Grades 2 to 3 - Shape and Space (Measurement)

Prescribed Learning Outcomes-Part 2
Suggested Instructional Strategies-Part 2
Suggested Assessment Strategies-Part 2
Recommended Learning Resources-Part 2

PRESCRIBED LEARNING OUTCOMES

It is expected that students will:

• estimate, measure, record, compare, and order objects and containers using non-standard and standard units
• construct a shape, length, or object using a specific non-standard or standard unit
• select the most appropriate standard unit for measuring length (cm, m, km), mass (g, kg), volume (L), and time (minutes, hours, days)
• describe relationships among various standard units of measure
• relate the size of units to the number of units needed when measuring
• recognize that the size and shape of an object does not necessarily determine its mass
• make connections among manipulatives, diagrams, spoken terms, and written symbols
• estimate and measure the passage of time in terms of seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, and years and relate the various measures to each other

To view the prescribed learning outcomes for Shape and Space (Measurement) in other grades click on an icon below.

SUGGESTED INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES

• Have students bring in a variety of beverage containers, such as tetrapak juice containers, 1 L milk containers, or 2 L drink bottles. Have them work together to estimate and record the volumes of the containers. They can read the labels to determine the actual volume of the containers and then arrange the containers from greatest volume to least volume. Provide students with opportunities to sort and order using different units of measure.
• Students can use Cuisenaire rods or base-ten blocks to measure specific objects in the classroom (or somewhere else in the school) and record their findings on a class chart. Following each measure, have them use a metric ruler to compare standard and non-standard measurements.
• Have students use a mass balance to find objects that equal 1 g or 1 kg, or use gram weights and a balance to measure the mass of objects.

SUGGESTED ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES

Observe

• Observe students in the process of ordering the containers. What clues or attributes do they seem to rely on? How accurate and precise are they in using comparative language? Which students tend to move towards using numeric values (even if these are not based on standard units)?
• When students use non-standard units to measure classroom objects, watch for evidence that they are systematic and that they recognize the reasonableness of their solutions. Apply the same criteria to standard measures. Discuss anomalies with the group. For example, is an eraser closer to 1 cm long or 10 cm long?

• Ask students to explain why the size of the number changes depending on the unit of measure being used. What volume relationships do they identify among the containers (e.g., four juice containers equal one milk jug)?

• 20 Thinking questions for Pattern Blocks
• Activity Math: Using Manipulatives in the Classroom
• Bats Incredible
• A Collection of Math Lessons
• Critters
• Exploring Everyday Math: Ideas For Students, Teachers and Parents
• Gobble Up Math
• Interactions 3
• Jaw Breakers and Heart Thumpers
• Kids 'n' Calculators: How to Use the Calculator as a Teaching Tool
• Math and Literature
• Math Makes Sense
• Mathematical Games Made Easy
• Mathematical Problem Solving in the Primary Grades
• Mathematics From Many Cultures
• Mathematics in the School Grounds
• Mathematics Key Stage 1 Ages 5-7
• Mathtales Level 2
• Mathtales Level 3
• Measure It! K-Grade 3
• Mostly Magnets
• Overhead and Underfoot
• Quest 2000: Exploring Mathematics Grade 2
• Quest 2000: Exploring Mathematics Grade 3
• Writing Mathematics Grade 3

• Mathematics: What Are You Teaching My Child?
• The Private Eye

• Interactions 2

• Pegboards and Pegs
• The Sum-Thing

PRESCRIBED LEARNING OUTCOMES

• read and write the date, including the days of the week and use the abbreviations and names of the months of the year in order
• read and write time to the nearest minute using 12-hour notation (use both a digital and an analog clock)
• estimate, read, and record temperature to the nearest degree Celsius
• relate temperature to real-life situations
• identify and use coins and bills (to $100) to estimate, count, record collections, create equivalent sets, and make change up to $10
• read and write both forms of money notation (e.g., 89¢ and $0.89)

SUGGESTED INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES

• Play some music for a set time, such as 30 seconds. Have students listen to the music and then estimate how many times they can complete a given activity (e.g., tie and untie their shoes, hop on two feet) in that period of time. record their estimates and ask them to test their predictions as the music is played a second time.
• Hang a digital clock beside the analog clock on the classroom wall. Stop at significant moments in the day and read the time, comparing the two clocks.
• Draw pictures of clock faces to show important times of the day at home and at school. Display these pictures under the class clocks so children can match these times as they occur.
• Help students develop their understanding of the place value of coins by playing the following dice-money game. Distribute a record sheet with place columns, one die, and some dimes and pennies to each pair of students. The goal of the game is to end up with as close to $1.00 as possible. For example, one student rolls a 4 on the die, and both students use this number to select either four pennies or four dimes, and place them in the appropriate column. After each player has seven turns, the players add up the coins and check (using paper and pencil or a calculator) to see who is the closest to $1.00.
• Integrate with social studies by exposing the children to coins from other countries.
• Have children watch the evening news and record and compare temperatures from other places in Canada and around the world.

SUGGESTED ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES

• Over time, make anecdotal observational notes to record the extent to which students' estimates become increasingly accurate. Discuss with students the strategies they used to estimate.

• Informally interview individual children while groups of children play the dice-money game. The following are possible questions to pose:
  • How much money have you got now?
  • How many dimes/pennies do you have now?
  • How many more do you need to reach $1.00?
• Occasionally ask students to keep a written record of each turn and its money amounts.

• When students are planning projects or ongoing activities (e.g., themes), have them work independently or with a partner to create a work plan or flow chart that includes the amount of time (in appropriate units) that each activity will take. Look for evidence that they understand the units they are using and that the time they spend on the task is reasonable. At the end of the activity, they might write a learning log entry using a prompt such as: Two things I learned about making plans that include time frames are ____________ and ____________.

• What daily applications might help those students who seem to have difficulty with measures of time, temperature, and money?
• What activities might help students build connections to their activities outside the classroom?

• 20 Thinking questions for Pattern Blocks
• Activity Math: Using Manipulatives in the Classroom
• Bats Incredible
• A Collection of Math Lessons
• Critters
• Exploring Everyday Math: Ideas For Students, Teachers and Parents
• Gobble Up Math
• Interactions 3
• Jaw Breakers and Heart Thumpers
• Kids 'n' Calculators: How to Use the Calculator as a Teaching Tool
• Math and Literature
• Math Makes Sense
• Mathematical Games Made Easy
• Mathematical Problem Solving in the Primary Grades
• Mathematics From Many Cultures
• Mathematics in the School Grounds
• Mathematics Key Stage 1 Ages 5-7
• Mathtales Level 2
• Mathtales Level 3
• Measure It! K-Grade 3
• Mostly Magnets
• Overhead and Underfoot
• Quest 2000: Exploring Mathematics Grade 2
• Quest 2000: Exploring Mathematics Grade 3
• Writing Mathematics Grade 3

• Mathematics: What Are You Teaching My Child?
• The Private Eye

• Interactions 2

• Pegboards and Pegs
• The Sum-Thing

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  BC Ministry of Education