Measurement System Lesson Plan

         I think that this would be a good lesson to teach because I think that it would provide a deep understanding of the content for the students. This lesson was planned as part of a unit plan for EMTH 350. The unit consists of 7 lessons on measurement systems and conversions. At the end of the unit students create a floor plan design, which includes imperial and metric measurements. I designed the lesson with intentions of covering two indicators. The students will be able to recognize relationships amongst the units in both measurement systems. They will also be able to summarize and explain how units are represented/expressed in the SI system and the Imperial system. When planning the lesson, I adapted information provided in the Newfoundland and Labrador mathematics curriculum. Their documents are a great resource of ideas and information. They have detailed elaborations about strategies for learning and teaching as well as suggested assessment strategies for each outcome that I was able to use in this lesson. Overall, I would like to try teaching this lesson in my internship.

 

Lesson Plan

Course/Subject: Workplace and Apprenticeship 10

Unit: Measurement systems

 

Stage 1 – Desired Results

Outcomes:	Indicators:	Students will be able to…
WA10.3: Demonstrate using concrete, and pictorial models, and symbolic representations, understanding of measurement systems including: The Système International (SI) The British Imperial system The US customary system	C) Analyze the relationships between: the base units of the metric system of measurement and the base ten number system the prefixes used in the metric system and powers of ten the related units for length, area, volume, capacity, mass, and temperature for each of the two systems of measurement.   D) Explain, using examples, how and why: decimal numbers are usually used for SI units fractions are usually used for Imperial units.	1. Recognize trends in the base 10 system in SI units.   2. Recognize relationships amongst units in the imperial system   3. Summarize how units are represented/expressed in the SI system and Imperial system.
Materials required: Prepare slides for development 1 and 2. Print hand out for development 3
Prerequisite learning required: Students should have an understanding of SI and Imperial units and how to convert units within a system (e.g. cm to m, inches to feet).

 

Stage 2 – Assessment

Formative Assessment: The teacher will be able to note which students understand the content and which students may need additional guidance. After development 1 and 2, the teacher will ask students “thumbs up, down, or sideways” and ask students what questions they have before moving on.

Summative Assessment: Students will submit the handout in development 3 for grading once completed.

 

Stage 3 – Learning Plan

Bridge: Discuss that converting units from SI to imperial will be needed in the flooring plan assignment, but that it may also be necessary to convert units within the same measurement system. For instance, you may have to convert something in inches squared to feet squared, or from centimeters to meters. Introduce todays topic of converting units within a system and how they are represented/expressed within that system.   Development 1: Linear measurement is used to express distances. Students are expected to convert from one form of a linear measurement to another. First, they will work with imperial units of length. In the imperial system, the foot is commonly used to measure length. This is the approximate length of a man’s foot. Some common imperial measures for length include inches (in. or ̋), feet (ft or ́), yards (yd) and miles (mi). Because the imperial units were developed at different times to meet different needs, each group of units has a particular relationship.   1 foot = 12 inches 1 yard = 3 feet = 36 inches 1 mile = 1760 yards = 5280 feet   It may be a good idea for students to complete an imperial conversion table and have it available for quick reference throughout the unit. To solve imperial measurement problems, it may be necessary to convert the given measurements into common units. In the context of a problem, for example, students may be required to convert 60 inches to feet. Possible strategies they could use include proportional reasoning, conversion factor, or division. Have students guess/explain why imperial units are usually written in fractional form. Explain further by saying that since imperial measures are based on traditional measurements rather than a base ten system, a portion of an imperial measure of length is usually written in fractional form. For example, inches on a measuring tape are divided into 1/2 inch, 1/16 inch, etc.   Development 2: Students will also work with SI linear measurements and, as with imperial units, it will sometimes be necessary to convert from one SI unit to another. It is intended that this outcome be limited to the base units and the prefixes milli, centi, deci, deca, hecto and kilo. For example, students will convert centimetres to millimetres or kilometres to hectometres.   The base 10 system in SI units makes conversions more straightforward than in the imperial system. To convert from one linear unit to another, students can multiply or divide by a multiple of 10. The standard unit of length is the metre. Relationships include: 1 m = 10 dm, 1 km = 1000 m, 1 m = 100 cm, 1 hm = 100 m, 1 m = 1000 mm, 1 dam = 10 m.  A portion of a SI measure of length is usually written in decimal form. Have students guess/explain why.   Students should be encouraged to use mental math and estimation skills, where appropriate. Technology, however, may be appropriate in situations where the numbers used may increase mental math difficulty.   Development 3: Students will be given a handout with the following questions that will be submitted when completed for grading:   • Ask students to convert the following: (i) 4 ft = ___ in. (ii) 3 mi = ___ yd   • Cory is measuring a fishing “haul-up” line for turbot nets. He uses his two outstretched arms as his fathom referent (1 fathom = 6 feet). If he measures 125 fathoms, how many feet and inches has he measured?   • Ask students to determine, with the aid of a ruler, the value of 6 ÷ 1/4. Have them explain their reasoning.   • Ask students to respond to the following: When you convert a measurement from a larger unit to a smaller unit, do you expect the number of units to increase or decrease? Why?   • Ask students to convert the following: (i) 25 dam = ___ cm (ii) 1.7 kg = ___ dg   • Ask students to identify objects within the classroom or school that would be approximately: (i) 1 cm long (ii) 2 m long   • Ask students to identify and use an appropriate referent to estimate the length, height or distance of objects such as the following: (i) classroom wall (ii) distance from one classroom to another (iii) perimeter of the cafeteria (iv) height the clock is off the floor (v) diameter of a basketball net (vi) width of an IPod screen   • Ask students to identify and use an appropriate referent to estimate the dimensions of objects such as the following: (i) teacher’s desk (ii) cereal box (iii) milk can (iv) soccer field (v) school

Adapted from: http://www.ed.gov.nl.ca/edu/k12/curriculum/guides/mathematics/math1202/Mathematics_1202_Curriculum_Guide.pdf)