with 95% accuracy.
2.0 The learner will be able to measure objects and write correct ¼ inch measurements with 95% accuracy.
Enduring Understanding
- Objects can be measured to a fraction of an inch, instead of just to the nearest whole inch.
- All measurements are comparisons
Essential Questions
- How can you make an exact measurement?
Guiding Questions
- What tool do you use to measure an object in inches?
- What do the lines between the whole inches represent?
- Why is it important to learn about the small lines between whole inches?
- How do you measure an object to the nearest 1/2 inch?
- How do you find the nearest ¼ inch on a ruler?
- What are the ¼ inch measurements? ( ¼ inch, 2/4 inch, ¾ inch, 4/4 inch)
- What is ½ inch in terms of ¼ inch?
CLASS BACKGROUND
This Learning Experience focuses on a fourth grade classroom at Union East Elementary, in Cheektowaga, NY. This is a team teach environment, where there are two general education teachers in the combined room for two classes, and a special education teacher in a room across the hall. All together, there are 31 students in the two classes.
With the exception of AIS students, whole group instruction involves every student. As a result, lessons have to be delivered effectively enough to include a large amount of students. In order for lessons to be effective, the classroom rules and procedures, found in appendices A and B, need to be followed. This Learning Experience is designed to be implemented with the whole group, but the assessments include only the 12 students present in my cooperating teacher’s class. The Floor Plan in Appendix C illustrates the layout of my cooperating teacher’s side of the room.
Overview of What Students Need to Know
Prior to Implementation
- Use a ruler to measure objects
- Measure to the nearest whole inch
- Measure to the nearest half inch
- Labeling the correct measurement unit
During Implementation
- Recognize that the ¼ inch marks are the second longest lines between the whole inches. (The first longest would be the ½ inch marks.)
- Count or “jump” every four lines to find the ¼ inch mark: show work by drawing jumps on individual rulers.
- Know that 2/4 inch is equal to ½ inch
- Know that 4/4 inch is equal to a whole inch
- Know that in. is the abbreviation for inch
After Implementation
- Know that ¼ of an inch represents the first four “jumps”
- Know that 2/4 of an inch represents the first two sets of “jumps,” also known as ½ inch
- Know that ¾ of an inch represents the first three sets of “jumps”
- Know that an exact measurement involves measuring beyond the whole inch, in this case to the nearest ¼ inch.
Classroom Rules
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