More Measurement Fun With Paper Clips

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More Measurement Fun

With Paper Clips

Paper clips come in many sizes and colors

 Do you wish your students could experience more hands-on activities with easy prep? In this posting, I hope to generate ideas about using paper clips

as a manipulative, since they are easily accessible in your classroom.

--> You may have regular jumbo and regular size paper clips and/or those sizes in color. It is interesting to see students make assumptions and predictions about the measurement unit if they are different in color or size.

Small clips

Jumbo clips

 Same object but two different sizes of paper clips. What do you notice?

A few things to consider when measuring paper clips or any other unit of measurement:

1. Review and establish how to measure an object, such being sure to line up the paper clip or any unit of measure so they touch end to end, with no gaps or overlaps between objects.

2. Give time at this point, for questions and clarification of how to properly use any measuring tool, and specifically paper clips.

3. If you believe it would be beneficial, do a practice measurement as a group before having them work on the activity.

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 4. Do you wish to use the activity as the whole group, small group, partner or independent work, math center or another idea that works for you?

How tall? colored clips

Color clips--How tall?

       Measuring the height of objects with colored clips.

Both jumbo and small clips

Ask the students to estimate about how many (large or small) paper clips the pattern block might be. Can they prove their estimate is close? Does that estimate change when you use large clips versus the small clips? I love to hear the students discuss their estimation and prediction thinking prior to the actual measurement. Assess by asking-do they use what they learned when they estimate the next time?

Gathering Materials

Gather the materials you want to use and put in containers. If you are having small groups, make sure you have containers for each of those groups. If you are later using as a math center, you will not need as many containers. I usually have a separate container for each size/kind of paper clip and a container for the materials to measure, which I put on each table if doing a whole class group lesson.

Record Observations

Have the children record their finding on the recording sheet. If they have journals, they could glue them into their journals. They love to find their own objects and do the activity with those objects. If no more space on this record sheet, they could use the blank sheet.

These are the recording sheets available to use. 

Think of other ways you can incorporate measurement into other math skills such as addition, subtraction, estimation, prediction, etc. You can use the same materials and add the extension activity to include addition and/or subtraction by asking them ‘How many total paper clips long or tall are 2 of your measured objects -Write an equation to show your thinking.’ A subtraction extension might be ‘ Which of those objects if taller (or longer? How much taller or longer? Write an extension to prove it.’

*Another idea I have done if make the activity a comparison estimation. Let’s say after you have measured a glue stick, the goal is to find something else in the room they estimate to be about the same number of paper clips long or tall.