Length and height - Measure lengths non-standard units - Starter

In the context of a Year 1 mathematics lesson, children are introduced to the concept of measuring lengths using non-standard units. The lesson takes place in the Spring term, specifically on Week 8, Day 4. It commences with a warm-up activity titled 'Fluent in Four - Revision', where pupils are encouraged to practice their arithmetic skills by solving simple subtraction and addition problems, such as '17 – 3' and 'Fourteen add four', which equates to '14 + 4'. The objective is to build fluency and confidence in basic number operations.

Following the warm-up, the lesson's focus shifts to understanding and comparing lengths and heights. Using vocabulary such as 'length', 'height', 'taller', 'longer', 'same', 'shorter', and 'tall', students are tasked with describing objects, for example, comparing the lengths of caterpillars. A practical application of this is seen in an exercise where they determine the total number of balloons held by two characters, Zach and Tia, by adding together '9 balloons' and '6 balloons'. Additionally, the children are asked to order items from least to greatest, further developing their ability to evaluate and compare measurements. Activities such as these aim to enhance the pupils' descriptive language skills and their understanding of measurement concepts.