Fun activities for teaching linear measurement.

Activity One

Introduction to standard measurement

Read “How Big is a Foot”, with included link, to start discussion about standard and non-standard units of measure.

Students compare their foot to a standard ruler “foot

Cut out tracing of foot, measure and answer question & assemble on construction paper.

Activity Two

Measuring using standard and non-standard measurements

Students use animal footprint tracings as non – standard measurement & compare with standard measurements

Animal foot prints are approximately life size

Activity Three

Compare lengths

Students compare their foot tracing to included animal foot print tracings, or another student's foot tracing

Students using comparing words.

Additional suggestion

Show the animal foot print measurement data by making a line plot, where the horizontal scale is marked off in appropriate units—whole numbers, halves, centimeters

Read about the different animals and then measure foot prints.