Parent guide · Grade 1 Math · Unit 7
Lesson 7.2 Inches and the Ruler
Written for the parent. Read the Say this lines aloud as they are, or in your own words. Answers for you are marked Listen for.
At a glance
- Time
- 5 sessions of 20–25 minutes
- Goal
- Measure to the nearest inch.
- You need
- An inch ruler
- A clock face
- Pencil and crayons
- Worksheet A · Worksheet B · the lesson page
Steps
Do this: Ask these out loud. Your child answers out loud; no paper needed.
- Ask: “4 + 4” Listen for: 8
- Ask: “7 + 1” Listen for: 8
- Ask: “9 + 4” Listen for: 13
- Ask: “1 + 1” Listen for: 2
- Ask: “4 + 8” Listen for: 12
Say this: “Line up one end with the 0 mark of the ruler. Read the number at the other end.”
Say this: “Inches are always the same size, so everyone gets the same answer.”
Say this: “Inch: a short unit of length; about the length of a large paper clip.”
Say this: “Ruler: a strip marked in equal units.”
Show: How long is the bar, to the nearest inch?
Say this: “The bar starts at 0.”
Say this: “Its end lines up with 5, so it is 5 inches long.”
Answer: 5 in
Show: The oak is 8 feet tall. The apple tree is 4 feet tall. How much taller is the oak?
Say this: “Unknown: the difference.”
Say this: “Bar model: a long bar of 8 and a short bar of 4; the difference is unknown.”
Say this: “Equation: 8 − 4 = ?”
Say this: “8 − 4 = 4”
Say this: “Answer: The oak is 4 feet taller.”
Answer: 4 feet. The oak is 4 feet taller.
Do this: Your child does these with you. Let them try first; help only after a real try.
Ask: How long is the bar, to the nearest inch?
Listen for: 2 in
If stuck: The bar starts at 0.
Ask: How long is the bar, to the nearest inch?
Listen for: 4 in
If stuck: The bar starts at 0.
Ask: How long is the bar, to the nearest inch?
Listen for: 5 in
If stuck: The bar starts at 0.
7 more practice items on the lesson page, and on Worksheet A and Worksheet B.
- Starting at 1 instead of 0.
Call out a time to the hour or half hour. Your child sets a paper clock. Then swap: your child calls and you set it.
Say this: “Tell me what you learned today. Show me with your hands or the counters if you like.”
Listen for: Measure to the nearest inch.
Say the hours around the clock face. Each day ask “What time is it?” at an hour or half hour.
Spread over the week
5 sessions of 20–25 minutes. Stop while it is still going well.
- Session 1. Warm-up, then teach the new idea (steps 1 and 2).
- Session 2. Warm-up again, then show how with the examples.
- Session 3. Practice together, then play the game.
- Session 4. More practice on the worksheet, and the daily habit.
- Session 5. Quick check: narration and a few practice items. Move on when it is mostly right.