Second Grade Math Measuring
Page content

Introduction to Measuring Tools

This is a fun activity for second grade students to learn to identify measuring tools. This is a hands on activity that lets students view measuring tools in real life situations. Often, students learn better by doing.

Explain the concept of measuring to your students. Do the activity for introducing units as concepts in measuring. At the end of that activity, students were to go home and find five items that are used for measuring in their house. Review the list that students have brought in. Talk about the different items that are used for measuring. Ask the students to point out different things in the classroom that are used for measuring.

For this activity, you will need the following materials.

  • Weighing scale
  • Ruler
  • Measuring Cup
  • Clock
  • Clock face with movable hands
  • Thermometer
  • Pencil
  • Cup of water

Place the measuring tools on a table where all students can see them. Have students take out a pencil. You take out your pencil. Before beginning, write the time on the board. Set the clock face so that it matches the time you wrote down. Explain how to tell the time on the clock face. This should not be an extensive lesson because this activity focuses on introducing concepts of measurement rather than on one particular measuring device.

Take your pencil and ask students which item can measure the pencil. Measure the pencil with the ruler and the scale. Attempt to measure the pencil with the other measuring tools and explain to students why this is impossible. Now take the cup of water and ask which tools can measure the cup of water. Measure the water with the measuring cup, thermometer, scale and if you wish, measure the height of the water in the cup with the ruler. Explain each tool as you measure with it.

Once the activities above are complete, look at the time. Write the time on the board. Move the hands on the clock face with movable hands and explain you have just measured time. At the end of this activity, students should be able to identify measuring tools and what they measure. These tools will be explored individually in future lessons.

This post is part of the series: Second Grade Math Lesson Plans for Measuring

This series is dedicated to lesson plans that begin with an introduction to measuring and extend through using specific measuring tools.

  1. Second Grade Math: Unit Measuring
  2. Second Grade Math: Measuring Tools
  3. Second Grade Math: How To Read a Ruler
  4. It’s Getting Hot in Second Grade Math: Let’s Use a Thermometer
  5. Second Grade Math: Scales and Math