Lesson 3
Choose Objects to Compare Length Indirectly
Lesson Purpose
The purpose of this lesson is for students to compare the length of two objects that cannot be compared directly.
Lesson Narrative
In the previous lesson, students used a string to compare two lengths indirectly.
In this lesson, students choose their own object to compare the length of two other objects indirectly. Throughout the lesson, students make their own choices about what objects to use and how to use them to compare two other objects (MP5). Students also have opportunities to see and compare the different choices that their peers make. These conversations help prepare students for iterating same-sized length units to measure length in future lessons.
- Engagement
- MLR8
Learning Goals
Teacher Facing
- Choose and use objects to compare lengths of other objects indirectly.
Student Facing
- Let’s compare the length of objects that can’t be moved.
Required Materials
Required Preparation
Activity 1:
- Each group of 2 needs:
- Connecting cubes in singles and towers of 10
- 6-inch and 10-inch piece of string
- Unsharpened pencil
- Scissors
Activity 2:
- Each group needs measuring materials from the previous activity.
CCSS Standards
Addressing
Lesson Timeline
| Warm-up | 10 min |
| Activity 1 | 15 min |
| Activity 2 | 25 min |
| Lesson Synthesis | 10 min |
| Cool-down | 0 min |
Teacher Reflection Questions
How does indirect comparison prepare students to measure length by iterating length units in future lessons?