Lesson 1

Compare Lengths

Warm-up: Notice and Wonder: Pencils (10 minutes)

Narrative

The purpose of this warm-up is to elicit the idea that it is important to line up the endpoints of objects in order to compare their length, which will be useful when students compare lengths in a later activity. While students may notice and wonder many things about these images, comparing the length using is the important discussion point.  

Launch

  • Groups of 2
  • Display the image.
  • “What do you notice? What do you wonder?”
  • 1 minute: quiet think time

Activity

  • “Discuss your thinking with your partner.”
  • 1 minute: partner discussion
  • Share and record responses.

Student Facing

What do you notice?
What do you wonder?

3 pencils, labeled A, B, and C. Pencils A and B are lined up at the top and bottom.

Student Response

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Activity Synthesis

  • “Which pencil do you think is the longest? Why?” (It looks like they are all the same, but it’s hard to know.)

Activity 1: Is it Longer or Shorter? (15 minutes)

Narrative

The purpose of this activity is for students to compare the length of two objects directly. In the launch, students share statements comparing a pencil and a crayon. Students may share different observations (about color or other attributes) before focusing on the attribute of length. Students individually choose two objects, compare them and describe their lengths using complete sentences (for example, the pencil is longer than the crayon). It may be helpful to organize the materials in bags or buckets because they will be used in other activities. In the lesson synthesis, students discuss why it is important to line objects up at their endpoints when comparing their length and they make comparisons using precise language (MP3, MP6).

MLR2 Collect and Display. Circulate, listen for and collect the language students use as they compare the lengths of objects. On a visible display, record words and phrases such as: longer than, shorter than, long, line up. Invite students to borrow language from the display as needed, and update it throughout the lesson.
Advances: Speaking, Conversing
Representation: Access for Perception. Provide appropriate reading accommodations and supports to ensure student access to written directions and written questions.
Supports accessibility for: Language; Social-Emotional Functioning

Required Materials

Required Preparation

  • Each group of 4 needs 10-12 objects to measure (thin classroom objects like pencils, crayons, paper clips, toothpicks, markers) including connecting cube towers of 3, 5, and 8.

Launch

  • Groups of 4
  • Give each group 10–12 objects.
  • Display a pencil and a crayon.
  • “What comparison statement can you make about the pencil and the crayon?” (The pencil is longer than the crayon because I put them side by side. The crayon is shorter than the pencil. They are different colors. The pencil is made of wood and the crayon is wax.)
  • 30 seconds: quiet think time
  • 1 minute: partner discussion
  • Share responses.
  • If needed, “When we compare the length of two objects, we can make a statement about which object is longer or shorter. The pencil is longer than the crayon. What other statement can we make?” (The crayon is shorter than the pencil.)

Activity

  • “For the first two questions, share your thinking with a partner. After that, you will draw or write down your answers.”
  • 10 minutes: group work time
  • Monitor for students who line up the endpoints to compare the length.

Student Facing

Share your thinking with your partner.
  • Choose 2 objects and compare their lengths.
  • Choose 2 different objects and compare their lengths.
Write down your answers.

  1. Choose an object that you could write with and find the tower of 3 connecting cubes.

    Which is longer?

    Draw the 2 objects to show which is longer.

  2. Choose a different object and find the tower of 8 connecting cubes.

    Which is shorter?

    Draw the 2 objects to show which is shorter.

  3. Find an object from the collection that is shorter than your foot.

    Fill in the blank.

    The ________________________________ is shorter than my foot.

  4. Find an object from the collection that is longer than your pointer finger.

    Fill in the blank.

    The ________________________________ is longer than my pointer finger.

Student Response

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Activity Synthesis

  • Invite previously identified students to show how they lined up objects to compare them.
  • “What would happen if the objects were not lined up?” (One might look longer even though it wasn’t.)
  • “What statement can we make to compare the length of _____ and _____? Use the phrases 'longer than' and 'shorter than.' (The ___ is longer than the ___. The ____ is shorter than the ____.”

Activity 2: Order Objects (10 minutes)

Narrative

The purpose of this activity is for students to order three objects by length. Students line up objects from shortest to longest and longest to shortest. Students need to attend to the language in the question to know which way to order the objects. The language and reasoning students use in this activity helps prepare them to compare the length of objects indirectly in future lessons.

Required Materials

Required Preparation

  • Each group of 4 needs the collection of objects from the previous activity.

Launch

  • Groups of 4
  • Give each group 10–12 objects.

Activity

  • Read the task statement.
  • 5 minutes: small-group work
  • Monitor for students who line up the endpoints of the objects.

Student Facing

  1. Pick 3 objects.

    With your partner, put the objects in order from shortest to longest.

    Trace or draw your objects.

  2. Pick 3 new objects.

    With your partner, put them in order from longest to shortest.

    Write the names of the objects in order from longest to shortest.

Student Response

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Advancing Student Thinking

If students appear to order their objects correctly without lining them up, consider asking:

  • “How did you order your objects from ___ (shortest to longest or longest to shortest)?”
  • “How could you prove to someone that your objects are ordered correctly?”

Activity Synthesis

  • Invite previously identified students to demonstrate how they ordered three objects from shortest to longest.
  • Display the three objects with the endpoints lined up so all students can see.
  • “What statements can you make to compare the length of their objects?” (The ___ is longer than the ___ and ___.)
  • As time permits, repeat by inviting a previously identified students to demonstrate how they ordered three objects from longest to shortest.

Activity 3: Centers: Choice Time (15 minutes)

Narrative

The purpose of this activity is for students to choose from activities that offer practice working with two-digit numbers. Students choose from any stage of previously introduced centers.

  • Target Numbers

  • Five in a Row

  • Get Your Numbers in Order

Required Materials

Materials to Gather

Required Preparation

  • Gather materials from:
    • Target Numbers, Stages 1–3
    • Five in a Row, Stages 1–6
    • Get Your Numbers in Order, Stage 1

Launch

  • Groups of 2
  • “Now you are going to choose from centers we have already learned.”
  • Display the center choices in the student book.
  • “Think about what you would like to do.”
  • 30 seconds: quiet think time

Activity

  • Invite students to work at the center of their choice.
  • 10 minutes: center work time

Student Facing

Choose a center.

Target Numbers

Center. Target Numbers.

Five in a Row

Center activity. Five in a row.

Get Your Numbers in Order

Center activity. Get Your Numbers In Order.

Activity Synthesis

  • Display numbers 2, 1, and 6.

  • “Mai is playing Target Numbers. Her last sum was 78. These are the numbers she rolled on her last round. Which number should she choose as her tens and which should she choose as her ones in order to get as close to 95 as possible? Why?”

Lesson Synthesis

Lesson Synthesis

“Today we compared the length of objects and put objects in order from shortest to longest or longest to shortest. If we pulled six objects from our collection, what could we do to order them by length? What if we pulled one hundred objects?” (We would need to line them up at their endpoints.)

Cool-down: Unit 6, Section A Checkpoint (0 minutes)

Cool-Down

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