I teach 4th grade and I am looking for some fun ways or anyway that will stick with the students to remember various units of measure. For example 7 feet eaquals _____ yards and _____ feet? Any ideas?
I would be interested in any ideas people here have on that topic. This is why I hate the English system. There's just no rhyme or reason to it. Blah. Even my middle schoolers forget.
Here's what I use for yard: I have three students stand up and pretend they are pirates. They each have peglegs, so there are only three FEET on the floor. Then, they say in pirate voices, "Yaaarrrrrrrd!"
(scowling darkly) That got tried in the late sixties, Bored, and didn't gain... a centimeter. There's scant hope it'll do any better now.
Oh please... don't take away my hope for the future... Stubborn Americans. This measurement business makes us all look like fools.
I remember when I was in 5th grade, the US was going metric by the year 1990, so there was a huge push to learn it. Never happened. I have been through several of the Ruby Payne seminars and I have seen "gallon man" and things to use to remember liquid mesurements, but I haven't see a lot for measuring length.
I have chants for perimeter and area, but nothing for measurement...I too will take anything you've got
Seemoreglass- Badadadada! I'm lovin' it! Just kidding... Oh, to answer the question, I have my students do the Mini Metric Olympics from AIMS (you can Google it). I love the peg leg idea, though. It's a good way to get the students to laugh.
I just found the Mini Metric Olympics packet and absolutely think it is awesome! Thanks so much for mentioning it! About how long would you say the lesson goes on for? Incredibly cute idea though! And I am TOTALLY going to be using the pirate comparison in class. That made me laugh out loud for sure!!!
Oh we are such bad annoying Americans for not using the metric system...shame shame shame...hard to imagine why anyone would risk their life hopping the border to come here from Central and South America when they could have so easily stayed at home with centimeters and liters...and while we're at it why do we insist on speaking English for goodness sake....
The whole English/Metric thing is particularly hard on those of us who go into science - I've never quite gotten the hang of converting between them automatically, though I'm comfortable as long as the data starts and ends metrically. Hey, I learned something new - metrically is a real word! When I was convincing my little brothers of the importance of learning the metric system first, I told them about the Mars orbiter we lost because our well-trained American engineers put out their data in English units. That map posted above helps too =)
