Unit Plan Template Guide

Understanding By Design Framework

Subject Math – Measurement Grade Level One

Time Frame - Developed by Alex Hoover

Desired Results
Content Standard (s) (Front Matter)

General Learner Expectations

 Critical thinking
 Problem solving
 Reasoning
 Mental mathematics

Specific Learner Expectations

 Demonstrate an understanding of counting by:
• indicating that the last number said identifies “how many”
 Represent and describe numbers to 20, concretely, pictorially and symbolically.
 Identify the number, up to 20, that is:
• one more
• two more
 Demonstrate an understanding of measurement as a process of comparing by:
o identifying attributes that can be compared
o ordering objects
o making statements of comparison

Enduring Understandings/Big Ideas: Essential Questions:

Students will understand...  What is measurement?
 What measuring something means  How do we measure things?
 How to properly measure  Could we measure using different tools? (yes)
 What an estimation is o Like what?
 Strategies to help estimate  What is an estimation?
 What can we do to make our estimations more accurate?
Skills/Attitudes objectives (General outcomes):
Students will be able to... Related misconceptions . . .
 Ability to change previous estimate based on  You can only measure in inches, feet, etc…
newly acquired information  If we measure using our hands, everyone will have the same
 Think and apply strategies before making measurement
guesses/estimations  I can’t do anything to make my estimations more accurate.

Learning Plan
Lesson Materials
# Lesson Activity Key Outcomes Evidence
Title Resources
Engagement: Play follow the leader with various foot Understanding How big is
like challenges ( feet glued together, feet are lost, one comparisons a foot, by
foot, etc) Rolf
Participation in
Understanding Myller.
discussion.
Hands on: Students trace their foot, cut it out, and and utilizing
Wonderful then use it to compare to other objects in the terminology such Paper
1 Correct placement of
Feet classroom. They record their observations by drawing as larger, smaller, template
objects according to
the objects in either smaller, about the same, or larger same. with
size (smaller, larger,
categories. “larger,
about the same)
Understanding smaller,
Reflect: We then discuss as a class which things were that the tool we and about
smaller, larger or about the same as our foot. Taking use to measure equal”
 note if there is someone who has a different changes our written on
categorization of items (Jack’s placement of a pencil measurements it.
vs Laurence’s) Talk about why this is the case.
Pencils/
Read: The kings foot, discuss afterwards. Hope sharpies
recognition of measurement of things is dependent to trace
on the tool you’re measuring with.

Extension:

Review: Ask students what is measurement good for?

Why do we need to measure things?

Engage: After discussion say you are going to need the

special helper of the day’s help. Say that you want to
see exactly how many popsicle sticks tall ____ is, how
can we do this? Once laying down is suggested, have
them lie down. At this point, ask for estimates from Understand what
the class on how tall they are going to be. Write these steps to take in
down and then start to measure. First measure and order to properly
leave a gap between some of the sticks, see if the measure Observations made
class notices. Then measure and put the sticks in a zig something. while circulating the Popsicle
zag position instead of a straight line. Create a list of classroom. sticks
rules on the board that the students make for Utilize vocabulary
How do we
2 measuring accurately. such as shortest Notes taken during Booklet of
measure?
and longest conversation. various
Hands on: Have students then take on the challenge things to
of going around the room and estimate and measure Know the pitfalls Their workbooks once measure
various objects around the class. Remind them to and common filled out.
follow the rules that they made. Students will be able mistakes that can
to fill out their booklets with various class objects. be made when
measuring
Extension: Have students gather and share their
results to the class. See if anyone has the same
answer. Ask why there could be different answers.
Ask if there is any way to make it so that our
measurements could be more accurate.

Engage: Tell the students that you have a problem.

You have this wonderful hand cut-out that you’ve
made, and you want to measure some things with it,
but you only have one of them. You don’t have the
time to make a whole bunch, so how can you measure We are all unique
something with just this one cut-out? with things that
Discussions
See what the class comes up with for solutions. make us special.
Assumedly, they will eventually reach the idea of
Observations Paper and
Measuring placing the hand down, putting a place holder (finger Our bodies are
pencils to
3 using only or object) down at the one far end of it, and then also unique,
Hand cutouts and make
my hand! moving the cut-out to the front of the placeholder. including its size.
comments on them cutouts
Hands on: Say that we all have fabulous and unique How to measure
Booklet filled out
bodies. Today we are going to celebrate our something using
uniqueness by making our very own personal hands. only one object.
To show this uniqueness we are going to cut out and
then fill our hands with a drawing of something we
love. This is a personal thing, so your hand will be
different from everyone else’s. After our hands are
 made, students will then measure specified objects in
a booklet, and add their own two objects of choice.

Show and share: Have students take turns sharing

what it is they chose to draw, and one thing that they
measured with their unique hand.

Engage: Ask who here has a unique body that is

different from EVERYONE else’s? Who here loves their
body? Well, since we all love our bodies, I think it
would be wonderful if we could all have two of them,
right? Show the class my cutout of my body. It will be
a traced version of it. Alongside that it will have
various measurements using other parts of my body. We are all unique Large
For example, my leg is four Mr. Hoover feet tall. My with things that sheet
shoulders are five Mr. Hoover hands apart. My head is make us special. Discussions paper
three Mr. Hoover fingers tall.
Say that we will be working on making doubles of Our bodies are Observations Somethin
4 Our bodies ourselves, and then measuring ourselves using fun also unique, g to trace
measuring devices. including its size. Body doubles filled with
out with various
Hands on: Have students work in pairs to trace and How to measure measurements A lot of
make their self-doubles. They then will measure something using space to
various body parts including, arm, leg, shoulder span, only one object. work in
torso height, overall height, and one of their choice.

Show and share: Have people share their

measurements with the class. Ask them to say
anything they found surprising.

Engage: Say that I love all of the unique looking

bodies that we now have in the classroom. Tell them
that I have become curious, can we organize and We are all unique
compare these bodies in different ways? with things that
Have the students come up with ideas on how we can make us special.
compare and sort the bodies.
Ask if we can use the measurements we made on the Our bodies are
day before to organize them? (no, they are unique also unique,
units i.e. jack hands vs Laurence hands) including its size.
Discussions
What can we do to solve this problem? (Use the same
measurement for everyone i.e. popsicle sticks, blocks, When comparing
Observations
etc.) objects to one A lot of
Bodies
5 another, we need space to
continued Students’ ability to
Hands on: Students use their body doubles to to have a work in
order the bodies in
measure various comparisons. These are student common
accordance to
generated but could be things such as, who has the measurement
comparative traits.
longest arms, shortest legs, who is the tallest, etc… tool.
We measure, record our results and then place the
bodies in order. Vocabulary such
as longest,
Review: Ask the students what they learned. Ask the shortest, tallest,
students if they learned anything about comparing widest, and
different things using measurements. Ask if they had narrowest.
fun.

Estimation Whole group

Skipping
Estimation Engage: Roll out a jumping rope on the ground. Ask requires thought discussion on
6 ropes
in Depth the students to estimate how many of my feet is it and strategy to be estimation.
long. Record the estimates. Start walking, but stop accurate.
 about ¼ of the way across. Ask the students if they Debate on what the White
would like to change any of their estimates. When Critical thinking appropriate board
one student does, ask why they changed it. Continue skills to utilize estimation will be.
to walk until about ½ of the way across. Repeat asking new information
for changes and why. Finish walking and ask how the partway through Small group discussion
students were able to predict your steps. an experiment. and debate.

Hands on: This is primarily a lesson that focuses on Estimation is a Strategies

estimation skills and critical thinking based on gaining guess and it is implemented when
and applying new information. okay to be wrong. estimating.
Students will be asked to take their own skipping
ropes and work in teams of four to estimate. They will Recording of
make initial estimates, then have to stop around the estimations and actual
marked lines on the ropes and then make new measurements on
estimations. Tell the students that between taking paper.
turns, they should look at each others feet and use
that information to try and help them.

They will record their estimations in their math

workbooks along with the actual measurements.

Extension: Ask who had to take the MOST steps, and

who had to take the LEAST. Then bring out a
looooooooong rope and have the class do a guess
with only one stop at ¼ of the way for each. Tell them
that this measurement is super serious and we want
them to use any strategies they can to come up with a
close answer.

Engage: Tell students that you have an incredible task

Critical thinking,
for them. They are going to work together to see if
problem solving,
they can complete the challenge of mapping out…
collaboration, and
the… entire… classroom (dots added to show built up
leadership are all
tension). They are all going to have to think and plan
used to
this out, because if we all just shoot off in random
determine the The students working
dirrections this map just isn’t going to work.
best ways in and discussing with
Grid
which to begin one another to
Spend time to speak about how co-operation is key to paper
this task. Having problem solve.
completing this task, it simply is just too large in scale
to figure out how
for people to be able to complete themselves. Two rulers
to align their Students are taking on
per group
maps and work leadership roles within
Reflect about the previous skills we have gained that (a ruler
with the tools their separate jobs.
have built to this final challenge. Have them state all length is 1
Mapping available requires
the rules for measurement and write them on the unit)
7 our a substantial Students are planning
board with visual examples for students who need
Classroom amount of all the ahead on how and
visual support. Coloured
above. what to measure to
pencils for
effectively create their
Model how to measure out one object in the class the
Students have maps.
with the students, answering and asking questions legend
already
about how to do this. Follow by having the whole
developed the The map itself is not
class work to measure one object to ensure at least A
key outcomes for quite irrelevant, but
one member of each group is able to support. classroom
measurement, the above elements
**groups have been made prior to class, ensuring that
these above are much more
every group has a leader or two that should be able to
cross-curricular important.
assist their group members. **
components are
the focus of this
Diversify: Various jobs have been set up for students
lesson.
to attach themselves too. These jobs are: a
planner/organizer of what and how to measure, the
 groundwork people that do the actual measuring,
recorders the gather and report all the data, and an
artist that fills in the actual map. These jobs offer a
variety of skills that can align with student strength.

Stand back and let the students work to problem

solve and collaborate.

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Considerations
Is there alignment between
the first 3 stages?
How has learner
differentiation been
addressed?
How does the unit design
include a variety of teaching
experiences that includes:
Indigenous, multicultural, and
interdisciplinary activities?

Adapted by Jeff Turner (2016) from:

Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (1998). Understanding by design. Alexander, Virginia: Association for Supervision and
Curriculum Development.

Llewellyn, D. (2013). Teaching high school science through inquiry and argumentation. Thousand Oaks, CA:
Sage.