KS1 – Maths – Measurement Men

Learning Objective

To compare, describe and solve practical problems for lengths and heights (for example, long/short, longer/shorter, tall/short, double/half)

Resources

- Lots of sticks!

- Stick Man by Julia Donaldson

- Googly eyes

- Sharpie pens

- Measuring tapes

Introduction

Read ‘Stick Man’ and ask children to find their own stickmen. Children can stick on googly eyes and decorate him with sharpie pens.

Activity

- Put children in groups and ask them to collect lots of sticks. Ask each group to lay the sticks out in height order from shortest to tallest, and then thinnest to widest. Children need to work together to establish the correct height order. - Now give each group a measuring tape. Ask them to think about why they are useful, and whether it would have been useful to have one in the previous task. Consider why we measure things in centimetres and metres, and not in sticks? - Ask children to use their measuring tape to measure the height of their shortest and tallest stick. - Ask children to work out the total height of all their sticks. Which group would have the highest tower if they were all stuck together?

Extension Task

Count to 10 and ask children to run to the largest tree. Talk about whether children went to the tallest or widest tree. Ask children to come up with ideas about how to measure the height of a tree.