Activity: Student Made Rulers
Standard rulers are not easy for young children to use accurately. There are several common errors they make when using this tool. In this video, we discuss these errors and explain an activity designed to help students understand rulers better. The activity is “Student Made Rulers.”
Plan for Measurement Instruction
Instructing students in measurement involves three steps. First, we help students understand the attribute to be measured. Second, we help students understand how to fill, cover, match, or compare to measure. Third and last, we help students use common measuring tools with understanding and flexibility. These steps are elaborated upon in this video.
Activity: Finding Benchmark Measurements
Finding benchmark measurements is useful for students' estimation and measuring skills. In this activity, students are asked to find benchmark measurements on themselves and with common objects.
Methods of Estimating Measurements
This is an explanation of three common techniques we can use for estimating measurements. Part of teaching is explaining things we “just know” as adults to children to help them see things in a new way. This video explains the estimation techniques of using benchmarks, chunking or subdivisions, and repeating a unit.
Calculating Area 1: Five Methods for Finding Area
In this activity, we review five different methods for approaching how to find the area of a 2D figure. The methods are: counting square units, partitioning, surrounding, compensating, and using a formula.
Calculating Area 2: Area of a Rectangle and a Parallelogram
This activity explores how to use what we know about the area of a rectangle to find the area of a parallelogram as well. The focus is on understanding why the formula, AREA of a Parallelogram = Base x Height, works.
Calculating Area 3: Area of a Triangle
This activity builds on what we know about the area of a parallelogram and how we can use this to find the area of any triangle. The focus is on understanding why the formula, AREA of a Triangle = (½)Base x Height, works.
Calculating Area 4: Area of a Trapezium
In this activity, we find the area of a trapezium using three different methods. The first method finds the area of a trapezium by making it into a rectangle using compensation. The second method finds the area by copying the trapezium and making a parallelogram. The third method is to partition the trapezium into two triangles. The focus is on understanding why the formula, AREA of a Trapezium = (½)(A + B) x Height, works.
Calculating Area 5: Area of a Circle
This activity builds on what we know about the area of a triangle and the area of a parallelogram to derive the formula for the area of a circle. These techniques use the compensation method for finding area. The focus is on understanding why the formula, AREA of a Circle = (pi) x (radius) x (radius), works.
Alternative Viewing and Downloading Options
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Maths Micro-Trainings: Geometry - 2D
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