1. Measure lengths in dm, cm, m, including using rulers
Measures
Measure lengths in dm, cm, m, including using rulers
Objectives
Day 1
Measure using decimetre strips.
Day 2
Measure using centimetres Understand there are 10cm in a decimetre.
Day 3
Measure using rulers marked in centimetres and metres Compare measurements.
Before teaching, be aware that:
On Day 1 children will need decimetre strips (see resources). See notes on Slide 7 for full details of the practical activities.
On Day 2 children will need decimetre strips (see resources), you will also need an outline of an adult’s foot. See notes on Slide 11 for full details of the practical activities.
On Day 3 children will need a 30cm ruler; you will also need 10 decimetre strips and a metre stick.
Year 2

2. Measure lengths in dm, cm, m, including using rulers
Measures
Measure lengths in dm, cm, m, including using rulers
Starters
Day 1
Compare numbers to 30 (pre-requisite skills)
Day 2
Count to 100 (simmering skills)
Day 3
Order numbers to 100 (simmering skills)
Choose starters that suit your class by dragging and dropping the relevant slide or slides below to the start of the teaching for each day.
Year 2

3. Measure lengths in dm, cm, m, including using rulers
Measures
Measure lengths in dm, cm, m, including using rulers
Starter
Compare numbers to 30
Pre-requisite skills – to use this starter, drag this slide to the start of Day 1
Give each child a 1–30 card. One pair comes up to the front. Which number is bigger? That child keeps both cards. Repeat with all other pairs. Then two pairs with cards come to the front. Who has the biggest number? That child keeps all 4 cards! Repeat with pairs until one child wins all the cards! Towards the end, children may need help showing their cards to the class!
Year 2

4. Measure lengths in dm, cm, m, including using rulers
Measures
Measure lengths in dm, cm, m, including using rulers
Starter
Order numbers to 100
Simmering skills – to use this starter, drag this slide to the start of Day 2
Use the 1–100 grid to support counting to 100 in unison. Children sit in a circle. Pass a bean bag to one child who says 1, pass it the next child who says 2 and so on to 100. Pass the bean bag back (more slowly) as children count backwards, using the 1–100 grid for support where necessary. Listen carefully for correct enunciation of
-teen and -ty, as appropriate.
Year 2

5. Measure lengths in dm, cm, m, including using rulers
Measures
Measure lengths in dm, cm, m, including using rulers
Starter
Count to 100
Simmering skills – to use this starter, drag this slide to the start of Day 3
Each child writes a 2-digit number on a Post-it note™. Display a 0–100 washing line with multiples of 10 shown. Who has a number that goes between 10 and 20? Those children come to the front, put themselves in order and then peg Post-it notes™ in a group between the correct multiples of 10 on the line. Repeat briskly for each interval of 10.
Year 2

6. Measure lengths in dm, cm, m, including using rulers
Measures
Measure lengths in dm, cm, m, including using rulers
Objectives
Day 1
Measure using decimetre strips.
Year 2

7. Could we use centimetre cubes? We would need lots of cubes!
Day 1: Measure using decimetre strips.
Choose a child to lie down at the front and discuss how long s/he is and how we could check.
Could we use centimetre cubes?
We would need lots of cubes!
- Choose a child to lie on a table in front of the class. How long is Annie?
- Discuss how we might measure her length.
- Pass round some 1cm cubes.
- Show children a decimetre strip (see resources). This is a decimetre. It is ten centimetres. Prove this by comparing ten 1cm cubes alongside a dm strip.
- Pass round several strips. Point out that decimetres (ten centimetres) are useful units for measuring things.
- How many decimetres long is Annie?
- Encourage children to estimate. Write some of their estimates on the flipchart.
- Collect the decimetre strips and point out that they are all exactly the same length. Lay decimetre strips along the length of Annie and work out how long she is.
- Discuss what happens if she is not an exact number (most children will understand the concept of a half).
- Record her length in decimetres, using halves if needed, e.g. Annie is 13½ decimetres long.
Year 2

8. Day 1: Measure using decimetre strips.
We can use these decimetre strips…
Each strip is
10cm long. Use 10 cubes to check.
How many decimetre strips long is our volunteer?
Let’s put our estimates on the flipchart before we check.
Today would be a great day to use a problem-solving investigation – Fanned Fingers – as the group activity, which you can find in this unit’s IN-DEPTH INVESTIGATION box on Hamilton’s website.
Alternatively, children can now go on to do differentiated GROUP ACTIVITIES. You can find Hamilton’s group activities in this unit’s TEACHING AND GROUP ACTIVITIES download.
WT: Measure people using decimetre long card strips as a standard unit of measurement.
ARE/GD: Measure objects using decimetre long card strips as a standard unit of measurement.
Year 2

9. Year 2 The Practice Sheet on this slide is suitable for most children.
Differentiated PRACTICE WORKSHEETS are available on Hamilton’s website in this unit’s PROCEDURAL FLUENCY box.
WT: Length Sheet 1.
ARE: Length Sheet 1.
GD: Length Sheet 2.
Year 2

10. Measure lengths in dm, cm, m, including using rulers
Measures
Measure lengths in dm, cm, m, including using rulers
Objectives
Day 2
Measure using centimetres Understand there are 10cm in a decimetre.
Year 2

11. This is the decimetre strip we used yesterday…
Day 2: Measure using centimetres; Understand there are 10cm in a decimetre.
This is the decimetre strip we used yesterday…
It is divided into 10. Each section is 1 centimetre so it is 10 centimetres long.
Put your finger on one space on the decimetre strip. One centimetre is about one finger wide!
A centimetre is a very small unit and is useful for measuring smaller things. It is used to measure things by people all over the world.
It is always the same!
- Children look at their decimetre strips. Discuss the fact that these are all the same length. Point out that each one is divided into 10. This is because it is ten centimetres long. Show this by laying ten 1cm cubes along 1dm strip. A centimetre is a very small unit and is useful for measuring smaller things. A centimetre is used to measure things by people all over the world. It is always the same!
- Ask children to put their finger on one space on their decimetre strip. One centimetre is about one finger wide.
- Hold up the drawing of the outline of your foot. I drew around my foot earlier. How many cm long do you think my foot is?
- Write some of the children’s suggestions on the flipchart.
- Demonstrate measuring the length of your foot to the nearest whole cm using several paper decimetre strips and cutting the last one to the exact length. Be sure to count in 10s and 1s, not just 1s.
Year 2

12. Day 2: Measure using centimetres; Understand there are 10cm in a decimetre.
Hold up the drawing of the outline of your foot. Ask children to estimate how many centimetres long they think your foot is. Put some of the children’s suggestions on the flipchart.
Demonstrate measuring the length of your foot to the nearest whole cm using several paper decimetre strips and cutting the last one to the exact length. Be sure to count in 10s and 1s, not just 1s.
Children can now go on to do differentiated GROUP ACTIVITIES. You can find Hamilton’s group activities in this unit’s TEACHING AND GROUP ACTIVITIES download.
WT/ARE/GD: Using decimetre/centimetre strips to measure shoe length to the nearest centimetre.
Year 2

13. The Practice Sheet on this slide is suitable for most children.
Differentiated PRACTICE WORKSHEETS are available on Hamilton’s website in this unit’s PROCEDURAL FLUENCY box.
WT/ARE/GD: Measuring classroom objects in cm Sheet 1.
Challenge
Year 2

14. Measure lengths in dm, cm, m, including using rulers
Measures
Measure lengths in dm, cm, m, including using rulers
Objectives
Day 3
Measure using rulers marked in centimetres and metres Compare measurements.
Year 2

15. Day 3: Measure using rulers marked in centimetres and metres; Compare measurements.
Show the class a 30cm ruler and show that it is the same length as 3 decimetres by laying 3 decimetre strips along the ruler.
Show children a metre stick. This is as long as 10 decimetre strips. Demonstrate that this is true by laying 10 strips along the metre ruler. How many cm long is the metre? Count in 10s together to reach 100, pointing to each dm strip as you count.
Year 2

16. Day 3: Measure using rulers marked in centimetres and metres; Compare measurements.
Give each child a 30cm ruler. Discuss objects that may be less than 10cm, choose some and check.
Repeat for items longer than 10cm but shorter than 30cm and for items longer than 30cm.
Work together to begin completing the table (see next slide) identifying potential items for each column and choosing children to measure and check.
Year 2

17. Day 3: Measure using rulers marked in centimetres and metres; Compare measurements.
Children can now go on to do differentiated GROUP ACTIVITIES. You can find Hamilton’s group activities in this unit’s TEACHING AND GROUP ACTIVITIES download.
WT: Estimate and measure classroom objects, shorter or greater than 15cm.
ARE: Estimate and measure classroom objects, less than 10cm, between 10cm and 30cm, greater than 30cm.
GD: Estimate and measure distances in m and cm.
Year 2

18. The Practice Sheet on this slide is suitable for most children.
Differentiated PRACTICE WORKSHEETS are available on Hamilton’s website in this unit’s PROCEDURAL FLUENCY box.
WT/ARE/GD: Create a spiral Sheet 1.
Challenge
Year 2

19. Measure lengths in dm, cm, m, including using rulers
Measures
Measure lengths in dm, cm, m, including using rulers
Well Done! You’ve completed this unit.
Objectives
Day 1
Measure using decimetre strips.
Day 2
Measure using centimetres Understand there are 10cm in a decimetre.
Day 3
Measure using rulers marked in centimetres and metres Compare measurements.
You can now use the Mastery: Reasoning and Problem-Solving questions to assess children’s success across this unit. Go to the next slide.
Year 2

20. Problem solving and reasoning questions
Draw a non-straight line you estimate at about 40cm in length. Lay a piece of damp string along it. Straighten the string. How many decimetres long is it?
Estimate how long each of these creatures is in cm, nose to tip of tail.
• A mouse
• A worm
• A goldfish in a bowl
Discuss how you can check your estimates (without harming the goldfish!). Access the internet to find out…
Measure a matchstick in cm.
How long would ten matches be if they are laid end to end? How many decimetres is this?
Year 2

21. Problem solving and reasoning: Answers
Draw a non-straight line you estimate at about 40cm in length. Lay a piece of damp string along it. Straighten the string. How many decimetres long is it?
~4 decimetres (since 10cm = 1dm).
Estimate how long each of these creatures is in cm, nose to tip of tail.
• A mouse around 8 to 10cm, some species longer
• A worm can be up to 36cm!
• A goldfish in a bowl around 10cm
Measure a matchstick in cm. Around 4cm (to nearest cm).
How long would ten matches be if they are laid end to end? ~ 40cm
How many decimetres is this? 4dm
Year 2