Lauren Sammon

Field Placement Lesson

I. Purpose:
In our current society, we are measuring constantly, in everyday life. For example, we measure the
amount of rainfall in a day, the width and height of furniture, the weight of a pet, etc. It is important for
students to establish measuring techniques at a young age. Before moving on to standard units, children
should begin measuring with nonstandard units. Students will have previously measured items with
nonstandard units, but this will be the students first introduction to measurement with a ruler.
Math K.8 The student will identify the instruments used to measure length (ruler), weight (scale),
time (clock: digital and analog; calendar: day, month, and season), and temperature (thermometer).Math
K.10 The student will compare two objects or events, using direct comparisons or nonstandard units
of measure, according to one or more of the following attributes: length (shorter, longer), height (taller,
shorter), weight (heavier, lighter), temperature (hotter, colder). Examples of nonstandard units include
foot length, hand span, new pencil, paper clip, and book.
II. Objectives:
Given a bag of different length scraps of paper, the student will be able to order the scraps from
shortest to longest with 100% accuracy.
Given a ruler, the student will be able to identify the correct measurement by inches of at least 3 out of
5 scraps of paper.
III. Procedure:
a. Introduction
This lesson will be an introduction to a unit on measurement. The students will first order one
another by shortest to tallest. Then the students will practice ordering items by shortest to longest. Then
students will be introduced to a ruler, shown how to measure an object to the nearest inch, and will be
given the opportunity to measure scraps of paper.
b. Development

First, gather students on the rug at the front of the class.

Next, show students a box filled with different objects (pointers, markers, spoon, etc.) Explain to
the students we want to order these objects in a row from shortest to longest. Place the

paintbrush on the floor alongside a piece of tape. Ask one volunteer student to search through the
items in the box to find an object that is longer than the paintbrush. Ask the second student to
search through the items in the box and find an object that is shorter than the ruler. When the
students have found an object, ask them to place their objects near the paintbrush based on how
they should be ordered from longest to shortest. Continue this process until all students have had
a chance to hunt and find an object.
When the students return to place the item, do not give them instructions on exactly
where to place the items. Allow the students to explore and decide on their own where

their shorter object or longer object should be placed.

When the students have finished collecting items, direct the students attention to the ground
where the objects have been collected and placed. Ask the students if the line looks correct.
- If students have naturally decided to place objects where they belong according to the
other objects, the set of objects should flow from shortest to longest.
- If the students have not, try to lead a discussion about what doesnt look right with the
positions of the set of objects. Help guide students using the terms shorter, longer,

shortest, and longest.

Hold up a ruler to the students, and ask students what it is. If no one knows, ask the students

what a ruler might be used for?

(some answers might include To draw a straight line, or To see how big something is)
Use the answers given to guide students to explaining a purpose for the ruler.
Show students the length of an inch. Explain to students we can measure different items by how
many inches long they are. Explain there are 12 inches in a ruler. While pointing to each inch on

the ruler, guide the students to count with you from 1 to 12.
Then, ask students how to use a ruler. (Some students may know how, some students may not)
Ask for a volunteer to help measure one of the objects on the floor. Model to the class how to
line up the ruler to the object, and ask the class to count the inches with you. Ask for student

volunteers to come up to the front of the class and try to measure a chosen object.
Show one of the worksheets to the class, and explain the directions. Students must order the
scraps of paper from shortest to longest. Show them where to place the scraps. Explain when
they have finished gluing the scraps, to raise their hands to get rulers to measure the scraps and
write the amount of inches on the bottom of the page.
For struggling students: Provide students with modified rulers with large written
numbers. Monitor while students work on worksheets and provide extra support when
needed.
For advanced students: Give students a group of items, ask them to organize the items
from shortest to longest, and then to measure how many inches are in each item.

c. Summary
After students have completed the worksheets, ask students to gather back together on the rug.
Ask students to share what they learned about using rulers. Ask students why they think we use rulers.
Practice measuring a few items in front of the class, and ask students to help count how many inches are
in each. Collect all worksheets and use to assess the students knowledge.
IV. Materials used in the lesson

8 rulers (4 regular, 4 modified)

19 items in varying length (examples: paintbrush, marker, crayon, toys, etc.)
15 worksheets
15 sets of 5 strips of paper (2 inch, 3 inch, 4 inch, 5 inch, and 6 inch strips)
Gluesticks
Pencils

V. Evaluation A
During the first activity, I will be informally assessing the students based on how well/quickly
they are able to organize their classmates from shortest to tallest. I will be taking notes as to what
language students are using with one another, and how they are deciding to organize their classmates.
For the second activity, I will be informally assessing the students again, but will have a better idea of
where each student is individually. Since I will be calling up students one by one, I will be able to
informally assess which students seem to be struggling and which seem to understand the concepts. The
final worksheet will provide a more structured assessment as to the students knowledge and
understanding. I will consider students who miss any of the organization of the paper scraps in need of
more guided instruction. I will be able to assess which students are more advanced based on how many
paper scraps they are able to measure correctly. I will consider students who incorrectly measure 2 or
more paper scraps in need of further instruction. The students who correctly order all five scraps of
paper and measure at least 3 of the 5 scraps to the nearest inch will have met my objectives.

Evaluation B
Overall, the students exceeded my expectations. I had initially been worried about how well the
students would be able to use the rulers. However, when I first introduced the ruler to the class, it
appeared most students had significant prior knowledge as to what the ruler is and what it is used for. I
did not instruct students how to use the ruler, rather allowed them to use the ruler to measure how they

thought it should be done. I did model measuring two different objects with the class, but I did not
specifically tell them how to use the ruler. I wanted them to explore on their own so they could have
meaningful experiences and learn from them.
The first interactive activity went very well. The students enjoyed standing up and moving
around, and were able to quickly organize their classmates from shortest to tallest. When the students
had a disagreement, they employed two of the process standards in order to remedy their disagreement,
communication and reasoning. For example, students explained to one another why Lauryn belonged
before Tyshawn, or why Micah was the shortest. I was able to take a few mental notes about students
who did particularly well and those who seemed lost.
The second activity also went well. However, I had a few more management issues during this
activity. Some students began getting antsy when it was not their turn. I addressed this issue by asking
those students to pay attention to the classmate whose turn it was in order to make sure they put the item
in the correct placement on the floor. I gave each and every student a chance to first identify an object
that was either longer or shorter than the paintbrush I presented. I also gave each student an opportunity
to place the item in order on the floor. The students enjoyed this activity and were engaged. Every
student in the class was able to correctly identify an object that was either longer or shorter. However,
not all of the students were able to place the item correctly in the line formed on the floor.
When students misplaced an item, I asked the class if they agreed. The students then talked to
each other about why or why not an object was in the correct placement on the floor. When an issue
arose where the student placed the item in the wrong order, and some other students began to disagree, I
presented the issue to the entire class. I picked out the item in question, and asked the class as a whole to
say whether they believed the item was in the correct order and why. The few students who believed it
was in the correct order were able to listen to the other students describe why it was not in the right
placement. One student said the candle goes on this side of the paintbrush, not the other side, because it
is shorter than the paintbrush.
I would do both of these activities again, I think they were both effective practice for students to
organize different items. They both provided students with the process standards connections,
communication, reasoning, and representations. However, with the second activity, I would maybe call
two students up at a time instead of one, to keep the lesson moving along with better speed. This would
also reduce the amount of talking out of turn.
We had a good discussion about the purpose of rulers. I did not know what to expect for the
students prior knowledge of rulers and measurement. However, when I held up a ruler, most of the
students immediately recognized it, and were able to share general ideas for its uses. For example, one
student said they are used to tell how big things are. I felt it helped to ask students to repeat the ideas

they shared aloud over again in a louder voice so everyone could hear. I found when I asked students to
do so, they would end up coming to a more conclusive answer/description than they previously shared. I
also felt asking the students open-ended questions about what they knew about measuring and the use of
rulers brought up interesting, insightful discussion. The students are still on a very concrete
developmental level, so most of their responses were direct examples of when they had previously seen
one used. However, these shared experiences helped us move the discussion along.
I modified four of the rulers I brought in for the students to use who I felt might be struggling. I
marked the ruler with paper squares, with a large number written on each to cover each inch in a 12-inch
ruler. This helped the students out tremendously. I had remembered a discussion in class where it was
mentioned that many times students learning how to use rulers focus more on attending to the tick
marks, instead of being aware of how many inches are in a given measurement. Thats why I decided to
create the modified rulers, to help focus the attention of the students on the unit of an inch. However, I
wish I had done this to all of the rulers, because only the most advanced students (which was only one
or two) were able to successfully use a ruler without the modifications. In the future, I would give all
students access to the modified rulers.
The worksheet activity was a great way to assess the students knowledge of ordering objects by
the attribute of length, as well as to assess their beginning knowledge of working with rulers. I was very
impressed with the students for how well they performed on these worksheets! All fifteen students
correctly ordered the 5 scraps of paper from shortest to longest. Four of the fifteen students did not meet
my second objective, however. These students incorrectly measured more than two of the five scraps of
paper. If I were to continue working with these students on these topics, I would provide more
opportunities for these students to measure concrete objects with the adapted rulers.
Overall, the lesson went very well. I was impressed with my students and how engaged they
remained throughout the entirety of the lesson time. The worksheet I created ended up being an
insightful assessment tool for the knowledge of the students concerning organizing and measuring. It
would be a good tool to help plan future instruction.

APPENDIX A: Modified Rulers Photo