My students need easy to read rulers and easy to read measuring tapes so they can get more hands on practice and practice with accuracy.
FULLY FUNDED! Dr. Nelson's classroom raised $171
This project is fully funded
My Students
I don't know about you, but I took shop class when I was in junior high. I still have the bookcase I made in 8th grade and remarkably it is still standing. One of the great benefits of shop class was learning how to measure in a hands on setting. So many math concepts came together because I was able to measure over and over. I still remember my shop teacher, Mr. M requiring us to "measure twice, cut once."
My kids are great kids that try really hard, but they are struggling with measuring using a ruler.
We have drawn pictures, done worksheets, and tried to apply the skills to real world settings. The problem I am running into is two-fold. First, I have a limited number of rulers and tape measures. I am sharing 4 tape measures with special markings across 24 kids in a class. Even when the kids work together well, they only get hands on trials 1/6th of the time. I really like to have two kids working together - one to measure and one to help. The other problem I have is breaking rulers. The supposedly unbreakable rulers are slowing cracking and breaking.
My Project
There are two major benefits to having these materials in class. First, the students will be able to work in groups of 2 when they measure items. Right now, the groups are generally between 4 and 6 students because we don't have enough measuring tapes for each student. I find that one student who already knows how to measure does all of the work while the other 3 stand and watch. By adding additional rulers and tape measures, I can have the kids trade back and forth between helping and actually measuring. The number of practice trials will greatly increase.
The second primary benefit is the fact that the kids will get the right answers.
These specific rulers and measuring tapes have the answers on them. Although we've done many activities trying to explain how inches are measured (3/8th of an inch vs 9/16ths of an inch), it is still difficult for many students. With these specific materials, the answer is already on the ruler or measuring tape. It can be frustrating to try your best and still get the wrong answer. Now they will try and be rewarded for their efforts.
Nearly all students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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