Title or Topic of Lesson and Grade Level:

Measuring to the nearest ¼ inch, 3rd Grade

Lesson Essential Question(s):
How do you use a ruler?
How is a ruler similar to the number line
How is a ruler similar to fractions?
How can we measure to the nearest inch, half inch, and quarter inch?
Standards:
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.3.MD.B.4
Generate measurement data by measuring lengths using rulers marked with halves and fourths of
an inch. Show the data by making a line plot, where the horizontal scale is marked off in
appropriate units— whole numbers, halves, or quarters.
Learning Objectives and Assessments:

Objectives Assessments

Students will be able to compare ruler to a Verbal responses from students during
number line and fractions. discussion.

Students will be able to locate/differentiate Students will point to the correct tick mark, as
quarter inch marks on the ruler, as well as half well as color code their paper ruler.
and whole inch marks.

Students will be able to measure objects to the Students will display answers on mini
nearest quarter inch. whiteboards and complete worksheet through
partner work.

Materials:
● Smartboard
● Document camera
● Whiteboards
● markers
● “Ants at a Picnic” worksheet
● Pencils
● Google Slides
Pre-lesson Assignments/Prior Knowledge:
Students should know how to measure to the nearest inch using a ruler, and be familiar with
measuring the the nearest half inch. They should also be familiar with the fractions: 1 whole, ½,
and ¼.
Lesson Beginning: (15 minutes)
Before beginning the lesson, the teacher will have students cut out paper rulers and throw away
scraps. The teacher will display a five minute timer to keep students on task.

The teacher will begin the lesson by drawing a rectangle on the board. They will ask one student
to draw a line to cut this whole rectangle into halves. They will then ask another student to draw
lines to cut this rectangle into fourths. The teacher will reinforce that quarters or fourths are
HALF of a half.

The teacher will then say that we can look at inches like fractions, they can be cut into equal
sized parts, such as halves and fourths. They will then ask students to look at their paper ruler,
pointing out that the longest tick marks on the ruler show inches, the second longest tick mark
show quarter inches, and the third longest mark shows quarter inches. They will ask students to
highlight the quarter inches with the same color. The teacher will model this using a picture of an
inch divided into fourths on a google slide.
Instructional Plan: (30-40 minutes)
After the discussion, the teacher will ask students how the ruler is like a number line. They will
call on three students. The teacher is looking for these aspects: numbers are in order and are
equally spaced.

They will then ask the students to raise their hands if they can measure objects to the nearest inch
using a ruler. They will then present a slide on the smartboard that shows an object next to a
ruler. The teacher will ask the students to show on their fingers how many inches the object is.

The teacher will then ask students if they have ever measured an object to the nearest half inch.
They will ask a student to point to a line that shows half an inch on their paper ruler, and to show
a person sitting next to them. The teacher will then pull up a slide of an object next to a ruler and
ask students to take out their whiteboards and display the measurement of the object to the
nearest half-inch. After observing the student answers, the teacher will point and go over the
answer on the projector.

The teacher will then pull up a slide that displays a ruler that highlights quarter inches.

The teacher will ask, “how many quarter inches are in 1 inch? They will call on a student for an
answer. The teacher will point to and have students count out loud ¼, 2/4, ¾ , and 4/4. The
teacher will have students highlight the quarter inches on their paper ruler. The teacher will then
display a few slides of objects next to a ruler, asking them to write on their boards the
measurement of the object to the nearest quarter inch.
The teacher will then have students chose one partner to work with that they can high five from
their chair. They will work together to measure and complete the “Ants at a Picnic” worksheet.
The teacher will model how to line up the ruler for the first segment on the sheet and then send
students off to work together.

Closure: (10 minutes)

The teacher will have students return to their desk and go over the answers. They will ask a pair
to read out their answer to a segment at the same time. The teacher will encourage students to
place this in their homework folder along with their paper rulers because both may be helpful
with tonight’s homework. The teacher will ask “When might we use quarter inches to measure
something?” After the discussion the teacher will transition onto the next subject.