Comparing Lengths: Is it Longer or Shorter?

Math Grades 1st Grade 3:06 Video
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Lesson Description

Learn how to compare the lengths of different objects using centimeters and meters. We'll find out which objects are longer, shorter, and by how much!

Video Resource

Comparing lengths | Measurement and data | Early Math | Khan Academy

Khan Academy

Duration: 3:06
Watch on YouTube

Key Concepts

  • Length measurement using centimeters and meters
  • Comparing the lengths of two objects
  • Determining the difference in length

Learning Objectives

  • Students will be able to measure objects using centimeters.
  • Students will be able to compare the lengths of two objects and determine which is longer or shorter.
  • Students will be able to calculate the difference in length between two objects.

Educator Instructions

  • Introduction (5 mins)
    Begin by asking students what it means to measure something. Show them a ruler and explain that it helps us find out how long things are. Introduce centimeters and meters as units of length.
  • Video Viewing (7 mins)
    Play the Khan Academy video 'Comparing lengths'. Encourage students to pay attention to how the lengths of different objects are measured and compared.
  • Guided Practice (10 mins)
    After watching the video, lead a class discussion about the examples shown. Ask students to compare the lengths of objects in the classroom (e.g., pencils, books). Guide them in using sentences like 'This pencil is longer than that one' or 'The book is shorter than the desk'.
  • Independent Practice (10 mins)
    Provide students with a worksheet containing drawings of various objects with their lengths labeled in centimeters. Ask students to compare pairs of objects and write down which is longer or shorter, and by how many centimeters.
  • Wrap Up (3 mins)
    Review the key concepts of the lesson. Ask students to share what they learned about comparing lengths. Emphasize the importance of using the same unit of measurement when comparing.

Interactive Exercises

  • Classroom Measurement
    Divide students into pairs. Provide each pair with a ruler. Have them measure different objects in the classroom (e.g., their desks, books, pencils). Then, have them compare the lengths of the objects they measured with another pair and determine which is longer or shorter.
  • Length Comparison Game
    Show students two objects. Ask students to estimate which object is longer. Then, have a student measure both objects and determine which is longer.

Discussion Questions

  • What does it mean to measure something?
  • What tools can we use to measure length?
  • How can we tell if one object is longer than another?
  • What does 'centimeter' mean?
  • Can you think of things that are measured in meters?

Skills Developed

  • Measuring with centimeters
  • Comparing lengths
  • Problem-solving
  • Communication

Multiple Choice Questions

Question 1:

Which is longer, a pencil that is 5 centimeters long or a crayon that is 3 centimeters long?

Correct Answer: Pencil

Question 2:

A book is 10 centimeters long. A toy car is 6 centimeters long. How much longer is the book than the toy car?

Correct Answer: 4 centimeters

Question 3:

What tool do we use to measure how long something is?

Correct Answer: Ruler

Question 4:

Which one is shorter?

Correct Answer: A worm that is 4 centimeters

Question 5:

A toy is 7 centimeters long and another is 2 centimeters long. How many more centimeters is the first toy compared to the second toy?

Correct Answer: 5 centimeters

Question 6:

Which unit of measure is used to show the length of something?

Correct Answer: Centimeters

Question 7:

Which of the following objects is longest?

Correct Answer: A car that is 9 centimeters

Question 8:

A rectangle is 4 centimeters wide. A square is 4 centimeters wide. Which is shorter?

Correct Answer: Same

Question 9:

What does measure mean?

Correct Answer: To find out how long something is

Question 10:

Which of the following is measured in meters?

Correct Answer: A tree

Fill in the Blank Questions

Question 1:

We use a _______ to measure how long things are.

Correct Answer: ruler

Question 2:

Centimeters and meters are units that show an item's _______.

Correct Answer: length

Question 3:

If a string is 7 centimeters long and another is 4 centimeters long, the first string is ____ centimeters longer.

Correct Answer: 3

Question 4:

A bigger number means the item is _______.

Correct Answer: longer

Question 5:

If something is not very long, we can say it is _______.

Correct Answer: short

Question 6:

A line that is 6 centimeters is _______ than a line that is 9 centimeters.

Correct Answer: shorter

Question 7:

An item is _______ if the length is longer than another item.

Correct Answer: longer

Question 8:

Comparing means to find out if something is longer or _______ .

Correct Answer: shorter

Question 9:

Meters can be used to show how long a _______ is.

Correct Answer: house

Question 10:

Centimeters and Meters are tools used to _______ objects.

Correct Answer: measure

Educational Standards

CCSS.Math.Content.1.MD.A.1:Order three objects by length; compare the lengths of two objects indirectly by using a third object. CCSS.Math.Content.1.MD.A.2:Express the length of an object as a whole number of length units, by laying multiple copies of a shorter object (the length unit) end to end; understand that the length measurement of an object is the number of same-size length units that span it with no gaps or overlaps. Limit to contexts where the object being measured is spanned by a whole number of length units with no gaps or overlaps. CCSS.Math.Content.1.OA.A.1:Use addition and subtraction within 20 to solve word problems involving situations of adding to, taking from, putting together, taking apart, and comparing, with unknowns in all positions, e.g., by using objects, drawings, and equations with a symbol for the unknown number to represent the problem.

Teaching Materials

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