Unit overview

Measurement and Geometry

Engagement Learning Experiences (s):
Each unit begins with a lesson that mentally engages students with an activity or question. It captures their
interest, provides an opportunity for them to express what they know about the concept or skill being developed,
and helps them to make connections between what they know and new ideas.
The students are introduced to the Maths unit with a mental routine. The mental routine engages the students
with hands on experiences and will begin each lesson within the unit. This is an opportunity for students to
demonstrate their prior knowledge and new understandings as they develop throughout the unit. The mental
routine is also used to develop a mathematical vocabulary so the students become familiar with the correct
terminology. The mental routine provides opportunity for discussion and questioning. Three types of questioning
are used to explore the students’ knowledge, open questions which may have a variety of answers, closed
questions which have correct answers and flip questions where the children ask questions to solve a problem.

The students are placed in groups during this lesson to create a zone of proximal development and constructivist
approaches to learning. Reception students will be placed with year 1 students to support their developing
understanding of the concept of time.

Reflect and share:

Through group sharing students can listen and contribute to conversations which helps them to develop their
understandings.

Explore & Explain Learning Experiences:

Students carry out hands-on activities in which they can explore the concept or skill. They grapple with the
problem or phenomenon and describe it in their own words. This phase allows students to acquire a common set
of experiences that they can use to help each other make sense of the new concept or skill.
Only after students have explored the concept or skill does the teacher provide the concepts and terms used by
the students to develop explanations for the phenomenon they have experienced. The significant aspect of this
phase is that explanation follows experience.

During this phase the teacher progresses around the room to different students to observe their progress. During
this time the teacher records the learning which is occurring. This may be through asking questions regarding the
student’s strategies to understand their thinking. At this time some children may require assisted learning through
scaffolding techniques or explicit teaching of the concept.

Reflect and share:

The teacher selects three students to share samples of their work with the class. These samples may demonstrate
variety of abilities and different levels of thinking. The teacher may ask them to explain the processes and
methods they used with the class to create a community of learners. This will give opportunities to identify what
worked well and what didn’t work well and different strategies they could use next time.

Problem solving/Elaboration Learning Experiences:

This phase provides opportunities for students to apply what they have learned to new situations and so develop
a deeper understanding of the concept or greater use of the skill. It is important for students to discuss and
compare their ideas with each other during this phase.
This lesson starts with demonstration and then allows the students to practice the skills. This lessons specifically
supports any misconceptions identified in the previous lessons.

Reflect and share:

The students come back together at the end of the lesson to share their processes and discuss their new
understandings.

Evaluation learning Experience

Reflection is a major aspect of this learning model and occurs during and after each lesson. Reflection provides
opportunities for students to self-assess and arrive at a deeper level of thinking.
The teacher engages in reflection after each lessons to come to conclusions on learning and content of future
lessons. This teaching and learning model requires the flexibility to grow with the students and accommodate the
diversity of the learners. Extension lessons may be required to extend the student who work through the unit
faster than others.

Links with the ACARA Framework

Strand: Measurement and Geometry Sub- Strand: Units of measurement
Descriptor: Achievement Standards: Proficiencies (for Mathematics) General capability
Foundation Year
Use direct and indirect By the end of foundation, By Understanding - includes  Literacy
comparisons to decide the end of the Foundation connecting names, numerals  Numeracy
which is longer, year, students make and quantities  Information
heavier or holds more,
connections between  Information and
number names, numerals Fluency - includes readily communication
and explain reasoning and quantities up to 10. They counting numbers in technology (ICT)
in everyday compare objects using mass, sequences, continuing patterns capability
language (ACMMG006) length and capacity. Students and comparing the lengths of  Critical and
connect events and the days objects creative thinking
of the week. They explain the  Personal and social
order and duration of events. Problem-solving - includes capability
They use appropriate using materials to model  Ethical
language to authentic problems, sorting understanding
describe location. objects, using familiar counting  Intercultural
Students count to and from sequences to solve unfamiliar understanding.
20 and order small problems and discussing the
collections. They group reasonableness of the answer
objects based on common
characteristics and sort Reasoning - includes explaining
shapes and objects. Students comparisons of quantities,
answer simple questions to creating patterns and
collect information and make explaining processes for
simple inferences. indirect comparison of length.
 Year 1
Measure and compare By the end of year 1, Understanding – includes  Literacy
the lengths and students describe number connecting names, numerals  Numeracy
capacities of pairs of sequences resulting from skip and quantities, and  Information
objects using uniform counting by 2s, 5s and 10s.
partitioning numbers in  Information and
informal units They identify representations communication
(ACMMG019) of one half. They recognise various ways.
technology (ICT)
Australian coins according to Fluency – includes readily
capability
their value. Students explain counting number in  Critical and
time durations. They sequences forwards and creative thinking
describe two- backwards, locating numbers  Personal and social
dimensional shapes on a line and naming the days capability
and three-  Ethical
of the week.
dimensional objects. understanding
Students Problem-solving – includes
 Intercultural
describe data displays. using materials to model
understanding.
Students count to and from authentic problems, giving
100 and locate numbers on and receiving directions to
a number line. They carry out unfamiliar places, using
simple additions and familiar counting sequences
subtractions using counting
to solve unfamiliar problems
strategies. They partition
numbers using place value. and discussing the
They continue simple reasonableness of the
patterns involving numbers answer.
and objects. Students order Reasoning – includes
objects based on lengths and explaining direct and indirect
capacities using informal
comparisons of length using
units. They tell time to the
half-hour. They use the uniform informal justifying
language of direction to representations of data and
move from place to place. explaining patterns that have
Students classify outcomes of been created.
simple familiar events. They
collect data by asking
questions, draw
simple data displays and
make simple inferences.

Links with EYLF

Outcomes:
Outcome 4: Children are confident and involved learners
- Children develop a range of skills and process such as problem solving, inquiry, experimentation, hypothesizing,
researching and investigating.
- Apply a wide range of thinking strategies to engage with situations and solve problems, and adapt these
strategies to new situations.
- Create and use representation to organise, record and communicate mathematical ideas and concepts.
- Children transfer and adapt what they have learned from one context to another.
Outcome 5: Children are effective communicators
- Children interact verbally and non-verbally for a range of purposes
- Children engage with a range of texts and gain meaning from these texts
- Children use information and communication technologies to access information, investigate ideas and represent
their thinking.
 Weekly lesson plan

Measurement and Geometry Term: 3 Week: 5

Key vocabulary: Time requirements: Focus:
Long, longer, longest, short, 45 minute lessons – Monday, Wednesday & Thursday To engage with informal units of measure to compare
shorter, shortest Monday & Wednesday 11:25-12:10pm and order objects based on length.
Thursday 12:10-12:55pm

Mental routine 10 minutes

Lessons 30 minutes
Reflection 5 minutes

Date Monday Wednesday Thursday

Mental
Routine Measurement – Length

Lesson Lesson 1: Lesson 2: Lesson 3:

sequence Engage Explore and Explain Problem solving/Elaboration
Evaluation

Individual lesson plans

Mental Routine
Telling the time
Planned activity:
This activity introduces recaps and engages the students with the measurement and geometry unit of length each day to the whole class.

Day 1: Place a collection of objects on the floor, ask the children which one they think is the longest and explain their reasoning.
Ask the children which one they think is the shortest and explain their reasoning.
Ask the children to place the objects in order from the shortest to the longest.
Add a piece of string. Ask the children where the string fits in the collection of objects, select a child to place the string in the order.

Day 2: Place a collection of objects on the floor, ask the children which one they think is the longest and explain their reasoning.
Ask the children which one they think is the shortest and explain their reasoning.
Ask the children to place the objects in order from the shortest to the longest.
Add another collection of objects. Ask the children to order the collection of both sets of objects, select a child to place the objects in order.
Day 3: Place two collections of objects on the floor, ask the children which one they think is the longest and explain their reasoning.
Ask the children which one they think is the shortest and explain their reasoning.
Ask the children to place the objects in order from the shortest to the longest.
Add another collection of objects. Ask the children to order the collections of objects, select a child to place the objects in order.

Target strategies:
- Using mathematical language of length
- Using informal methods to measure length
- Comparisons of measurements of length
- Estimating length

Question examples:
Closed questions
- Which of the books is the longest?
Is the string longer than the book?
- What order would I need to put these things in if I wanted them to go from shortest to longest?

Open questions:
- The object that I am thinking of is not the longest. What might it be?
- I am thinking of something that is longer than this piece of string. What might it be?
- The object that I am thinking of is not the shortest. What might it be?

Flip questions:
- I am thinking of an object on the floor. You will need to guess my object by asking length questions. What might you ask me to help you guess what my object might be?
e.g. Is the object longer than the ruler? Is it shorter than the paper clip etc.

Resources:
- Collection of materials e.g. string, ruler, pop-stick, paper clip etc.
 Lesson 1 - Engagement
How long is your desk?
Planned activity:
How long is your desk? How can you find out?
Ask the children to measure the length of their desk using an informal unit of measure such as a pencil.
The children are then asked to record their findings in their book.
Resources:
- Student desks
- Students stationery, objects around the room.

Reflection:
Children come back together in a group with their books. Teacher leads a discussion asking three children to share their findings. The children share their findings
recorded on in their books.
- What informal unit of measure did you use to measure your desk? How did you use that to measure your desk? What were your findings? What was the total number?
How did you record your findings in your book?
Demonstrate on white board how student recorded their finding. E.g. number, pictures etc.
Ask another two children to share that used different informal units of measure and recorded their findings in different ways.
Ask the children if there were differences in their measurements? Why or why not? Were their differences in their methods for recording their findings?
Ask children if the object they use to measure needs to be the same? Why or why not?
Is it ok to move the objects when you run out and still keep on counting? Why or why not?
Which method of measuring will you use next time? Why?
Which method of recording your findings will you use next time? Why or why not?

Teacher reflection: Were all of the children successful at using informal measurements of length? Did some of the children demonstrate misconceptions of measuring
length? What were these misconceptions? How can these misconceptions be addressed?
 Lesson 2 – Explore and explain
Shortest to longest
Planned activity:
1 length of masking tape is placed on the desk of each child. In their table groups they need to order each of the pieces of masking tape from shortest to longest and then
record their findings in their books.

Extension:
The children need to measure the length of the masking tape using informal units of measure and record their findings.

Resources:
- Masking tape
- Collection of small resources suitable to measuring length e.g. small blocks
Reflection:
Children come back together in a group with their books. Teacher leads a discussion asking three children to share their findings. The children share their findings
recorded on in their books.
- Were you able to place the tape in order from shortest to longest? How did you record your findings in your book? Demonstrate on white board how student recorded
their findings e.g. numbers, pictures etc.
Ask children if anyone recorded their findings in a different way? Share.

Ask the children who used an informal measurement to measure the lengths of tape. What informal unit of measure did they use to measure the length of the tape? Ask
them to demonstrate how they measured the tape. What were their findings? What was the total number?
Ask the children if there were differences in their measurements? Why or why not? Were their differences in their methods for recording their findings?

Teacher reflection: Were all of the children successful at using informal measurements of length? Did some of the children demonstrate misconceptions of measuring
length? What were these misconceptions? How can these misconceptions be addressed?
 Lesson 3 – Problem solving/Elaboration & Evaluation
Shortest to tallest
Planned activity:
The children are asked to work in their table groups to order themselves from the shortest to the tallest and record their findings in their books.

Extension:
Use an informal unit of measure to measure the length of one child in their table group.

Resources:
- Collection of resources for informal measurements.

Reflection:
- Ask each group to share their findings recorded in their books.
- How did they record their information? Elaborate on their findings during the discussion to evaluate their learning over the unit.

Assessment:
- Take copy of children’s work to compare to the aim and reflect the child’s achievement.