USING A RULER/LENGTH WORD PROBLEMS (Lesson 3)

2nd Grade
Karli Feaster
Total Time: 45 minutes
I. TOPIC: Students will learn how to use a ruler and practice measuring objects of
different
lengths and solve word problems relating to measurement.
II. OBJECTIVES/STANDARDS
Objective: Given instruction, examples, and practice activity, the students
will be able to accurately use rulers to measure objects of various lengths to
the nearest 1/4 and solve word problems relating to units of measure.
Standards:
M02.D-M.1.2.3 Use a ruler to measure to the nearest 1/2 and 1/4 inch.
Estimate lengths in standard units using appropriate tools.
M02.D-M.1.2.2 Add and subtract one step word problems involving
length and
volume using same units.
III. VOCABULARY
-Length
-Inch
-Fourth
-Foot
-Yard
-Ruler
-Yardstick
-Measuring Tape
IV. TEACHING PROCEDURES
Anticipatory Set (5 minutes)
- Teacher will introduce that the students will be learning about length
today as their 3rd kind of measurement. Teacher will read Twelve Snails to
One Lizard as a brief review of length concepts and vocabulary. Teacher
will then go through the sections of the measurement chart and ask for
answers from the class for each section (book should have helped remind
students of these answers). Each the measurement chart will be already
filled out but covered with strips of butcher paper that will be taken away
one at a time.
Development (15 minutes)
- Once the final section of the measurement chart is displayed
(measurement tools) move into development. Ask questions about tools:
Would you want to measure the height of a playground with a ruler (put 1
finger up) or measuring tape (2 fingers up)? Would you want to measure
the length of a caterpillar with a ruler (put 1 finger up) or yardstick (put 2
fingers up)? Would you want to measure the height of your desk with
measuring tape (put 1 finger up) or a yardstick (put 2 fingers up)?
- Ask students if theyve used rulers, yardsticks, or tape measures to
measure things before maybe with their parents or at least in the
classroom with their plants. Ask why being able to measure things with
rulers, yardsticks, and measuring tape is important & take ideas from
students.

In workshops this week, some of you have been working on measuring

with a ruler. Sometimes, objects arent exactly a certain number of inches
though. Like my caterpillar here (on the How to Read a Ruler Chart) is
more than 1 inch but less than 2. It is one full inch and part of the second
inch.. Does anyone have any ideas about how we measure it? (take ideas)
Today we are going to learn how to read a ruler to the nearest 1 fourth
inch.
- Ask students if they can think of any important things to remember when
using a ruler. Take suggestions from students. (lining the object up with
the 0 & not the end, etc.)
- Introduce the steps of measuring (on poster and in their measurement
books). Use an example with the SMART board on
http://www.abcya.com/measuring.htm to talk through and teach the steps.
- Step 1: Place the 0 on the end of the ruler with one end of the
object
- Step 2: Find the line the other end of the object lines up with
- Step 3: Touch the whole number before that line
- Step 4: Write down the whole number (They should already have a
basic understanding up to this point)
- Between these steps talk about how a ruler splits up each inch into
four equal parts called fourths (have them say fourths) When we
read a ruler to the nearest one fourth, we look at how many of the
four equal parts of the inch lines up with. We simply are counting
the fourths of the inch (show example). 2/4 is the same things as
because two fourths of the inch are half of the inch.
- Step 5: Find the line halfway between the whole number your finger
is on and the next whole number
- That line is 1/2 (or 2/4)
- If the line is before the 1/2, it is 1/4
- If the line is after the 1/2, it is 3/4
- Use SMART Board to practice lining objects up with a ruler and have
students come up to the board and measure the length of various objects
(at least 3 examples but more if necessary).
- Explain that measurement is used in word problems sometimes. Give
example word problem (projected on the SMART board), solving aloud with
students:
- Miss Winters likes to play baseball. Miss Feaster likes to golf. Miss
Winters baseball bat is 33 inches long. Miss Feasters golf club is 26
inches long. How much longer is the baseball bat than that golf
club?
Guided Practice 1 (15 minutes)
- Introduce the worksheet, and briefly explain the instructions (mostly about
reading a ruler with a few word problems at the end). Remind students
that they have the steps for how to read a ruler in the back of their
measurement books. Have students head back to their seats to work on
measuring worksheet (Alissa & Abby will have placed the worksheets on
the desk while I teach). Tell students when they are finished to raise their
hand to get it checked. Teacher will remind students that PSSA testing is
going on so we need to be very quiet. There is really no need to talk to

each other, so if you have a question, you need to raise your hand for a
teacher.
- Teachers will circulate and guide students as needed.
- When students finish, one of the teachers will check their worksheet.
Independent Practice 1 (5 minutes)
- As students finish the worksheet, they may work on the Length section of
their Measurement books. They may use the measurement chart for
reference, but should try to fill it out on their own. They will have more
time to work on this tomorrow, so it is okay if they dont finish.
Closure (5 minutes)
- Teacher will thank students for their hard work today. She will introduce
the exit slip and pass it out with the other teachers. Students will
complete the exit slip (2-3 minutes to complete) and the teachers will
collect it. Teacher will tell students she looks forward to seeing them
tomorrow!
V. MATERIALS
Twelve Snails to One Lizard
Measurement Chart
Using a Ruler Chart
rulers
measuring tape (for reference?)
yardstick (for reference?)
SMART Board (Gynzy and http://www.abcya.com/measuring.htm activities)
nametags
Reading a Ruler worksheets (from Linear Measurement pdf) with Word
Problems Worksheet from below attached
http://www.ashleigh-educationjourney.com/2015/02/linearmeasuremen.html
Measure It! Worksheet (from Linear Measurement pdf)
http://www.ashleigh-educationjourney.com/2015/02/linearmeasuremen.html
measurement books
tickets out the door
VI. ADAPTATIONS/PLAN MODIFICATIONS
- If there is not enough time, independent practice will be dropped.
- If there is too much time, students will can work on the Measure It!/Find a
Length Activity.
- Students who are struggling can get one on one help from a teacher during
guided practice.
- Students who are ahead and finish early may work on the Measure It!/Find a
Length worksheet.
VII. EVALUATION
Formative: activate prior knowledge, check for understanding, Using a Ruler
worksheet, measurement book
Summative: N/A
VIII. REFLECTION
Student Reflection

- Did the students demonstrate how to use a ruler appropriately?

- Were the students engaged in the lesson?
- Did the students understand and correctly solve the word problems?
Teacher Reflection
- Was I well planned and prepared for this lesson?
- Was I able to make the lesson and concept relatable to the students?
- Did we pace our lesson well so that the students understood?
- What changes would we make if we were to teach this lesson again?
Name: _________________________

Measurement Word Problems

Solve the problems, show your work, and circle you answer.

1. Leo is 48 inches tall. Leos dad is 72 inches tall. How much taller is
Leos dad than Leo is?

____________ inches
2. Lexi drew a 7 foot long hopscotch on her driveway. Her brother, Jack,
added 3 more feet of hopscotch to it. How long is the hopscotch now?

____________ feet
3. A dragonfly is 4 inches long. A grasshopper is 2 inches shorter in
length than a dragonfly. How long is a grasshopper?

____________ inches
4. Frogs can jump much longer and higher than toads. A toad jumps 5
inches. From the same starting point, a frog jumps and lands 19

inches farther away from where the toad landed. How long was the
frogs jump?

____________ inches
Name: _________________________

Ticket Out the Door

Write down one thing you learned today.

Write down one question you have about what we learned today.

Name: _________________________

Ticket Out the Door

Write down one thing you learned today.

Write down one question you have about what we learned today.

Name: _________________________

Ticket Out the Door

Write down one thing you learned today.

Write down one question you have about what we learned today.

USING A RULER/LENGTH WORD PROBLEMS

2nd Grade
Alissa Winters and Karli Feaster
Total Time: 45 minutes
I. TOPIC: Students will review how to use a ruler and practice measuring objects of
different
lengths and solve word problems relating to measurement.
II. OBJECTIVES/STANDARDS
Objective: Given instruction, examples, and practice activity, the students
will be able to
accurately use rulers to measure objects of various length and
solve word problems
relating to units of measure.
Standards:
M02.D-M.1.2.3 Use a ruler to measure to the nearest 1/2 and 1/4 inch.
Estimate lengths in standard units using appropriate tools.
M02.D-M.1.2.2 Add and subtract one step word problems involving
length and
volume using same units.
III. TEACHING PROCEDURES
Anticipatory Set
- Review previous days lessons by asking what type of measurement they
would use for various things. Include a motion for each answer.
- Liquid: model pouring a drink
- Weight: make a muscle
- Length: finger inch worm
Development (10 minutes)
- Karli will have an object and a ruler on the SMART board (using
http://www.abcya.com/measuring.htm). She will tell the students that she
is going to have Miss Winters measure the object for us. Then she will
have Miss Winters close her ears and tell the students that we have to
make sure that Miss Winters is measuring the right way (I am not really
sure if Miss Winters remembers how to measure the right way), so if
they see her do anything wrong, they should raise their hands right away
and tell her how to fix it. Alissa will purposefully make a few mistakes, and
as students raise their hands, Karli will call on them to explain what is
wrong and how Miss Winters should fix it.
- Teacher will cover up important sections on the Reading a Ruler chart. She
will review the steps with the students and have the students fill in the
missing pieces. As she reviews the chart, she will measure an object step
by step on the SMART board.
- Step 1: Place the 0 on the end of the ruler with one end of the
object
- Step 2: Find the line the other end of the object lines up with
- Step 3: Touch the whole number before that line
- Step 4: Write down the whole number

Step 5: Find the line halfway between the whole number your finger
is on and the next whole number
- That line is 1/2 (or 2/4)
- If the line is before the 1/2, it is 1/4
- If the line is after the 1/2, it is 3/4
- Emphasize that each inch on the ruler is split up into equal parts
(intro to fractions)
- Explain worksheet/activity; ask riddle that will be solved through the
worksheet (see below)

Guided Practice 1 (20 minutes)

- Riddle: Why are frogs so happy?
- Pass out worksheet & rulers.
- Split students into 2 groups based on shape of nametag.
- The first group will complete the scavenger hunt portion of the worksheet.
Explain that there are 8 worms to be found/measured and that no more
than 2 people should be at one worm at a time.
- The second group will work on problem solving portion of the worksheet.
(Problems adapted from McGraw-Hill My Math Student Workbook). They
can switch to the other portion once they finish.
- Once all the clues are gathered, students will work to solve the answer to
the riddle, not sharing their answer with
- Answer: They eat whatever bugs them!
Independent Practice 1 (5 minutes)
- Once students complete the scavenger hunt activity, they will work on the
Find a Length activity. If they finish that, they can finish completing
anything they have not finished in their measurement book.
Closure
- If time allows, play review game again (introduced in anticipatory set)
- Have students do Think, Pair, Share and name 3 things they learned about
measurement this week. Have some students share in large group.
- Thank them for being such wonderful students for us this week!
IV. MATERIALS
rulers
SMART Board
http://www.abcya.com/measuring.htm
nametags
worksheets
pencils
worm cutouts of different lengths
measurement books
tape
Find a Length Worksheet (in Linear Measurement pdf)
http://www.ashleigh-educationjourney.com/2015/02/linearmeasuremen.html
V. ADAPTATIONS/PLAN MODIFICATIONS
- If there is not enough time, independent practice will be dropped.
- If there is too much time, students will can work on anything they havent
finished during the week (Measurement Book, Measure It! Activity, Find a
Length activity, Using a Ruler worksheet).

- Students who are struggling can get one on one help from a teacher during
guided practice.
- Students who are ahead and finish early may work on the Find a Length
worksheet.
VI. EVALUATION
Formative: activate prior knowledge, check for understanding,
measurement scavenger hunt and worksheet, measurement book
Summative: N/A
VII. REFLECTION
Student Reflection
- Did the students demonstrate how to use a ruler appropriately?
- Were the students engaged in the lesson?
- Did the students understand and correctly solve the word problems?
Teacher Reflection
- Were we well planned and prepared for this lesson?
- Were we able to make the lesson and concept relatable to the students?
- Did we pace our lesson well so that the students understood?
- What changes would we make if we were to teach this lesson again?

Using a Ruler & Length Word Problems

Scavenger Hunt: Search the room for worms. Each worm is
labeled with a letter. Use you ruler to measure the worm
and put the length in inches next to the letter.

R. __________ inches

G. __________ inches

Y. __________ inches

H. __________ inches

M. __________ inches

U. __________ inches

A. __________ inches

V. __________ inches

Problem Solving: Solve the length word problems.

Show your work and write your answers on the
lines.
W. The playground is 90 yards long. The field by my house is 80 yards
long. How much longer is the playground?

____________ yards
T. The red bike is 5 feet long. The green bike is 7 feet long. How much
longer is the green bike than the red bike?

____________ feet

S. Carter has a jump rope that is 6 feet long. Clara has a jump rope that is
7 feet long. They want to play jump rope with a group of their friends,
so they tie their jump ropes together to make one long jump rope. How
long is the long jump rope?

____________ feet
B. In Justins garden, his tomato plant was 20 inches tall. Two weeks
later, he measures the tomato plant again and sees that it has grown
16 inches. How tall is Justins tomato plant now?

____________ inches
E. On a baseball field, the distance from home plate to 1 st base is 88 feet.
The distance from home plate to the pitchers mound is 60 feet. How
much farther away is the first base from home plate than the pitchers
mound?

____________ feet

Use your answers to solve the riddle!

Each number under a line is an answer to a problem above. Write

the letter of the problem on the line to solve the riddle.
Why are frogs so happy?
_____ _____ _____ _____
_____ _____ _____
2
5
28
6
28
7
2
_____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____
10
5
7
2
28
8
28
2
_____ _____ _____ _____
36
4
3
13

_____ _____ _____ _____!

2
5
28
9