Does Your Dog Measure Up? Understanding The Dogs We Love – A Mathematical Unit of Measure

Maggie Mason, Second Grade, Davidson Elementary School

Curriculum Unit (pdf)

Synopsis

This curriculum unit focuses on students knowing how to accurately measure length (in inches) using several measuring tools. Students will estimate, measure, and analyze the major body parts of three different breeds of dogs. The goal   is for students to participate in meaningful measurement activities to learn how the lengths of a dog’s body parts impact the functionality and physical ability of its lifestyle needs and behaviors. Students will measure the body parts by using cardboard replicas of nine body parts each from a Bassett Hound, Pug, and Dalmatian. As the lessons and activities progress, students are expected to improve in the accuracy of their estimations and measuring skills. They will use their data to solve comparison math story problems, as well as addition and subtraction problems related to the measurement data collected during instructional activities. Students will then use their data to create visual representations in the form of bar graphs to critically analyze the information and draw conclusions about the physical actions and behaviors of each dog breed.