Post 6 : Longer and heavier? Shorter and heavier?

Post 6 : Longer and heavier? Shorter and heavier? 

Personal Objective: 

My personal objective is to help students understand the concept of length and decide which of two objects is longer and which is shorter and is heavier and which is lighter. Students will be able to compare two objects according to different measurable attributes. This activity will show multiple solutions and the pairs of items do not follow a predictable pattern.  

Common Core Standard:

K.MD.A.1. Describe measurable attributes of objects, such as length or weight. Describe several measurable attributes of a single object.

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.

Activity:

Longer and Heavier? Shorter and Heavier?

Materials:

Several pairs of objects (see below for how to choose the pairs)

balance scale

Task:

1. Find several pairs of objects that are much longer in one dimension than the other two to compare as well as compare the length and weight of each pair of objects. 

2. Some pairs should be set up as: object A these items is both longer and heavier then object B and some pairs should be set up so that object A is  heavier but shorter then object B. In other pairs, object A should be lighter but longer then object B, and for at least one pair, objects A and B should appear about the same, but differ in weight. Mix the items up, this will show students that weight and length are separate measurements, and not always related.

3. Select the first pair and ask the students which is longer? The items can be held side by side for comparison. The students should explain why they know one is longer.

4. Once students has explained which object is longer, the teacher will ask them to predict which object will be heavier. Ask students to explain why they predict this. Students can use the sentence frame “I predict ____ will be heavier because_____.” Any prediction which is explained with reasoning is an excellent prediction!

5. The teacher will then place each item in one side of the balance scale and the class will watch to see which is heavier. Students can discuss if their predictions were correct why or why not?

6. The teacher will then repeat the activity with a new pair of objects. The teacher will take care to vary the sets so that there is a mix of heavier/shorter, lighter/longer, heavier/longer and lighter/shorter.

Prerequisite skill: Students understanding how a balance scale works as well as have worked on comparing objects along a single measurable attribute. This activity should be repeated on several occasions throughout the study of measurement.

http://tasks.illustrativemathematics.org/content-standards/K/MD/A/tasks/1012

Other Resources:

Reflection:

As someone who has struggled and continues to struggle in math I believe that giving videos and repeating steps is most important to the grasping of the material. It is important that students become experts by this task being presented several times, each time feeling more confident about the answers they provide which should become more descriptive.