Elementary Measurement - Lesson 2

Return to Lesson 1 or return to Elementary Mathematics UDL Instructional Unit

Scaling and Unit Conversion:

4.ME.2f1 Complete a conversion table for length and mass within a single system

Objectives

• Students will be able to convert inches to feet and feet to inches.

Essential Questions

• How can a measurement expressed in one unit be expressed in another unit without changing the quantity?
• How is expressing equal quantities in different units practical/useful in real world situations?

Vocabulary

Convert - to change

Foot - a standard unit of length in the US Customary system equal to 12 inches

Inch - a standard unit of length in the US Customary system equal to 1/12 of a foot

Length - a measurement of the distance from one point to another

Measure - to determine a quantity/amount

Measurement - a determined quantity/amount

Quantity - an amount of something

Ruler - a wooden or plastic tool used to measure lengths up to 12 inches

Standardized - the same

Tape Measure - a tool consisting of a flexible ribbon of cloth or metal used to measure lengths up to several feet

Unit - a set amount used to consistently determine quantities

US Customary System of Measurement - a system of measurement that includes units such as inches, feet, yards and miles (for length); also referred to as imperial units or English units; This system is not commonly used outside of the United States.

Width - measurement of the distance from one side or edge to the opposite side or edge

Yard Stick - a usually wooden tool used to measure lengths up to 3 feet (1 yard)

Materials

• Charts from lesson 1
• Two 8-packs of juice boxes
• Individual whiteboards (one per student) and dry erase markers
• Lesson 2 Conversions PowerPoint presentation (print out slides for students)
• Lesson 2 Practice Conversions PowerPoint (do not need to print out the slides for the students, but if you do remove the answers from the slides)

Introduction

a. Activate Previous Knowledge

1. Review the chart used in Lesson 1 whereby units of length were listed (inches, feet, yards, and miles) as well as the tools used to measure length (ruler, tape measure, yardstick, odometer, etc.). Remind the students how in Lesson 1 they were asked to decide which tool and which unit was most appropriate given what they were measuring.
2. Show the students an 8-pack of juice boxes. Open the pack and have the students count aloud each box as you remove each from the pack.
3. Ask the students, "How many boxes of juice are there in 1 pack?" Then ask the students, "What if I had 2 packs of juice? How many boxes of juice would I have all together?"
4. Ask the students, "Is there a difference between saying that I have 1 pack of juice or that I have 8 boxes of juice? Is there a difference between saying that I have 2 packs of juice or that I have 16 boxes of juice? Is there the same amount either way I say it?"
5. Finally, ask the students, "Why might I want to say that I have 2 packs of juice rather than saying that I have 16 boxes of juice? Or, why might I want to say that I have 16 boxes of juice rather than saying that I have 2 packs?" Remind them of how in Lesson 1 it was determined, for example, that using feet to measure the line of the floor was better than using inches, although it is certainly possible to measure the line in inches—it would just likely take a little longer and involve larger numbers. Remind them also of how this is the same principle they learned about when they learned why multiplication is handy even though it is actually nothing more than repeated addition.

Additional Considerations for Emerging Readers and Emerging Communicators

1. Provide reminders in the form of accommodations used in Lesson 1- Practice. Refer student to math journal information recorded in Lesson 1.
2. Provide 2-dimensional copies (enhanced with tactile qualities such as glue or puffy paint outlines) of the juice, boxes (or a set of actual juice boxes) to count as the teacher demonstrates. The copies or actual juice boxes may be supplemented with hook-and-loop tape if necessary. Mark the copies or the actual boxes with numerals 1-8. Add tactile qualities as necessary including touch math dots, sets of textured dots corresponding to the numerals, outlined numerals, etc. Provide a grid or number line for the student to use when counting. It may have tactile qualities added.
3. Allow the student to answer using his/her preferred mode of communication. Provide answer options from which the student can choose. Provide a second set of copies or actual boxes so the student can come up with the answer. Provide an equation (either addition or multiplication) the student can use to come up with the answer. The student may use a calculator if necessary.
4. Have the student compare the individual copies or the actual boxes to unopened packs to answer the questions. Allow the student to answer using his/her preferred mode of communication.
5. Allow student to answer using his/her preferred mode of communication. Provide options of answers from which to choose. Depending on the student's skills at this point, you may or may not include distractors or "wrong" answers. However, since this is still learning and not being assessed, "errorless learning" is still an option, so giving all appropriate choices is acceptable. Preplan a question and answer so the student can contribute to the discussion.

b. Establish Goals/Objectives for the Lesson

1. Tell the students that in this lesson, they will be using inches and feet and that, like the packs of juice and the juice boxes, they will learn how to use those two units to express the same amount/quantity.

Additional Considerations for Emerging Readers and Emerging Communicators

b. 1) As the teacher explains the goals to the class, provide access to the same measuring tools (with any supports necessary) that he/she used in previous activities in this unit (once a student demonstrates that a support of any kind is successful in helping him/her learn, it is important to use that same support whenever appropriate; consistency is important). Provide a digital or graphic representation of inches compared to feet.

Body

1. Provide students with handouts of the Lesson 2 Conversions PowerPoint.
2. Guide students through the PowerPoint. (The PowerPoint is very short and is scripted. You will need to print out the speaker's notes or at least read them ahead of time so that you know when to click for each narration.) The PowerPoint shows students that:

a. 12 inches = 1 foot and 1 foot = 12 inches

b. To convert feet to inches, multiply by 12

c. To convert inches to feet, divide by 12

d. Reference charts (12's times table and basic division by 12) are included in the presentation.

Additional Considerations for Emerging Readers and Emerging Communicators

1. Provide a digital or graphic representation of inches compared to feet in addition to the PowerPoint. Manipulative models, such as connecting one inch cubes, may also be used.

2. Allow student to use a calculator (talking calculator, large button calculator, digital calculator, etc.) to practice multiplying and dividing by 12. Pre-teach any concepts (multiplication, division, calculator use, etc.) that the student may not have learned completely.

Practice

1. Present the students with the Lesson 2 Practice Conversions PowerPoint presentation. (You do not necessarily need to give handouts of this one. If you do, remember to remove the answers from the slides before printing.)

a. Each slide presents the students with a conversion problem.

b. Students are asked to decide whether they would need to multiply or divide in order to find the equivalent measurement. (Remind students they may refer to their PowerPoint notes.)

2. Students are asked to write and complete each problem on their whiteboards.

3. The final slide tasks the students to complete a chart whereby they must convert inches to feet and feet to inches. Again, students should write the problems and their answers on their whiteboards.

Additional Considerations for Emerging Readers and Emerging Communicators

1. As the practice conversion PowerPoint is being presented

a. Provide models for the problems that the student can use to copy on the whiteboard.

b. Provide options of math function for the student to choose. Allow him/her to choose using the preferred mode of communication.

2. Provide prewritten cards with the numbers and functions that the student can use to "write" the problems (touching, moving, selecting by eye-gaze, etc.).

a. Prewrite the problems on the whiteboard.

b. Provide the problems digitally and allow the student to solve the problems digitally. Allow the student access to the digital problems using assistive technology.

c. Provide options of math function for the student to choose. Allow him/her to choose using the preferred mode of communication.

d. Allow the student to use a calculator (traditional or digital, talking, large button, etc.) to solve the problems.

e. Provide number cards that the student can use as answers for the problems, process cards, and math function cards instead of writing them.

f. Reduce the number of problems that the student must solve.

g. Reduce the difficulty of the problems. For example, only give the student problems that have feet in single digits (1-9).

3. Use the same supports as in step 2

Closure

a. Revisit/Review Lesson and Objectives –

1. Remind students that the goal for this lesson was to learn how to convert inches to feet and feet to inches.
2. Ask students to verbally explain how to convert feet to inches.
3. Ask students to verbally explain how to convert inches to feet.

Additional Considerations for Emerging Readers and Emerging Communicators

1. During the review, provide access to the same measuring tools (with any supports necessary) that he/she used in previous activities in this unit (once a student demonstrates that a support of any kind is successful in helping him/her learn, it is important to use that same support whenever appropriate; consistency is important).
2. Allow the student to answer the questions using his/her preferred mode of communication (including AAC and AT).

• Allow the student to create the formulas for conversion (feet to inches and inches to feet) by writing, manipulating prewritten labels, numbers, and functions, etc. and use those formulas to answer the questions.
• Provide formulas and allow the student to select them as answers to the teacher's questions.

3. Use the same supports as in step 2

b. Exit Assessment –

1. Group the students in pairs.
2. Have each student come up with a conversion problem and write it on his/her whiteboard.
3. Have students exchange whiteboards with their partners and solve their partners' problem.
4. Have each pair present both of their problems and of answers to the class and explain how they solved them.

Additional Considerations for Emerging Readers and Emerging Communicators

Allow the student to write a conversion problem using any of the supports or accommodations that he/she used in previous activities in this unit (once a student demonstrates that a support of any kind is successful in helping him/her learn, it is important to use that same support whenever appropriate; consistency is important). Give the student a chance to do this independently (this is assessment, so it is important to determine the accuracy of the student's independent performance). If the student cannot do this step independently, assist as necessary so the other student has a correct problem to solve. Allow the student to solve the partner's conversion problem using any of the supports or accommodations that he/she used in previous activities in this unit (once a student demonstrates that a support of any kind is successful in helping him/her learn, it is important to use that same support whenever appropriate; consistency is important). Give the student a chance to do this independently (this is assessment, so it is important to determine the accuracy of the student's independent performance). If the student cannot do this step independently, make a note of this and assist as necessary so the problem is solved correctly. Have the student point to each step of the equation sequentially. Have the student present his/her solution digitally using AT.

Return to Lesson 1 Proceed to Lesson 3