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Measure Length Using Repeated Copies of a Unit

Students will measure the length of an object by laying multiple copies of a shorter object (the length unit) end to end without gaps or overlaps, then count and report the length as a whole number of units.

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Measure Length Using Repeated Copies of a Unit

Grade 1 · Measurement: Length · question 1 of 3

0 of 12

12 rungs. A star at the top.

the lace0123456789101112

How long is the lace?

How it is taught

0:00 of 2:04

Length counts units from end to end.

Units must touch with no gaps.

the crayon0123456789101112

Read it: Line one end at 0

A stick sits on a ruler that goes to 10. If you start at 1, you will not get 7. Put one end on 0, and read the other end.

  1. Line one end of the stick up with 0.
  2. Follow the stick to the other end on the ruler.
  3. Read the number at that end: 7.

Lining the stick up with 1 and reading 6 almost looks right, but you have dropped the first unit.

0 is the start of the ruler, so when the stick's end sits there the number at the far end is how long it is.

Each jump from one mark to the next is 1 unit, so from 0 to 7 is 7 units, not 6.

Line one end up with 0, and read the number at the other end.

Starting the stick at 1 and reading 6, then calling the stick 6 units long.

Put the end on 0. The other end sits on 7, so the stick is 7 units.

A bar lies on a ruler with one end on 0. The far end is at 2. How long is the bar? — 2. Length is counted from 0, so the number at the far end — 2 — is the length.

Pencil = 5 paperclips long

Today we'll measure how long a pencil is. But we don't have a ruler — we have paperclips!

Here is our pencil. We want to find out: how long is it?

We'll use this one paperclip as our unit. We just need to count how many paperclips fit along the pencil.

Place the first paperclip right at the left end of the pencil.

Now the next paperclip — touching the first one, no gap, no overlap.

Another one, end to end.

Keep going — line them up carefully.

And one more reaches the right end of the pencil.

Now let's count: one, two, three, four, five paperclips.

The pencil is five paperclips long! That's how we measure with repeated units.

How long is this pencil?← pencil →1 paperclip = our unitNo gaps. No overlaps.12345The pencil is 5 paperclips long.LENGTH5paperclips
Grade 1 · Measuring with paperclips, end to end

What you see

While they climb, your page writes one true line to ask about tonight, and a short note each Sunday.

MayaGrade 3 · Mathematics
Did you know?

A chessboard has 64 squares — share them out between the 8 rows and each row holds exactly 8.

Today’s goal
1 star — one skill mastered, every rung of its ladder climbed
Climbing now
Divide within 100

An example student.

MayaGrade 3 · Mathematics

Maya earned 2 stars this week — Interpret multiplication as equal groups, which took 6 answers over 3 days before its star landed 3 days ago and Multiply by 6, 7, 8 and 9. Next up: Divide within 100.

An example week.

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