Catching Fish for Measurement Fun

Here is a link to a Early Math fun game for measuring fish and moving them to the correct tank based on their length.

After catching the fish, the player must "measure" the fish against the ruler and select the correct tank.

If your first or second graders need some practice with measurement, play Time to Move!

Capacity and Customary Measure

As I shared in my  Is This A Purple Elephant post, my students struggle with remembering standard rules but they have no trouble remembering stories I tell them.  They will repeat them over and over with great enthusiasm and will often want me to tell the same story over and over as well.  ;0)

For this reason, I have turned my Capacity Kingdom story  into a PowerPoint with pictures.   When we are done with the story, they usually can all draw the mnemonic device to answer conversion questions with customary measurement.  This PowerPoint Story has illustrations to go along with the story and the students draw their mnemonic device as the story progresses.  (Since I am supposed to be teaching fourth grade this year, I thought the visual story with illustrations would be of even greater value.  I also ordered little magnets for them from Vista Print with the picture for this year!)

I often hear them sharing the stories I tell them at lunch with students in other classrooms or students who were absent, which is so funny since they usually add, "Oh, that is SOO easy if you know the story.  Let me teach you the story and how to draw it." and away they go.

By the way I am referring to sixth graders who are thrilled, which often is not an easy thing to do.  LOL

Gallon Castle - A Story of One Family in Capacity Kingdom is available at my Teachers Pay Teachers Store and at my         Teachers Notebook store if anyone is interested in a copy of the story in PowerPoint.  

A Customary Top Secret Measurement Tool

When you are working with customary measurement do your children choose to measure all the things in the room that you haven't previously measured? Do they argue about their measurements being accurate because they know how to read the fractions on a ruler, so you have to be wrong? Do you have to measure the same things over and over to show each child, because the ruler keeps slipping?

I am sure that I am probably the only teacher whose students struggle with measuring accurately. (LOL)

I have a secret weapon to cut down on the time necessary for remeasuring. You can get my secret weapon at your nearest Dollar Tree store. Do you know what I am talking about?

Well......It is a tape measure. The type that construction workers use. You pull out the tape, it has the end lip on it to help hold it in place. It is found in the hardware aisle.

But the tape measures at Dollar Tree are special and hard to find anywhere else. The normal tick marks are between the numbers, but they also have the fractions marked. I don't mean with just the tick marks, I mean with the actual fractions! The measurement is shown above the tick mark. Here are the measurements shown between the one inch and two inch marks.

1, 1/8, 1/4, 3/8, 1/2, 5/8, 3,4, 7/8, 2

Not only does it help with reading the ruler, it also helps them see how reduced fractions play a part in the "real" world. I had one young man a couple of years back that finally figured out how to order fractions while we were practicing measuring. Up to then it didn't make sense to him.

Two more great things about these measures are when the teacher down the hall needs to measure something they can read this measure themselves and they are only $1.00!

I love bargains!

Multiplication--Part 2 Factors Over Five

Let, me start by saying that I believe that everyone should know their multiplication facts by heart.

In this post, I am going to share a method to help students who do not know their facts to gain confidence.   I am a firm believer, that with continued practice, students will eventually memorize their facts.

For this to work, BOTH numbers need to be larger than 5.  (I do not recommend using 6 x 7 as it is harder to mentally think through when first learning.)

The problem I am using for example is 7 x 8. 
Have students put hands in the air with palms facing them.  Show them the problem written down on a piece of paper.

The conversation should go something like this:

1.  Are both numbers larger than 5?  yes 

2.  This will only work if both numbers are over 5!
3.  Look at the first number which is the 7.  How much over 5 is seven?  2    Bend down 2 fingers on your left hand.

4.  Look at the second factor.  It is a 8.  How much over 8 is 5?  3  Bend down 3 fingers on your right hand.

5. Their hands should look like this.

6.  How many total fingers are bent down?  5                           What is 5 x 10?  50

7.  How many fingers are not bent on your left hand?  3  
8.  How many fingers are not bent on your right hand?  2

9.  What is 3 x 2?  6
10.What is 50 + 6?  56  so 7 x 8 = 56

 

Basic rules:

Both numbers have to be over 5.

Take total number of bent fingers times 10, and then

Multiply the fingers not bent on one hand times the other hand's not bent fingers

Add the two numbers to get the product.

Next time:  Things to make it "fun" to learn multiplication

Racing Fun With "Time"

This center folder/activity requires students to use the driver cards to complete the activities.

The driver cards show time using analog clocks.  There are two different styles of clocks within the set.  One style has the minute marks between the numbers and one doesn't.

Students will be working with times in five minute intervals.  Times on the clocks often use the same numbers, but with different hands pointing to them.  For example:  1:25 and 5:05.

Driver cards and worksheets are in color, but print well in gray scale.

Included in this activity:

   26 Driver cards with analog clocks

    5  Worksheets and answer sheets

    2  Title pages

The five worksheets require students to work with the skills of matching an analog clock to a digital clock; determining a.m. and p.m.; arranging times in chronological order; determining elapsed time; and writing answers to word problems.

New Item--Gingerbread Village (Getting Home on "Time")

The gingerbread man has been running around the Gingerbread Village and it is now time to go home.  The students need to help each gingerbread man get home on "time". 

Each gingerbread man card has an analog clock on it.  Each gingerbread house has a digital clock.  The student matches the gingerbread man with his matching house.

There are a total 48 cards (24 gingerbread men and 24 gingerbread houses).  There is also a worksheet in this packet.  Students are given the time on a digital clock and are asked to draw the hands on the analog clock to match.

This activity/center corresponds with the Common Core Standard:  Mathematics:  Grade 1:  Measurement and Data #3--Tell and write time in hours and half-hours using analog and digital clocks

Help the gingerbread man get home!

New Item: Telling Time with Barnyard Friends

This activity requires the player to match the time shown on an analog clock to the matching digital time.  The analog clocks are shown with farm animals and the digital time is with a barn.

Included in this activity:
1 - Cover page for folder or envelope
1 - Student direction page
24 - Game cards with a barn animal with analog clock
24 - Game cards with a barn with matching digital time to analog clocks
1 - Worksheet that shows analog clock and students write the digital time

The game cards can also be used to make a matching game.

Common core standards: 
Grade 1--Measurement and Data
     #3 - Tell and write in hours and half-hours using analog and digital clocks

Measurement Bingo: Reading a Ruler in Inches

This bingo game gives students practice determining the measurement designated by the arrow pointing at the ruler.

There are 26 individual game boards included in this file along with calling cards. Each board is labeled with a letter in the upper left corner. An answer key telling the measurement in each location on each individual board is included.

Measurements include whole inches, halves, fourths, eighths, and sixteenths.


This is a great whole class activity or small group activity.


If you like to have fun while practicing reading a ruler, this is a great activity to use in your classroom.


Thanks for looking and have a great day!
Vintage Teacher


Measurement Bingo: Reading a Ruler in Inches