EDITION 2 | MEASUREMENT STEAM TRUNKTalk, sing songs, and read books about physical attributes of objects.Use various units to measure and compare objects.Encourage children to explore measuring tools and have fun with them.ContentsOverview of the STEAM TrunkTM.................... 1 and directionsMeasurement: Highlights and Key Ideas .... 2Activities for the Materials .................. 4–15 Measuring cup, big tape measure, ribbon, rain gauge, thermometer, graphing mat, and Guess How Much I Love You bookCircle Time Magazine is supported by funding from the Washington State Department of Early Learning and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Washington State Department of Early Learning or the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.Circle Time Magazine is the creation of Dr. Gail Joseph at the University of Washingtonchildcare quality & early learningUniversity of WashingtonCENTER FOR RESEARCH AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENTFor questions or comments contact CTmag@uw.edu1MEASUREMENT: Highlights and Key Ideas Measurement is an application of mathematics to real-life tasks. It involves two main ideas: Describing physical attributes. Measurement is using numbers to describe physical characteristics or attributes of objects such as their width, length, weight, area, and volume. Children experience and learn about these concepts as they actively explore the world around them. Using measurement tools. Measurement is based on using equal-size units that are repeated and counted. Children should become familiar with standard measurement tools (rulers, scales, measuring cups, thermometers, and clocks). They can also use nonstandard units, such as hands, footsteps, blocks, paper clips, string, ribbon, and containers to measure and compare objects.Mathematizing means bringing out the math in what children are doing. Focus on measurement concepts by making comments and asking questions as children explore object dimensions and measurement tools. You mathematize as you:• Talk about physical characteristics or attributes such as length, weight, size, distance, speed, temperature, or time.• Provide interesting objects for children to measure using standard and nonstandard measurement tools.• Sing songs and read books that describe physical attributes and dimensions.2For guidance on what children know and experience about math, refer to the Washington State Early Learning and Development Guidelines (https://www.del.wa.gov/helpful-resources/washington-state-early-learning-and-developmental-guidelines) and the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework (https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/interactive-head-start-early-learning-outcomes-framework-ages-birth-five). Here are some highlights related to this trunk of materials:Learning About My World: MeasurementInfants learn about physical characteristics of objects during everyday activities and routines. Educators can expose infants to measurement tools and objects that differ in size, weight, and capacity. They can talk about dimensions such as big, little, hot, cold, sing songs, and read books about attributes and measurement concepts. • Play with toys and things of different shapes and sizes.• Convey simple ideas related to quantity and weight.Toddlers begin to learn about measurement by exploring attributes of objects. Educators can use words that describe physical attributes (long, short, wide, far) during daily activities. They can provide opportunities to compare objects based on physical properties (Who is taller? Which is heavier?), introduce children to various measurement tools, and engage children in activities where they can measure objects using nonstandard units (This rug is five giant steps long. Let’s stack blocks to see which is taller).• Identify quantity and comparisons, such as all, some, none. Use comparison words correctly, such as bigger and smaller, more and less.• Explore measuring tools, such as measuring cups, or a ruler.With preschoolers, educators provide opportunities to describe objects by their physical attributes and dimensions. Encourage children to use standard and nonstandard measurement tools to describe and compare objects by size, length, height, weight, or capacity. Ask questions about quantities, and create simple problems that involve measuring and comparing objects. • Compare size by sight, feel, and comparing to hands, feet, etc. (visual and tactile math).• Compare two objects by length, weight, or size.• Use gestures or words to make comparisons (larger, smaller, shorter, taller).• Explore and use measuring tools in play (such as a ruler, measuring cups, or parts of the body).• Describe objects using size words (big, small, tall, short).• Order three objects by one characteristic, (such as from smallest to largest).Supporting Dual Language Learners• Describe physical characteristics or attributes using words in children’s home languages.• Use gestures, movement, and pictures. Individualizing• For extra support, use larger units (blocks) for measuring.• For extra support, provide additional opportunities.• For extra support, allow more time to finish tasks.• For additional challenge, encourage children to make thoughtful predictions about the length of curved surfaces. Then help them measure using ribbon that can be straightened out.• For additional challenge, offer more complex novel words and engage children in more back-and-forth conversations to prompt higher level thinking.Cultural Responsiveness• Acknowledge that some children may come from families that use the metric system. • Measure objects using various units of measurement such as meters, grams, liters, and the Celsius scale.3ActivitiesMeasuring CupWith this standard measuring tool, children can explore measurement and experiment with volume while doing what they love: pouring, scooping, filling, and dumping. Encourage infants to explore with their senses. Show them how to drop objects into the cup. Use simple words to narrate what is happening to the quantity when they drop objects in and take objects out (more, less, empty, full).Toddlers love to fill and empty containers. Provide a variety of materials to explore using the measuring cup (e.g., counting collections, sand, and water.) Talk about what children are doing. Use words to compare weight, quantity, and volume when the measuring cup is filled to different levels.Preschool children can attend better to the standard measurement on the measuring cup. Focus children’s attention on the number markers and ask them to use the numbers to explain how much is in the cup. Encourage them to experiment with the amount that they put in and take out. Play guessing games to see if they can predict what will happen.45 ExtensionEncourage children to find other containers and line them up from small to large and talk about how they are same and different.• “The cup is full! Now it’s empty!”• “Wow! The bucket feels heavier with more blocks in it!”• “I see you are adding more balls into the cup.”• “How does it feel now that you added more/dumped some out?”• “How many scoops do you think it will take to fill the measuring cup using this smaller container? What is your prediction?”TALKabout it!Developing Measurement SkillsUsing measuring cups provides opportunities to address the following measurement skills; additionally, you can use these to create learning goals:• Explore standard measuring tools. • Recognize and use words that describe size, length, volume, and weight.• Compare two objects by size, height, weight, and volume.• Use words to describe objects of different sizes (long, short, tall, small, wide, narrow) and make comparisons (longer, taller, shorter, wider, narrower.)Mathematizing Teaching Moves• Ask children to describe how the containers are the same or different, based on a single attribute (larger, taller/shorter, wider/narrower, heavier/lighter). • Talk about parts of whole by explaining how half of the measuring cup is a part of the whole cup.• Give gentle prompts to guide children who need extra help through the motions of measuring.• Use gestures such as your fingers, hands, and arms to highlight measurement words like “a little,” “more,” “a lot.”Big Tape MeasureInvite children to explore how this standard measurement tool works. Encourage them to use it to describe a variety of objects and compare objects by length, width, or height.ActivitiesShow toddlers how to use the measuring tape to measure length, width, or height. Measure children to see how tall they are. Encourage toddlers to work together and pull out the measuring tape as long it will go to measure something very long.With preschoolers, explain the difference between standard and non-standard measurement tools. Let them measure the distance between landmarks (inside or outside), then compare the measurement to the same distance in foot steps. Let them measure their friends, then mark the measurements on a growth chart.6Developing Measurement SkillsUsing a tape measure provides opportunities to address the following measurement skills; additionally, you can use these to create learning goals:• Explore standard measuring tools.• Describe and compare objects by size, length, width, and height.• Use words to make and describe comparisons.• Order three objects by size, length, width, or height.Mathematizing Teaching Moves• Follow children’s lead by observing what they look at, point to, and show curiosity about. • Model and provide prompts to help preschoolers record their measurements. • Ask open-ended questions to foster the use of more language and promote back-and-forth conversations.7ExtensionAdd blocks to a tower or take some away to make it taller or shorter. Encourage children to make predictions about the change in height. Measure it before and after to compare to compare and discuss.Comments and language modeling • “Look at that! You are measuring your friend.”• “I’m going to guess that the table is longer than the rug.”• “Wow, that crayon is really short!”• “Let’s write it down, you are 34 inches tall.”Open-ended questions • “I wonder what we could measure?”• “How wide do you think the door is?”• “Which one do you think will be longer?”• “Why do you think you are taller than your friend?”• “What would happen to the height of our tower if we added another block?”• “Who do you think the tallest person in the room is? Why?”Novel Words • Measure: tape, ruler, yardstick • Units: centimeters, inches, feet, meter• Size: big, small• Height: tall, short• Length: long, short• Width: wide, narrow• Comparison words: taller, shorter, longer, wider, narrower, bigger, smaller, tallest, shortestTALKabout it! • “Look, the ribbon is soft and long.”• “You used your ribbon to measure, that’s a non-standard measurement tool!”• “It looks like your train is 5 ribbons long.”• “I see you are being careful not to overlap when you move the ribbon to measure.”• “You’re comparing the two ribbons and it looks like one is shorter than the other.”• “I wonder how many ribbons’ long this toy is?”• “How are these two ribbons the same? Different?”TALKabout it!8RibbonThings can be measured using both standard measurement tools and non-standard tools such as crayons, paper clips, and ribbon. Children can even use their hands and feet to measure. Use ribbon to introduce non-standard measurement tools. ActivitiesToddlers will enjoy feeling the texture of the ribbon. Help toddlers use the ribbon to measure various objects in the environment, beginning with them! Measure their height, head circumference, feet, shoes, distance from the door to the cubbies, and other objects in the environment.Encourage preschool children to measure various objects using a piece of ribbon. Go outside and let them choose different things to measure. Help them understand the importance of measuring end-to-end without overlapping the ribbon. Cut pieces of ribbon into different lengths to see if children can put them in order from shortest to longest.ExtensionUse ribbon to measure objects or body parts that curve. Show children how to wrap the ribbon around different parts of their body and mark the ribbon. Then stretch it out and measure it against a tape measure.Developing Measurement SkillsUsing a ribbon provides opportunities to address the following measurement skills; additionally, you can use these to create learning goals:• Explore non-standard measuring tools.• Describe and compare objects by size, length, width, and height. • Use words to make and describe comparisons.• Order three objects by size, length, width, or height.Mathematizing Teaching Moves• Introduce words to describe the length, height, and width of the things they are measuring. • Ask open ended questions that encourage children to describe their measurements and comparisons.• Give gentle physical prompts to guide children who need extra help through the motions of measuring.• Follow children’s lead by helping them measure things that they point to and show curiosity about. • Provide choices of things to measure.Next >