Kindergarten E-Pals and Measurement

Lesson Plan Overview:

BACKGROUND INFORMATION ABOUT THE CLASSROOM:
- This kinder class has Kinder Pals in Canada. Through email and twitter, they communicate to pose relevant problem solving and questions.
- We have already measured students’ heights and have a classroom chart of heights that we update.

LESSON OBJ:
- CCSS.Math.Content.K.MD.A.2
Directly compare two objects with a measurable attribute in common, to see which object has "more of"/"less of" the attribute, and describe the difference. For example, directly compare the heights of two children and describe one child as taller/shorter.

Mathematical Practices
1. Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.
3. Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.
4. Model with mathematics.
5. Use appropriate tools strategically.

LESSON ARC:
- Tweet to Kinderpals about new classmate.
o Kinderpals tweets back – they have a classmate with the same name.
- Ss converse: would the 2 Nathans be the same height because they are both the same name? Some students agree, some students disagree. Tweet to Kinderpals, asking how tall their Nathan was.
- Teachers’ collaborate on inquiry in measurement
- Kinderpals tweets back: their Nathan is 66 cubes tall.
- Class decides to figure out how tall our Nathan is. Q: What units should we use?
o Ss discuss different objects: books, cubes, pegs, pencils. Ss decide on red pencils.
o Ss measure our Nathan.
• DISCUSS: How do we measure this correctly? Bottom to top
• DISCUSS: there are gaps → make sure pencils are touching.
• Nathan is 14 pencils tall.
o Another student measures Nathan with orange pencils.
• Nathan is 8 orange pencils long.
• DISCUSS: Is Nathan 14 or 8?
o Class decides to measure Nathan 1 more time, with yellow pencils.
• Nathan is 11 yellow pencils long.
• DISCUSS: what answer do we give our Kinderpals?
• Ss decide to send all 3 answers, but explain that 1 was short, 1 a bit long, and 1 the longest. (Students do not think to include units)
o Kinderpals tweet back, asking for more information. They ask what we use.
• We reply: coloring pencils.
• DISCUSS: which is taller, 11 pencils or 66 cubes?
• DISCUSS: should we ask them to use coloring pencils? (different lengths)
• Should we use cubes? (in the class we have several size of cubes)
• Decide: we should try to use the same cubes.
o Release students in pairs, allow them to measure each other.
• Collect a data table
•
o How can Yungi be 200,000 and Angus is only 5? That can’t be right!
o Yungi is too much.
o Because I count in tens
o I noticed that Aiden has two different highs, 45 and 65.
o Maybe he growed?
o No, how can he grow from yesterday?
o I think we measured wrong.
o Yeah, I think there was a muddle.
o It’s a bit tricky because it keeps changing.
o And Angus has two as well! 107 and 5. Huh?
o That’s because I was 107 unifix cubes and 5 meters when I measured with books.
o How many books?
o 5! I already said! 5 meters means 5 books.
o Well we had a problem because Nathan is really smaller than me but when we measured the first time he had more than me because he had more than 100.
o Yeah, that happened to us and we had to measure again.
o I think the problem is everyone is measuring with different things. That’s why we all have different answers. Because a cube is smaller than a book so you have to be more cubes.
o That’s why it’s so tricky.
o I agree! It’s so confusing.
• WRAP UP WITH DISCUSSION:
o Standard v nonstandard units