Co-Teaching Lesson: Measurement (Raman/Tsedale)

Here is a summary of the Grade 1/2 Measurement lesson we observed during our co-teaching session at Knob Hill JPS.  Thank you, Raman and Tsedale, for being our co-teachers!

Three-part lesson plan and Assessment Template

Prior Learning:
This was the first measurement lesson in Raman's class.  It served as a diagnostic task to inform her teaching during the measurement unit.

Part 1: Getting Started

Tsedale begun the lesson by asking students this question: Who do you think has the longest shoe in the class?  Students had a chance to sit knee to knee, eye to eye to discuss their answer to this question.


After this, Tsedale asked: How can we find out for sure how has the longest shoe?  She recorded student ideas on chart paper as they shared. 

Part 2: Working on It

Raman introduced the problem to the class:

She then reminded students of all the different tools that was available to help them solve this problem.

Students were able reminded on the character trait of the month and how it was linked to their group work.  Students were also reminded of 'how to buzz effectively".


Before getting started, students were given the opportunity to go to their work tables and make a plan.  Raman reminded them that they needed to make decisions as a group.


As students worked, we observed several strategies and misconceptions:

Many students measured around their shoe, even though they traced it on the chart paper already.

Students did not measure the longest part of their shoe print.

Part 3: Reflecting and Connecting

Every group used the same unit to measure each shoe print. So the consolidation needed to focus on how to measure the length of the shoe print and the most appropriate unit to measure length with.  So, Raman and Tsedale strategically chose these groups to share to bring out these key ideas:

This group, like many, struggled with finding the right tool to use to measure the length of each shoe print.  They kept on getting the same answer so they tried different tools.  They knew the shoe prints were different but they couldn't find the right tool to use. 

This group also got the same answer for everyone.  Raman and Tsedale asked about the cubes spilling out of the shape.

Part 3: Explicit Teaching
After the pairs had the opportunity to share, Raman and Tsedale clarified the key points of the lesson with direct examples.  They established that the length of the shoe print was from the top to bottom, down the middle.

Even though each group used the same unit to measure the length of all the shoe prints, Raman and Tsedale were not convinced that students understood why this needs to be done.  This is where they will pick up tomorrow.

Shelley taught a similar lesson to her Grade 1 students.  Check out her post to compare student work.