This unit explores the concepts of proportional reasoning, ratio, and indirect measurement. Students engage in a variety of activities that involve taking their own measurements, exploring different ratios, and examining similar figures. Students convert measurements into customary and metric units. These activities immerse students in problem solving, reasoning, and making connections to real-life situations.
Individual Lessons
Lesson 1 - Measurement Terms
This lesson introduces relationships between measurement and geometry. The activities build on students' prior knowledge as students work with partners and as a whole class to identify and classify terms to develop their understanding of measurement.
Lesson 2 - The Golden Ratio
Students learn about ratios, including the “Golden Ratio”, a ratio of length to width that can be found in art, architecture, and nature. Students examine different ratios to determine whether the Golden Ratio can be found in the human body.
Lesson 3 - What's Your Rate?
Students learn to write and solve proportions by gathering data and calculating unit rates.
Lesson 4 - Do You Measure Up?
Students learn the basics of the metric system. They identify which units of measurement are used to measure specific objects, and they learn to convert between units within the same system.
Lesson 5 - Discovering Gallon Man
Students experiment with units of liquid measure used in the customary system of measurement. They practice making volume conversions in the customary system.
Lesson 6 - In Your Shadow
Students extend their knowledge of proportions to solving problems dealing with similarity. They measure the heights and shadows of familiar objects and use indirect measurement to find the heights of things that are much bigger in size, such as a flagpole, a school building, or a tree.
Lesson 7 - Off the Scale
Students use real-world examples to solve problems involving scale as they examine maps of their home states and calculate distances between cities.
