Measurement Standard
Instructional programs from prekindergarten through grade 12
should enable all students to—
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Understand measurable attributes of objects and the units, systems, and processes of measurement
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Pre-K–2 Expectations:
In prekindergarten through grade 2 all students should– |
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recognize the attributes of length, volume, weight, area, and time; |
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compare and order objects according to these attributes; |
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understand how to measure using nonstandard and standard units; |
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select an appropriate unit and tool for the attribute being measured. |
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Grades 3–5 Expectations:
In grades 3–5 all students should– |
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understand such attributes as length, area, weight, volume, and size of angle and select the appropriate type of unit for measuring each attribute; |
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understand the need for measuring with standard units and become familiar with standard units in the customary and metric systems; |
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carry out simple unit conversions, such as from centimeters to meters, within a system of measurement; |
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understand that measurements are approximations and how differences in units affect precision; |
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explore what happens to measurements of a two-dimensional shape such as its perimeter and area when the shape is changed in some way. |
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Grades 6–8 Expectations:
In grades 6–8 all students should– |
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understand both metric and customary systems of measurement; |
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understand relationships among units and convert from one unit to another within the same system; |
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understand, select, and use units of appropriate size and type to measure angles, perimeter, area, surface area, and volume. |
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Grades 9–12 Expectations:
In grades 9–12 all students should– |
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make decisions about units and scales that are appropriate for problem situations involving measuremen |
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Apply appropriate techniques, tools, and formulas to determine measurements.
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Pre-K–2 Expectations:
In prekindergarten through grade 2 all students should– |
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measure with multiple copies of units of the same size, such as paper clips laid end to end; |
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use repetition of a single unit to measure something larger than the unit, for instance, measuring the length of a room with a single meterstick; |
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use tools to measure; |
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develop common referents for measures to make comparisons and estimates. |
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Grades 3–5 Expectations:
In grades 3–5 all students should– |
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develop strategies for estimating the perimeters, areas, and volumes of irregular shapes; |
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select and apply appropriate standard units and tools to measure length, area, volume, weight, time, temperature, and the size of angles; |
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select and use benchmarks to estimate measurements; |
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develop, understand, and use formulas to find the area of rectangles and related triangles and parallelograms; |
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develop strategies to determine the surface areas and volumes of rectangular solids. |
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Grades 6–8 Expectations:
In grades 6–8 all students should– |
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use common benchmarks to select appropriate methods for estimating measurements; |
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select and apply techniques and tools to accurately find length, area, volume, and angle measures to appropriate levels of precision; |
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develop and use formulas to determine the circumference of circles and the area of triangles, parallelograms, trapezoids, and circles and develop strategies to find the area of more-complex shapes; |
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develop strategies to determine the surface area and volume of selected prisms, pyramids, and cylinders; |
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solve problems involving scale factors, using ratio and proportion; |
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solve simple problems involving rates and derived measurements for such attributes as velocity and density. |
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Grades 9–12 Expectations:
In grades 9–12 all students should– |
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analyze precision, accuracy, and approximate error in measurement situations; |
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understand and use formulas for the area, surface area, and volume of geometric figures, including cones, spheres, and cylinders; |
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apply informal concepts of successive approximation, upper and lower bounds, and limit in measurement situations; |
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use unit analysis to check measurement computations. |
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