Planning tool

Students:

• describe length, mass and capacity using comparative language appropriately, for example, ‘shorter’ and ‘shortest’, ‘lighter’ and ‘lightest’, ‘holds more/less’
• compare two events started at the same time, to determine which takes longer
• compare directly the size of objects (e.g. by placing one object against another to determine which is longer) and the capacity of different objects (e.g. by pouring rice, sand or water from one container into the other to see which one holds more).

Some students may:

• compare lengths by simply measuring a straight line from start to finish, even when the objects are curved, wiggly or follow a zig-zag. Address this by showing a measurement mistake and ask them to reason why it is a mistake; what did the person measuring not make sure of?
• not yet grasp the principle of conservation; that things don’t change in length or capacity just by being moved. Help students develop this understanding by discussing demonstrations such as pouring an amount of water from one glass to another glass which is the same size, then to a third glass of a different size.
• believe that larger objects are always heavier than smaller objects, or that taller containers always hold more than slightly shorter containers. Support students to feel this for themselves using exaggerated examples (e.g. using balance scales to show how they become unbalanced when objects have different masses may assist students with their understanding).

The Learning from home activities are designed to be used flexibly by teachers, parents and carers, as well as the students themselves. They can be used in a number of ways including to consolidate and extend learning done at school or for home schooling.

Learning intention

• We are learning how to compare objects to work out which is longer.

Why are we learning about this?

• We sometimes need to work out the length of an object.

What to do

1. Cut a piece of string.

   

2. Find some things around your home that are the same length as, longer than, or shorter than the string.

3. Sort the items into groups.

   Shorter than the string	Same length as the string	Longer than the string

4. Draw a picture of what you found out.

Success criteria

I can:

• describe an object as long or short
• compare two objects to see which is longer
• sort objects by length
• draw and describe what I found out.

Learning intention

• We are learning to describe how long it takes to do something.

Why are we learning about this?

• We often need to know if an activity takes a long time or a short time.

What I want you to do

1. Work out which activities take a short time and which activities take a long time.
2. Sort the activities into groups.

   Drink a glass of water	Walk to the shops and back	Watch a movie
   Bounce a ball 5 times	Get dressed	Sleep
   Read a book	Clean your teeth	Wash your hands

3. List the activities that take a short time.
4. How can you work out which takes the shortest time?
   • Try timing how long an activity takes by counting the number of claps it takes to do it.
   • Draw a picture to show what you found out.

Success criteria

I can:

• describe an activity by how long it takes to do
• sort activities by how long they take to do
• measure how long an activity takes using claps
• work out which activity takes the shortest time to do.