MA.K.M.1.1

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Identify the attributes of a single object that can be measured such as length, volume or weight.

Clarifications

Clarification 1: Within this benchmark, measuring is not required.
General Information
Subject Area: Mathematics (B.E.S.T.)
Grade: K
Strand: Measurement
Standard: Identify and compare measurable attributes of objects.
Date Adopted or Revised: 08/20
Status: State Board Approved

Benchmark Instructional Guide

Connecting Benchmarks/Horizontal Alignment

 

Terms from the K-12 Glossary

  • NA

 

Vertical Alignment

Previous Benchmarks

 

Next Benchmarks

 

Purpose and Instructional Strategies

The purpose of this benchmark is to develop an understanding for measurement and attributes that can be measured, without focusing on the value of the measurement. Through this benchmark students begin to develop related vocabulary they will also apply in later benchmarks and grade levels. 
  • Instruction includes students describing measurable attributes and using vocabulary such as tall, short, long, heavy and light (MTR.4.1). 
  • Instruction includes the introduction of terms to compare measurable attributes, such as longer, shorter, heavier and lighter. 
  • Instruction includes concrete objects as well as images and context to describe measurable attributes (MTR.7.1). 
  • The expectation of this benchmark is not to focus on numerical values of measurement by estimating or measuring, but to develop understanding of attributes that can be measured and vocabulary used to describe those attributes.

 

Common Misconceptions or Errors

  • Students may confuse measurable attributes and call an object big when they mean it is heavy, long, or tall. Explain that tall is a measure of height from bottom to top and long is a measure of length from one end to the other.
  • Students may assume that there is only one way to describe attributes.
    • Students may not understand that an object can be both short and heavy.
    • Students may think that because an item has a large volume it means that the item is also heavy.

 

Strategies to Support Tiered Instruction

  • Instruction includes opportunities to use the same object to explore multiple attributes during different lessons, as they actively participate in experiences that include inquiries in which length, volume, and weight must be considered. Students are encouraged to verbalize their thinking while a teacher scaffolds instruction by teaching measurement vocabulary and providing sentence frames during the activity.

Table with Measurement Vocabulary

  • Teacher guides student discussions and models a think-aloud about each attribute by connecting student-centered language with key mathematical vocabulary. The results of measurement investigations are recorded with drawings, labeling, and verbal communication to peers or teacher about their results.
    • For example, how many ways can we measure a bucket?

 

Instructional Tasks

Instructional Task 1 (MTR.1.1, MTR.7.1)

Provide students with various objects (or cards with pictures of objects) of different sizes (lengths, heights, and weights). In small groups ask students to sort the objects by different attributes; such as shortest to longest or lightest to heaviest. Facilitate conversations with the group focusing on developing student’s vocabulary and development of corresponding concepts. Compare different ways of sorting the objects (for example, the longest may not be the heaviest, etc.).

 

Instructional Items

Instructional Item 1 

Connect each object to (a) word(s) that could be used to describe it. 
Car, flower, leaf and bat

 

*The strategies, tasks and items included in the B1G-M are examples and should not be considered comprehensive.


Related Courses

This benchmark is part of these courses.
5012020: Grade Kindergarten Mathematics (Specifically in versions: 2014 - 2015, 2015 - 2022, 2022 - 2024, 2024 and beyond (current))
7712015: Access Mathematics - Grade Kindergarten (Specifically in versions: 2014 - 2015, 2015 - 2018, 2018 - 2022, 2022 and beyond (current))
5012005: Foundational Skills in Mathematics K-2 (Specifically in versions: 2019 - 2022, 2022 - 2024, 2024 and beyond (current))

Related Access Points

Alternate version of this benchmark for students with significant cognitive disabilities.
MA.K.M.1.AP.1: Explore the attributes of a single object that can be measured such as length or weight.

Related Resources

Vetted resources educators can use to teach the concepts and skills in this benchmark.

Formative Assessments

Describing the Length of Pencils:

Students describe the measurable attributes of an unsharpened pencil and a sharpened pencil.

Type: Formative Assessment

Measurable Attributes of an Elephant:

Students describe an elephant in terms of weight and length.

Type: Formative Assessment

Measurable Attributes of a Paper Clip:

Students describe a paper clip in terms of weight and length.

Type: Formative Assessment

Attributes of a Car:

Students are asked to name at least three measurable attributes of a car and what could be measured for each object, length or weight.

Type: Formative Assessment

Lesson Plans

Tell Me About Your Stuffed Animal (Lesson 1):

While working in groups and incorporating the importance of following rules, students will use stuffed animals to describe and compare attributes such as length, volume, or weight in this integrated lesson plan.

Type: Lesson Plan

Short or Tall? Compare Them All!:

In this lesson, students will use the measurement language 'taller' and 'shorter' to compare their height to another classmate and to the heights of items in the classroom.

Type: Lesson Plan

Measuring Madness:

After sharing the story Measuring Penny by Loreen Leedy, students will be excited to learn how to measure with nonstandard measuring tools. Your students will want to measure everything in the classroom!

Type: Lesson Plan

Tightrope!:

In this lesson, students will practice measuring items within the classroom to explore differences in length. The teacher will give a specific measurement size for the students to match with common classroom objects to explore longer and shorter lengths.

Type: Lesson Plan

Weight a Minute!:

This lesson uses an "I do, We do, You do" approach to comparing and describing objects using weight. The students will use manipulatives to investigate and compare the weight of given objects. This lesson covers only one attribute of the standard. This lesson is a great way to get students involved in their learning and to help foster a love of math. Included in the lesson is a formative and summative assessment to help monitor the students' progress and understanding of the lesson.

Type: Lesson Plan

How Big is a Dinosaur?:

In this dinosaur-themed lesson, students will use dinosaur manipulatives (and the teacher will demonstrate using a longer dinosaur footprint print-out) as units for nonstandard measurement of length. Students will use length comparison statements.

Type: Lesson Plan

The Long and Short of Candy {Exploring Measurement}:

In this lesson, students will describe and compare measurable attributes of candy bars as well as work to find objects that are longer than and shorter than a specified object.

Type: Lesson Plan

Professional Development

What Does It Mean To Measure?:

This is a professional development session from the Learning Math series from Annenberg. Learners will begin to explore the questions "What can be measured?" and "What does it mean to measure something?" Learners identify measurable properties of objects such as weight, surface area, and volume, and discuss which metric units are appropriate for measuring these properties. Learners will also learn that measurement is, by its nature, approximate. Finally, learners will consider how to make measurements using nonstandard units. This session features a number of problems for learners to solve and open-ended questions to discuss, videos that demonstrate measurement techniques, and an interactive activity that asks learners to construct shapes using different size triangles to foster understanding of area and perimeter. There are also nine homework problems in which learners are asked to generate different measurements, graph measurements, and evaluate the appropriateness of the measurements generated using a data chart. Many of the professional development activities can be used directly in the classroom.

Type: Professional Development

MFAS Formative Assessments

Attributes of a Car:

Students are asked to name at least three measurable attributes of a car and what could be measured for each object, length or weight.

Describing the Length of Pencils:

Students describe the measurable attributes of an unsharpened pencil and a sharpened pencil.

Measurable Attributes of a Paper Clip:

Students describe a paper clip in terms of weight and length.

Measurable Attributes of an Elephant:

Students describe an elephant in terms of weight and length.

Student Resources

Vetted resources students can use to learn the concepts and skills in this benchmark.

Parent Resources

Vetted resources caregivers can use to help students learn the concepts and skills in this benchmark.