Description
What our Line Plot Measurement lesson plan includes
Lesson Objectives and Overview: Line Plot Measurement teaches students how to measure the lengths of several objects to the nearest whole unit. Or they will make repeated measurements of the same objects and then show the measurements by making a line plot. This lesson is for students in 2nd grade.
Classroom Procedure
Every lesson plan provides you with a classroom procedure page that outlines a step-by-step guide to follow. You do not have to follow the guide exactly. The guide helps you organize the lesson and details when to hand out worksheets. It also lists information in the yellow box that you might find useful. You will find the lesson objectives, state standards, and number of class sessions the lesson should take to complete in this area. In addition, it describes the supplies you will need as well as what and how you need to prepare beforehand. Both the activity and practice worksheets require various materials. Review those pages to find the necessary supplies.
Options for Lesson
In the “Options for Lesson” section of the classroom procedure page, you will see some suggestions for additional activities or ideas to add to the lesson if you want to. Rather than supply stuffed animals, have students bring their own stuffed animals for the activity. Or they could go on an outdoor hunt to find objects to measure. Instead of paper line plots, encourage students to create physical line plots using yarn or string. They can attach small labels to the string to represent each measurement point.
Teacher Notes
The paragraph on this page gives you a little more information on the lesson overall and describes what you may want to focus your teaching on. It emphasizes that this interactive experience fosters collaborative learning, critical thinking, and practical skills in measurement and data representation. The blank lines are available for you to write out any thoughts or ideas you have as you prepare.
LINE PLOT MEASUREMENT LESSON PLAN CONTENT PAGES
Measure, Record, Repeat
The Line Plot Measurement lesson plan contains two content pages. Have you ever wondered how we figure out how long things are? That’s where measuring comes in! We measure the lengths of different objects. It’s like using a special ruler to determine how long something is. Let’s follow the steps and make our own line plot!
Imagine you have a bunch of pencils, crayons, and toys. Each of them has a different length. We use a ruler to measure from one end of the object to the other. For example, if you have a pencil, you start at the eraser end and measure to the tip.
Once we measure the lengths of our objects, we write down the numbers. These numbers show us how long each thing is. We write these numbers on a piece of paper or in a notebook. Remember, we measure to the nearest whole number. That means if the length is between two whole numbers, we round it up to the nearest whole number.
Let’s say you measured a pencil, and it’s more than 7 but less than 8. You would say it is about 8 inches long. Then you write down “8” as the measurement. If another pencil is slightly shorter, between 6 and 7 inches, write “7.” Do this for all the objects you measure.
Sometimes, we want to make sure our measurements are accurate. So, we measure the same object more than once. For example, you might measure a toy car’s length three times to ensure you get the same answer each time. This helps us be more certain about our data.
Create and Read a Line Plot
Now, here’s the super fun part—creating a line plot! A line plot is like a graph that shows our measurements in a simple way. On the line plot, the horizontal line represents the length of the objects, and the vertical line shows how many times we measured each length.
Let’s say you measured five different pencils, and their lengths were 7, 8, 7, 9, and 8 inches. You would draw a horizontal line and mark 7, 8, and 9. Then, for each length, you make a little X or a dot above the number to show how many times you measured that length.
Once you’ve made your line plot, it’s easy to read. The numbers on the horizontal line show the lengths and the X’s or dots show how many times each length was measured. So, if you see two X’s above the number 8, you measured two objects that were 8 inches long. If you see four X’s above the number 7, you measured four objects that were 7 inches long.
You measure the lengths of different objects using a ruler and write down your measurements. Then you measure the same thing more than once to be sure. After that, you create a line plot to show your measurements in a simple graph. This helps you see which lengths were measured the most or the least.
Remember, learning is all about having fun and trying new things. So grab your ruler and some objects to measure, and try it! You’re on your way to becoming a measurement data expert!
LINE PLOT MEASUREMENT LESSON PLAN WORKSHEETS
The Line Plot Measurement lesson plan includes three worksheets: an activity worksheet, a practice worksheet, and a homework assignment. Each one will help students solidify their grasp of the material they learned throughout the lesson. You can refer to the classroom procedure guidelines to know when to hand out each worksheet.
STUFFED ANIMAL MEASUREMENT ACTIVITY WORKSHEET
Students will work in groups for the activity. Using a ruler, students will measure the lengths of various stuffed animals. They will record the numbers to the nearest whole number. Once they finish filling in the table, they will create a line plot using the data they recorded. They will draw a horizontal line near the bottom of the box and write the measurements below the line.
Students will then will place X’s or dots above the measurements to show frequency. After they draw their line plots, they will answer a couple questions at the bottom of the worksheet.
LINE PLOT MEASUREMENT PRACTICE WORKSHEET
The practice worksheet divides into several sections. These parts will guide students through the process of creating a line plot and analyzing what it means. Students will measure and record lengths of eight items. They will create a line plot and analyze it. Then they will measure a few more items and add them to the line plot. Finally, they will read the line plot and answer the remaining questions.
SCENARIO HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT
For the homework assignment, students will read through a couple scenarios. After each one, they will answer questions based on what they can interpret from the line plot.
Worksheet Answer Keys
There are answer keys at the end of the lesson plan document for the practice and homework worksheets. Correct answers are in red to make it easier to compare them to your students’ responses. Given the nature of the practice worksheet, answers will vary. If you choose to administer the lesson pages to your students via PDF, you will need to save a new file that omits these pages. Otherwise, you can simply print out the applicable pages and keep these as reference for yourself when grading assignments.
