Year 1 students have been very busy over the last few days perfecting their measuring skills when using non-standard units.

The children began by trying to arrange some fish from longest to shortest using just their sight. Some of the fish were very similar in length, so this was quite a tricky job. Year 1 children soon found a very useful solution though- they used a start line so that all of the fish began in the same place and they could be measured fairly and accurately. This helped a lot!

Through lots of practice, the children picked up many other non-negotiables for being a ‘marvellous measurer’, like;

·         Line the units up in a straight line against the object

·         The units must not overlap each other

·         They must touch the next unit end to end

·         Stop at the finish line or the end of the object

·         Count the units up carefully

·         Include the unit in your final sentence to show what you have found out. E.g, ‘The table is 18 lolly sticks long.’

If you look closely at the photographs below, you will see all of these rules being followed and applied.

The children will continue to develop and secure these measuring skills so that they are ready for Year 2, when they will measure using standard units, like centimetres.