Learning Outcomes
Stage 1Junior and senior infants |
Stage 2First and second classes |
Stage 3Third and fourth classes |
Stage 4Fifth and sixth classes |
| Through appropriately playful and engaging learning experiences, children should be able to | |||
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demonstrate an awareness that attributes such as length, weight, capacity and area can be measured and compared. |
compare, approximate and measure length, weight, capacity and area using appropriate instruments and record using appropriate units of measurement. |
compare, estimate and measure length, weight, capacity, area and volume using appropriate instruments and record and communicate appropriately. identify the relationship between equivalent units of measurement, and rename measures using equivalent units. |
determine and calculate units of measurement in fractional and/or decimal form to solve practical problems. find, interpret and deduce measures experimentally with increasing precision. |
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Objects have attributes that can be measured such as length, weight, capacity and area. One of the purposes of measurement is to compare. We can compare and order things by how much of a particular attribute (physical quantity) they have relative to each other. Attributes are compared and ordered using units of measurement. |
Common base units of measurement are useful to make and test comparisons. The size of the unit chosen affects the number of units needed to measure an object. We can compare, measure and order physical quantities by selecting an appropriate unit and determining how many units the thing has/holds. Measurement instruments (e.g., rulers) are tools for measuring physical quantities or attributes such as length, weight and capacity. |
Metric units help us to interpret, communicate and calculate measurements with increasing accuracy and precision. Measurements can be made more precise by selecting metric units (multiples or subdivisions of base units e.g., km or cm), while realising that all measurements have an inherent degree of approximation. The metric system is based on multiples of ten. Any measurement given in one metric unit (e.g., kilogram) can be converted to and renamed as another metric unit (e.g., gram). The relationships between metric pre-fixes can be understood and applied in a similar way across different units of measurement. |
Purpose and practicality are important to consider when measuring attributes and selecting units and instruments for measuring. Purposeful descriptions and comparisons often involve the measurement of more than one attribute. The relationship between equivalent units in the metric system helps us to judge attributes, move flexibly between units and do calculations. Measurement sense develops as we anchor the meaning of measurement units to measurement benchmarks in the everyday world. |
Click on the image to access the progression continuum for the strand unit of 'Measuring'
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Directory of Support Materials
Directory of Support Materials: Measuring
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Suggestions for the learning environment
Support material
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