teaching resource

Measuring Length with Formal Units Teaching Slides

Updated: 26 Jul 2024

Introduce your students to the formal units to measure length with an engaging, interactive teaching slide deck.

Editable: PowerPoint, Google Slides
Pages: 1 Page
Years: 1 - 3

Curriculum

VC2M1M02

Measure the length of shapes and objects using informal units, recognising that units need to be uniform and used end-to-end <ul> <li>using 2 different units (for example, icy pole sticks and pencils) to measure the length of an object (for example, a desk), and explaining why the number of units used may be different</li> <li>comparing the length of 2 objects, such as a desk and a bookshelf, by laying multiple copies of a unit and counting to say which is longer and how much longer; and explaining why they should not have gaps or overlaps between the units, as this will change the length of the unit</li> <li>measuring the distance between 2 locations using footsteps, comparing the results and explaining why there may be different results, for example, referring to the different lengths of footsteps as using different units</li> <li>measuring and comparing the length of objects using blocks; for example, comparing the height of 2 toys by stacking blocks one on top of the other and counting how many it takes to reach the height of each object to decide which is taller</li> </ul>
VC2M2M01

Measure and compare objects based on length, capacity and mass using appropriate uniform informal units and smaller units for accuracy when necessary <ul> <li>choosing suitable informal units to measure the length of a range of objects, and justifying their choice of a longer unit to measure things that are long (such as the width of a room) and a shorter unit to measure shorter things or when more accuracy is needed</li> <li>comparing the capacity of several containers using sand and units such as a spoon or cup, to say which container will hold the most and how much more it will hold; recording the results; writing an explanation of their measurement process, including using smaller units to be more accurate; and justifying the result</li> <li>using balance scales to compare the mass of several objects, selecting an appropriate informal unit; counting the number of informal units to determine which object is heavier and how much heavier; and explaining why the informal units chosen need to be the same mass</li> <li>recognising that the same informal unit needs to be used when measuring (for example, demonstrating and discussing why using different shoe lengths to measure the same distance could result in the measures being different) and discussing why a smaller-sized informal unit may result in a larger number of units compared to a larger-sized informal unit</li> <li>investigating Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ use of body parts, such as hands, as uniform informal units of measurement used to measure and compare objects, for example, in the manufacturing of nets for a particular purpose</li> <li>investigating and comparing measurable attributes that are interpreted by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Peoples to understand animal behaviour, such as the length, width and depth of animal tracks</li> </ul>
VC2M3M01

Identify which metric units are used to measure everyday items; use measurements of familiar items and known units to make estimates <ul> <li>examining the packaging on supermarket items to determine the metric unit used to describe the mass or volume of the contents</li> <li>identifying items that have a mass of one kilogram or 500 grams, or a capacity of one litre or 500 millilitres, and using these benchmarks to estimate the mass or capacity of other things, explaining their reasoning</li> <li>estimating the height of a tree by comparing it to the height of their friend and quoting the result as ‘The tree is about 3 times as tall’; and estimating the capacity of a fish tank by using a litre milk carton as a benchmark</li> <li>choosing and using metres to estimate the dimensions of the classroom</li> </ul>

teaching resource

Measuring Length with Formal Units Teaching Slides

Updated: 26 Jul 2024

Introduce your students to the formal units to measure length with an engaging, interactive teaching slide deck.

Editable: PowerPoint, Google Slides
Pages: 1 Page
Years: 1 - 3

Introduce your students to the formal units to measure length with an engaging, interactive teaching slide deck.

Teach Your Year 1 & Year 2 Measurement Unit With Us!

Are you getting ready to kick off your measurement unit? Are you nearing the end and looking for a fun way to transition your students from informal to formal units of measure? If so, you’re in the right place! We’ve got the perfect tool to introduce (or reacquaint) your students with millimetres, centimetres, metres, and more!

This resource download consists of an interactive teaching/instructional slide deck with loads of instructional material, pictures, checks for understanding, and more! It’s everything you need to teach that first lesson on measuring length with formal units.

How Long is a Millimetre? A Metre? A Kilometre?

It’s a common question that pops up in the primary classroom, and this slide deck is exactly what you need to answer it. In this instructional slide deck, your students will learn and practise concepts such as:

Determining which measurement tools to use to measure objects
The different units of measurement for measuring length Identifying measurement tools (measuring tape, metre stick, ruler)
Estimation strategies for units of measurement
Determining which metric measurement tools to use to measure objects

As you can see, this resource is packed with learning opportunities and will make the perfect opening lesson for any Measurement Unit Plans you’re working on.

Download, Project, and Teach!

This downloadable teaching resource is available as a PowerPoint slideshow as well as an Interactive Google Slides Activity. To choose your file, click the dropdown arrow on the download button. You will be prompted to make your copy. From there, project the slides in presentation mode and start teaching!

This resource was created by Lindsey Phillips, a teacher and Teach Starter Collaborator.

More Tools for Teaching Year 1 & Year 2 Measurement!

Are you looking for more? Make sure you check out these handy instructional resources before you go!

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Marine Measuring With Informal Units Interactive

Dive into measurement with informal units using an engaging ocean-themed interactive measurement activity.

Curriculum

VC2M1M02

Measure the length of shapes and objects using informal units, recognising that units need to be uniform and used end-to-end <ul> <li>using 2 different units (for example, icy pole sticks and pencils) to measure the length of an object (for example, a desk), and explaining why the number of units used may be different</li> <li>comparing the length of 2 objects, such as a desk and a bookshelf, by laying multiple copies of a unit and counting to say which is longer and how much longer; and explaining why they should not have gaps or overlaps between the units, as this will change the length of the unit</li> <li>measuring the distance between 2 locations using footsteps, comparing the results and explaining why there may be different results, for example, referring to the different lengths of footsteps as using different units</li> <li>measuring and comparing the length of objects using blocks; for example, comparing the height of 2 toys by stacking blocks one on top of the other and counting how many it takes to reach the height of each object to decide which is taller</li> </ul>
VC2M2M01

Measure and compare objects based on length, capacity and mass using appropriate uniform informal units and smaller units for accuracy when necessary <ul> <li>choosing suitable informal units to measure the length of a range of objects, and justifying their choice of a longer unit to measure things that are long (such as the width of a room) and a shorter unit to measure shorter things or when more accuracy is needed</li> <li>comparing the capacity of several containers using sand and units such as a spoon or cup, to say which container will hold the most and how much more it will hold; recording the results; writing an explanation of their measurement process, including using smaller units to be more accurate; and justifying the result</li> <li>using balance scales to compare the mass of several objects, selecting an appropriate informal unit; counting the number of informal units to determine which object is heavier and how much heavier; and explaining why the informal units chosen need to be the same mass</li> <li>recognising that the same informal unit needs to be used when measuring (for example, demonstrating and discussing why using different shoe lengths to measure the same distance could result in the measures being different) and discussing why a smaller-sized informal unit may result in a larger number of units compared to a larger-sized informal unit</li> <li>investigating Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ use of body parts, such as hands, as uniform informal units of measurement used to measure and compare objects, for example, in the manufacturing of nets for a particular purpose</li> <li>investigating and comparing measurable attributes that are interpreted by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Peoples to understand animal behaviour, such as the length, width and depth of animal tracks</li> </ul>
VC2M3M01

Identify which metric units are used to measure everyday items; use measurements of familiar items and known units to make estimates <ul> <li>examining the packaging on supermarket items to determine the metric unit used to describe the mass or volume of the contents</li> <li>identifying items that have a mass of one kilogram or 500 grams, or a capacity of one litre or 500 millilitres, and using these benchmarks to estimate the mass or capacity of other things, explaining their reasoning</li> <li>estimating the height of a tree by comparing it to the height of their friend and quoting the result as ‘The tree is about 3 times as tall’; and estimating the capacity of a fish tank by using a litre milk carton as a benchmark</li> <li>choosing and using metres to estimate the dimensions of the classroom</li> </ul>

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