Introduction: The measurement objective is one of the poorest scoring objectives in 6th grade math across Texas. As I taught the unit the first time, I realized that the students lack a personal benchmark for both customary and metric measurements. I think that associating measurement with personal experiences, such as their height or favorite snack, will be helpful in understanding measurement.

Steps:

• Review use of measurement tools and how to read them.
• Pass out worksheets and allow students to work in pairs or small groups to complete the activity.

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills 6th Grade
6.8B; 6.8A; 6.11A; 6.11D

Extensions:
Math Can Take You Places After School Activities

• Measure Up
• Go Figure
• Weigh Too Much
• World Traveler Relay
• Perimeter Kick
• Make Room
• Party Time
• Away We Go
• Fully Loaded
• Let's Make Ice Cream
• Tall Order
• Dream Design

Math Can Take You Places Classroom Lesson Plans

• Don't Be A Square
• Is There A Mystery in Measurement?
• Courts of Measure
• Is Your Money Rolling Away
• Real World Reasonableness
• Away We Go
• Right On Time
• Mavericks and Measurement
• Tile My Bathroom Floor
• Penny
• Party Time
• A Scheduling Dilemma
• Out to Lunch
• Party Time

Math Can Take You Places Classroom Games and Activities

• Mapping Perimeter and Area
• Vacationing In Texas Grade 6

Vonda Ore
Brawner Intermediate School,
Granbury Independent School District

Title:  FRACTIONS Now and Laters
Focus Area: Equivalency
Grade Level: 4th and 5th Grade
Time Needed: 30 minutes

Learning Objective: Student/parent teams will generate and identify equivalent fractions using Now and Later candy.

Materials Needed:

• Bags of Now and Later candy
• Fraction Worksheet
• Fraction Worksheet Answer Key
• Colored Pencils

Steps:

• Have colored pencils read and a pile of Now and Later candy piled in the center of groups of four.
• Student/parent team will use the worksheet to direct themselves through the learning experience.
• Have teams use the colored pencils to illustrate their solutions and remind the teams that they need to also explain their solutions in a sentence.
• When all six questions are answered encourage the non-frustrated groups to create their own question on the back to be answered by the other team sitting with them.
• When all six questions are answered and illustrated they may take a few packages each with them.

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills 4th Grade:
4.2 A, B
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills 5th Grade:
5.2 A, B

NOTE: This activity is ongoing. Teams may flow in and out as they accomplish the task.

Extensions:
Math Can Take You Places After School

• Comforts of Home
• Let's Make Ice Cream

Math Can Take You Places Classroom Lesson Plans

• Penny
• Just Cruising
• Sentence Match
• Right On Time

Shannon Manley
Lamar Elementary School,
Greenville Independent School District

Title: Compare and Share
Focus Area: Equivalency
Grade Level: 3rd Grade
Time Needed: 30 minutes

Learning Objectives: The student will use coins and bills to represent various amounts of money. The student will then compare the amounts and use comparison sentences to discuss their relationship. Students will also be given a variety of opportunities to extend the activity to rounding, estimating and place value concepts.

Preparation:

The teacher should gather department store and/or grocery store ad papers (real empty food item boxes, packages, etc., can also be used). This activity works well as a group activity with children seated in clusters of three or four.

Materials Needed:

• Department store and/or grocery store ad papers
• Index note cards
• Glue
• Scissors
• Notebook paper
• Pretend bills and coins

Introduction: In this activity, each student will choose a picture of a department store or grocery store item and then cut it out and paste it to their index card. The students will then “compare and share” with the other members of their group.

Steps:

1. Arrange students in groups of three or four. Give each group a department store or grocery store ad paper. Have them choose one item from the paper and then cut it out and glue it to an index card. The picture they cut out should have a price clearly marked on it.
2. After all group members have cut out their item and pasted it to their card, have them record their item’s cost on their notebook paper (see example below) and then show the amount using coins and bills. Have them pass their card to the right and show that amount using coins and bills also. The students can then complete their comparison statement.
3. The students keep their original card and then pass the one that was passed to them. They will then receive a new card and can complete a new comparison statement. Have them use coins and bills to show the amounts. They continue this until all group members have passed their cards around.

Sample student group work:

Compare and Share

1. $5.00 > $2.99
Five dollars is greater than two dollars and ninety-nine cents.

2. $5.00 < $5.99
Five dollars is less than five dollars and ninety-nine cents.

3. $5.00 = $5.00
Five dollars is equal to five dollars.

4. Encourage the children to talk with each other following the activity about their findings. They should be using the words “greater than”, “less than”, “equal to” and “compared to” while having conversations with their group members.

5. The card should be kept for use in centers, small group review or extension activities.

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills 3rd Grade:
3.1; 3.14; 3.15

Extension:

• The cards can later be put in order from least to greatest or greatest to least
• Children can also use them to make up their own word problems. For example,the amounts can be added together to find a total or subtracted to find how much more an item costs than another.
• Students can show the amounts using place value blocks.
• The amounts can also be rounded and estimated.
• Students may also use the cards to discuss making change from the dollar bills.
• The cards can also be used in English Language Arts to put words in alphabetical order.
• Discuss wants and needs, budget and value shopping while comparing prices. 

Math Can Take You Places After School

• Party Time
• World Traveler Relay
• Check It Out
• Dream Design
• Make Room
• Let's Make Ice Cream