Meena Ketheswaranathan, Katherine Manolakos, Hala Majzoub

Cognitive Demand of Tasks & Lesson Plan Assignment

Grade Level: Cycle 1

Instructional Goals: What are the Mathematical Content Goals:

mathematical instructional goals
Students will also understand that units can be reiterated
multiple times (e.g. using the same unit 5 times is possible).
So the way we measure depends on the unit we use (e.g.
reusing units if we don’t have enough).

Students will understand that certain units are easier to

measure than others (e.g. it is easier to measure the length of
something using a piece of yarn, rather than using a
paperclip) because they are longer, thus you need less of
them)

Students will know how to use non-conventional units when

measuring length.

Mathematical Practice Goals:

Through the activity, students will do so by using different

unconventional tools to measure three objects in the
classroom. This activity also allows students to consolidate
prior knowledge they possess about how to use a
measurement tool.

Students will attend to precision when communicating to

other students and the teacher, their solutions for each
question.

Students will use the tools appropriately and accurately by

placing their tools in the correct fashion (ex: when iterating
they must ensure that they are placing the pencil yarn, and
paper clip next to each other, thus, following the directions
on the illustration provided below to the class).
Materials: - Units: yarn, 3 paper clips, pencil

- Objects: desk, kleenex box, paper

Worksheet:

Selecting and Sequencing of Solution 1: needs to review their prior knowledge

Solutions.
Answer to Q1) The yarn was too long to measure the paper,
too short to measure the desk and too long to measure the
kleenex box. I wasn’t able to measure all the objects with the
pencil because it was too short. Maybe If I had a longer
pencil I would have been able to. I was able to measure
smaller objects with the paper clips because I could space
them out. But the space was too big for bigger objects.

Answer to Q2) I found it easy to measure with the yarn

because it was the longest, but sometimes it was too long. It
was also easy to measure small objects with the paper clips.
The object couldn’t be too long becauseI think I would need
to have more of all the tools to measure these objects or
more pieces of different sizes.

Solution 2: understood how to use a measuring tool but not

that they could reuse units

Q1) Why do our classmates' answers differ from yours?

I consider that my classmates’ answers might be different

from mine because of the objects they used to measure. They
could have been able to measure everything using one strand
of yarn, even the desk, because their length is shorter.
 Q2) Which unit was easier for you to use?

I consider that the easiest unit to use was the yarn, I was able
to measure the 2 out of three objects (Kleenex box and
paper) using one yarn strand. I don’t understand how I am
supposed to measure these objects using the two other units
(paper clip and pencil). The other two units are too short, and
there was no way for me to know the length of the table
using them.

Solution 3:understood everything

Answer to Q1) My classmates' measurements differed from

mine, because even though the objects that we use are the
same, they have different lengths. For example, student x’
kleenex box is taller but not that long, rather mine has a
longer distance/length. Another object that had different
measurements and lengths was the length of everyone’s desk
because, similar to the kleenex box situation, we all have
different sized desks and lengths.

Answer to Q2) The unit that was easier to use was the yarn
strand because it has a longer length (when looking at it and
comparing it to the other units) which is the greatest length
out of all of my tools used. Meaning it is the biggest unit
compared to my other tools used, such as the one individual
paperclip and my pencil. My desk has a length of 4 yarns
long when using yarns as my unit of measurement, it is 10
pencils units long when using my pencil, and 40 paper clips
long.

Structure of the Lesson:

Part 1: Launching the Task (~5-7 minutes)

Introduce the task. *Students have prior knowledge on measuring a short object with
a tool, without having to iterate. This lesson will introduce the
concept of having to measure a larger object that requires them to
iterate because they don’t have enough to measure the length.*

Expectations: Listen to each other, raise your hand, not speaking while
others are talking, look at the speaker, build off of each other, respect
each other's answers,

Context of the problem:

Hook: We will ask students to measure themselves with a long piece of

yarn/strings. “Tape the tip of the yarn on your wall, where your head
starts and let the rest of the ball of yarn trail off) and stand straight up
to measure yourself. Cut the yarn where your feet meet the floor. Show
the class how tall you are with the piece of yarn.”

*Students will then use that same piece of yarn/string in the rest of the
lesson but we will ask them to cut the piece of yarn/string the same
length as their school agenda (length wise).* This will ensure that all
students have the same yarn length which will be used as one of our
non-conventional units for the lesson. Hence, all students will have the
same non-conventional unit.

Before they do so, we will ask them: “How do we make sure the piece
of yarn is exactly the size of our agenda?” Here students will mention
that they should measure from one edge to the other and they have to
make sure that the yarn is straight.

1.Discuss the Key Contextual Features

- Why do we measure? What are some things that could be interesting
to measure?

2.Discuss the Key Mathematical Idea

- How do we measure properly→ Along the edge of the object, start at
the zero point, reiterate the same unit.

3.Develop Common Language to Describe the Key Features

- We measure the length to find the distance between two points

4.Maintain the Cognitive Demand

Asking productive questions (that are more than a yes or no question)
Explain to students The materials you need are yarn, paperclips, pencils and we will use
what you want them to them to measure the following objects: kleenex box, papers, and your
do next (in the Monitor desk. You are expected to use all three non-standard units of
Phase). measurement to measure all three objects. You will be working
individually when doing the activity. You will be provided with a
worksheet to complete. We will be expecting you to share your ideas
and explaining how you did the activity. You will have 5-10 minutes to
complete the exercise. If there’s any questions about the task, don’t
hesitate to ask.

Part 2: Monitoring (as students work on the task) (~5-10 minutes)

Questions to ask -What object are you measuring and how can you place your tool
students who might be (whether it’d be the yarn, paperclip, or pencil)?
struggling to get
started. -Can you tell me a little something about the point of origin, what is
that? → where do you start?

- What can you do if you don’t have enough yarn/paperclips/pencil?

-*In order to help students answer the first high quality demand
question of “which unit was the easiest to use and why,” ask: which
tool or unit or measurement did you enjoy using the most?
 -Remember when we measured the agenda, what did you do to ensure
the yarn/string was straight in order for you to measure the side of the
agenda?

- How can you make sure that you are measuring correctly? What do
you think are the rules to successfully measure your desk?

Questions to ask to - What steps did you go through to find that answer?
press on students’ - Tell me about your solution. Why do you think it’s
thinking as you possible/impossible to measure the object using the yarn/paper
circulate. clip/pencil?
- Can you still measure the object if it is longer than your tool?
Why?
- How did you measure the smaller objects using the yarn?

Call back students Announcement: you have 5 minutes left. Get ready to share your
together for the whole answers. You can pick one person to represent the group, or you can all
class discussion. share with the class :)

Part 3: Whole Group Discussion (~10-20 minutes)

Sharing of Solution 1. Question to Elicit Initial Thinking from Presenting Student:

- Can you show me how you measured the paper using the yarn? The
pencil? The paper clips?

- Does the way you place your tool matter?

 Questions to Press on the Presenting Student’s Thinking:

- Can you explain your thoughts when you were measuring with
the paper clips? What about the spaces in between the paper
clips? Do they matter?
- What about the string? You said it was too long, how could you
make it smaller?

Orienting Students to
Solution 1.
- Does anyone have an idea to help student 1? (here solution 2
should come up)
- What should they do differently?
- Is it possible to measure something using a tool of a different
length?
- Show us how you cut your piece of yarn

Sharing of Solution 2. Question to Elicit Initial Thinking from Presenting Student:

- How were you able to measure the three objects?

Questions to Press on the Presenting Student’s Thinking:

- Does anyone know how we can help student 2?

- Why do you think you were able to measure the kleenex box
with the yarn but not the desk?
- What was different when measuring all three objects?

Orienting Students to - What do you notice about how student 2 did their task? What
Solution 2. are the ways we can help student 2
- Why do you think student 2 was able to measure the kleenex
box but not the desk?

Sharing of Solution 3 (if Question to Elicit Initial Thinking from Presenting Student:
applicable). Follow the
- How did you solve the task?
same guidelines above, - I noticed that your answer was different from the classes, can
for solution 1. you explain your thinking?

Questions to Press on the Presenting Student’s Thinking:

- What did you do to ensure that the paper clips were evenly
placed along the length of your desk?
- How did you know that the yarn was 30 cm?
- Even though the length of your desk is 4 yarns long and when
measuring with pencil units it is 10 pencils long, wouldn’t the
length of desk be longer when and easier to use with the pencil
versus the yarn?

Orienting Students to - What did you notice about the lengths of each piece of yarn
Solution 3 (if that each student cut? Are they the same?
applicable). - Do you think that affected the outcome of your lengths?
- Why do you think student (x) could’t or had trouble mearing
their desk with the paper clips?

Part 4: Wrap Up (~3-5 minutes)

Summarizing the Key - Based on what we learned today, and what your peers mentioned
ideas. today in class, what are some important concepts when it comes to
measuring?

- How did you find your answer? Comparing your solution to your
classmates, which one was more effective?

- When comparing the tools used to measure, what was the easiest
unit/tool for you to use? (ideally they answer: it depends on what
they were trying to measure)