SuitabookMeasurement Mania
Lynette Long
- Reading
- Try one activity at a time, keeping a record of the quantity, unit and method used. Have materials ready, supervise any activity involving heat, and pause to explain results that are surprising or difficult to compare.
- Themes
- Measurement as practical mathematics: The book applies length, volume, weight, temperature and time to objects and situations such as an ant, a bathtub, spaghetti and a refrigerator. Measurement is presented as something to investigate through practical examples and games, rather than as an abstract topic alone.
- Playful experimentation: The book includes games and activities with familiar materials and mentions telling time with a candle and creating optical illusions. Play is used as a route into mathematical exploration, with unusual demonstrations intended to make measurement memorable.
- Worth knowing
- Notice whether the activities make the unit choices clear, especially when examples move between millimetres, feet, ounces, grams and Celsius. Discuss whether an experiment demonstrates a measurement idea or simply produces an interesting result.