How to Teach Second Grade Measurement with Lack of Resources
Teaching second grade measurement activities can be challenging, especially when there is a lack of classroom resources.
I’ve been there. Sometimes I had a surplus of rulers and yardsticks, and other times I had to get creative with how I was going to share a limited number of resources amongst my students.
In this blog post I’ll be covering:
Second grade measurement activities that require no tools
Second grade measurement problem types
One resource every classroom should have when teaching measurement
So if you are scrambling to find ways to teach measurement with a limited number of supplies, you’ve come to the right place! Let’s jump right in.
Second grade measurement activities that require no tools
One of the most challenging concepts to teach second graders is different units of length.
A great warm-up activity to start your measurement unit is to lead a classroom discussion and ask students to think of objects that are about one centimeter, one inch, one foot, one yard/meter, and one mile. For example:
You can add student responses to these brainstorming webs and post them around the room so students can refer to them throughout the remainder of your measurement unit.
Once students learn all of the different units of length, you can apply what they’ve learned in a matching activity. This will help them select the appropriate tools when measuring different objects.
For example:
Finally, some state standards introduce area in second grade. One activity for practicing area is to use grid paper (which can be easily printed and photocopied) to make drawings. For example:
Second grade measurement problem types
When planning your measurement unit, it’s important to understand the end goal. How will students be expected to apply their skills in problems involving measurement?
Here are four types of measurement problems students will be expected to solve in second grade.
Problem Type #01: Comparing Lengths
This lesson is available in my second grade measurement unit.
Problem Type #02: Estimated Lengths
This lesson is available in my second grade measurement unit.
Problem Type #03: Calculating Distance
This lesson is available in my second grade measurement unit.
Problem Type #04: Area of Rectangles
This lesson is available in my second grade area & perimeter unit.
One resource every classroom should have when teaching measurement
One resource I ended up purchasing my first year teaching was a classroom set of measuring tape. It was cheap and I could use this one resource to teach many different concepts. For example:
Skip counting
Number lines
Rounding
Measurement
Having taught at both public and private schools, I’ve experienced what it’s like to teach with very few resources and also a surplus of resources. If you are in need of fun and engaging lessons to teach measurement, but are lacking hands-on tools, check out my second grade measurement and area and perimeter units. These lessons are in presentation format and require no prep work at all. They use visual representations to simplify complex topics, which will keep your students engaged and will allow you to get through more content than ever before. Click here to get started!
Be sure to also download my FREE elementary math vocab cards with tips on how to teach and incorporate math vocabulary in your classroom! Use the form below to get instant access!
