How Long is the Jump Rope?

The students started the class counting along to a fun and quick video. The first graders counted by fives all the way up to 100. 

Ms. Atkinson then explained the difference between using a standard unit of measurement (a ruler) to measure the length of something verses using a nonstandard unit of measurement (an object). 

The students sat in a circle and Ms. Atkinson placed a jump rope on the carpet in the middle of the students.

Ms. Atkinson asked the students how many feet they thought the jump rope was and they all gave great suggestions.

Then it was time to find out how long it actually was using her feet as a measuring tool. 

She put one foot directly in front of the other while the students counted along as she walked the length of the jump rope.

The students were excited to discover that all of their estimations were very close to what the length of the jump rope actually was. 

The students also had the chance to measure the length of the jump rope with their own feet. 

Following this activity, the class completed a short worksheet that reviewed the different nonstandard units of measurement.