Maths Year 2 Autumn Measures

Day 1 Teaching
Discuss how to measure the height of a child, reasoning that it is easier to do this with them laying down. Pass round 1cm cubes, then show a decimetre strip. This is a decimetre, 10cm. It is useful for measuring things. Pass round several strips. How many decimetres long is Annie? Children estimate. Use the strips to measure the child.
Group Activities
--Measure objects using decimetre long card strips as a standard unit of measurement.
--Measure people using decimetre long card strips as a standard unit of measurement.

Day 2 Teaching
Look at decimetres and centimetres. Discuss how they are always the same length. Lay ten 1cm cubes along 1 dm. Draw round your foot and measure its length in cm, counting in 10s and 1s.
Group Activities
--Measure objects in centimetres using decimetre long card strips cut to length.

Day 3 Teaching
Show a 30cm ruler. Explain we can measure using rulers. Point out the cm. Demonstrate how we can measure things longer and shorter than a decimetre using the cm marked on the ruler. Estimate and measure classroom objects.
Group Activities
Use the ‘Fanned Fingers’ in-depth problem-solving investigation below as today’s group activity.
Or, use these activities:
--Estimate and measure classroom objects.
--Estimate and measure distances in m and cm.

• 1cm cubes
• Decimetre strips (see resources)
• A selection of objects to measure
• A drawn outline of the teacher’s foot
• Metre stick
• ‘Measuring classroom objects’ (see resources)
• Additional activity sheets (see resources)
• Cardboard or plank to make a ramp
• Selection of different sized cars

Day 1
Compare numbers to 30 (pre-requisite skills)

Suggested for Day 2
Count to 100 (simmering skills)

Suggested for Day 3
Order numbers to 100 (simmering skills)

Day 1
All children measure straight lines in decimetres. Some children learn a strategy to measure non-straight lines.

Day 2
Measure classroom objects in centimetres.

Day 3
Cut strips to the nearest whole centimetre and create a spiral.

• Draw a non-straight line you estimate at about 40cm in length. Lay a piece of damp string along it. Straighten the string. How many decimetres long is it?
  Estimate how long each of these creatures is in cm, end to end:
  A mouse
  A worm
  A goldfish
  Discuss how you can check your estimates. Access the internet to find out.
• Measure a match in cm. How long would ten matches be if they are laid end to end? How many decimetres is this?

In-depth Investigation: Fanned Fingers
Children work together to first estimate and then find an accurate measurement of the distance around their hand with the fingers ‘fanned out’ or splayed wide.

Teddy long legs
Comparing lengths using uniform non-standard measures; Using comparative vocabulary (taller, longer, shorter)

Day 1 Teaching
Pass round a large bag of cotton wool, a roll of kitchen paper and a bag of pasta. Ask children to feel and compare weights, placing in order heaviest to lightest. Use a balance and weigh items in non-standard units. Show 1kg, 1g and 100g weights. Weigh in 100g steps.
Group Activities
--Weigh items to the nearest 100g.
--Weigh cooking ingredients to the nearest 100g.

Day 2 Teaching
Pass round 100g weights. Children suggest things which are lighter and things which are heavier? Weigh using balances and 100g weights. Record the results in a table with 2 headings: ‘Lighter than 100g’ and ‘Heavier than 100g’.
Group Activities
Use the ‘Ten to the Kilo’ in-depth problem-solving investigation below as today’s group activity.
Or, use these activities:
--Compare objects with the 100g and 1kg weights.

Day 3 Teaching
Explain that instead of counting 100g weights to weigh things, we can place them on weighing scales and read the weight off the dial. Play Mostly Postie from ictgames.com choosing answers in steps of 50g. Count round the dial in steps of 50g. Weigh different items using scales.
Group Activities
--Weigh items and record comparisons of weight.
--Weigh cooking ingredients to the nearest 100g.

• Balance scales & weighing scales with dial
• Identical items to use as non-standard units of measure
• 1g, 100g, 1kg weights
• Ingredients for fruity flapjack
• Tins of food with labels covered
• ‘Weighing Tins’ (see resources)
• ‘Comparing Weights’ (see resources)
• Various objects for weighing
• ‘Weighing items’ (see resources)

Day 1
Count in 100s (pre-requisite skills)

Day 2
Count in steps of 100 (pre-requisite skills)

Suggested for Day 3
Bonds to 10 (simmering skills)

Day 1
Record weights by counting the 100g weights in the balance scales and recording weights in grams.

Day 2
Sort objects into categories by weight: less than and more than given weights.

Day 3
Read the dials of weighing scales to the nearest 100g.

• Does each item weigh more or less than 100g?
  -- A ruler
  -- Can of lemonade
  -- A hard-boiled egg
  -- Check using balances.
• Match each object to one of the weights:

• How many 100g weights balance 1 kilogram?

In-depth Investigation: Ten to the Kilo
Children use estimation and accurate measurement skills to find exactly ten items which weigh precisely one kilogram.

Be the Balance
Comparing weights by direct comparison

Day 1 Teaching
Show a 2-litre plastic bottle with a strip of paper glued up its length. Use cups to fill it, and mark the scale in cups (1 cup, 2 cups, and so on). Then use the bottle to measure the capacity of a large jug in cups.
Group Activities
Children rotate between 2 activities:
-- Match containers and capacities.
-- Make and use measuring bottles.

Day 2 Teaching
Show children two 2-litre plastic bottles. Ask one child to use cups to find the capacity of one, and another child to use a child’s water bottle to find the capacity of the other. Point out that it is confusing to describe the capacity using two different numbers! Show a 1-litre measure and use it to compare the bottles (they are the same).
Group Activities
Children rotate between 2 activities:
-- Estimate and begin to measure capacities.
-- Gain an improved understanding of 1 litre as a measure of capacity.

Day 3 Teaching
Show children a 1-litre measure. Mark 1 litre and 1/2 a litre with a dry-wipe pen. Show children 4 containers. Which of these do you think will hold more than half a litre? Draw a table on the board to record children’s estimates. Measure to check.
Group Activities
Use the ‘Mystery Potion’ in-depth problem-solving investigation below as today’s group activity.
Or, use these activities:
Children rotate between 2 activities:
-- Sort containers by estimating their capacities relative to 1/2 a litre.
-- Estimate and compare capacities relative to a 1/4 of a litre.

• 2-litre plastic bottles with strips of paper
• Food colouring and washing-up bowls
• Water jug and funnel
• ‘Comparing capacities’ activity sheet (see resources)
• Containers with capacities of less than 2 litres
• 2-litre and 1-litre bottles with labels covered
• Child’s water bottle
• ‘More or less than a litre’ (see resources)
• Range of containers with capacities of more/less than 1/2 & 1/4 of a litre
• Plastic beakers labelled 1/4 litre

Suggested for Day 1
Compare 2-digit numbers (simmering skills)

Suggested for Day 2
Saying a number between two 2-digit numbers (simmering skills)

Suggested for Day 3
Bonds to 10 (simmering skills)

Day 1
Investigate the numbers of mugs that can be poured from a teapot of given capacity. Make paper containers, then compare and estimate their capacities.

Day 2
Sort a variety of containers under headings: more than 1 litre and less than 1 litre.
Interpret capacity data from a bar graph.

Day 3
Estimate and order container capacity relative to 1/2 a litre and 1 litre.

• Estimate how many egg cups will fill each of these:
  A yoghurt pot
  A mug
  Half an orange when the edible part is gone!
• Laila has just spilled a 1/4 litre of juice from a 1-litre measuring jug. There is now a 1/2 litre in the jug. How much juice was in the jug before some was spilled?
• Use paper to create a cone. Fill it with dried lentils or beans. Is this less or more than half a litre? Can you make a cone that holds exactly half a litre?
• Jay found two part-used bottles of squash in the kitchen cupboard. He poured them both into one bottle and discovered that he had 1/4 of a litre in total. How much more would he need to make 1 litre?

In-depth Investigation: Mystery potion
Children use clues to work out ingredients for a ‘magical’ potion for mathematical powers.

Pouring Potions
Comparing capacity of two or three containers by direct comparison

Day 1 Teaching
Show a large stop-clock or a clock with a second hand. This hand takes one minute to move round the clock. How many seconds are in a minute? Wait until the second hand is at the top and count as it moves. Repeat with the clock turned away. Discuss. Children try counting 15 and then 30 seconds in their heads. Then they estimate how many letters they can write in 30 seconds. They write the letters and compare the results to their estimates.
Group Activities
-- Gain an understanding of what can be achieved in 15 and 30 seconds.

Day 2 Teaching
Ask children to perform a physical action, each child in turn, like standing up and sitting down again. How long does it take, to the nearest minute?
Repeat - can it be done inside 1 minute? Remind children how many seconds are in a minute. Help them to get a sense of the length of a minute.
Time for 1 minute to find out how many times the children can do ‘head, shoulders, knees, toes’.

Group Activities
Use the in-depth problem-solving investigation ‘Order, Order!’ from NRICH as today’s group activity.
Or, use these activities:
-- Gain an understanding of what can be achieved in 1 minute.

• Large stop-clock or clock with second hand
• ‘Timing events’ (see resources)
• Cubes or blocks for building
• Stopwatches
• 1-minute sand timers
• ‘How many minutes?’ (see resources)

Day 1
Quarters (pre-requisite skills)

Day 2
Time to the half hour (pre-requisite skills)

Day 1
Decide whether it is possible to complete stated activities in 30 seconds.

Day 2
Complete tasks to help develop understanding of the length of 1 minute.

• In 1 minute, I can sometimes/always/never:
  Tie both shoelaces
  Count to 100
  Roll ten 6s on a 0–9 dice
  Toss a coin and get five heads
• Estimate how many minutes until playtime.
• Give your most accurate estimates to complete these sentences:
  In 30 seconds, I can...
  Drink ☐ cups of water
  Climb up ☐ steps
  Run ☐ times across the playground
• In 1 minute, I can...
  Eat ☐ marshmallows
  Do ☐ push-ups
  Write Tyrannosaurus rex ☐ times

In-depth Investigation: Order, Order!
Rank quantities in order from smallest to largest. Order, Order! from nrich.maths.org.

This unit has no separate Extra Support activities.

Day 1 Teaching
Launch ITP Tell the Time. Display analogue and digital clocks. Point out the digital time, and that the first 0 is not needed when we write it. Choose an interval of half an hour and click to show analogue and digital times.
Group Activities
-- Read and match analogue, digital and written times.
-- Read and match analogue and digital times.

Day 2 Teaching
Display images from ‘Order, order’ resource sheet. Agree times and what children might be doing at those times. Is 12 o’clock midnight or midday? Ask children to place clocks in chronological – time – order. Change some times to ‘after midday’ and repeat.
Group Activities
-- Say the time on analogue and digital clock faces. Order these times.

Day 3 Teaching
Give children circles of paper folded into quarters to represent the quarters of the clock face. Explore the quarters as ‘o’clock’, ‘quarter past’, ‘half past’ and ‘quarter to’. Remember that on the ‘Hamilton’ analogue clock, if the long hand is in pink it is a ‘past’ time: Pink Past (alliteration) and If the hand is in the blue, it is a ‘to’ time: Blue To (rhyme).
Group Activities
Use the ‘Pink or Blue?’ in-depth problem-solving investigation below as today’s group activity.
Or, use these activities:
-- Write times to the quarter hour from given clock images.
-- Say, make and write times to the quarter hour.

Day 4 Teaching
Ensure children are confident with past and to (Pink is past, blue is to). Remind children of times on analogue and digital clocks. Display times in digital and analogue form in contexts, and ask children to identify them. Briefly introduce some 5-minute intervals.
Group activities
-- Match pairs of analogue and digital times.
-- Explore telling time to the nearest 5 minutes.

• ITP: Tell the Time
• Large geared analogue clock
• ‘Reading the time on analogue & digital clocks’ (see resources)
• ‘Time bingo’ (see resources)
• Additional activity sheets (see resources)
• Counters
• Small geared analogue clocks
• Circles of paper for each child
• Cubes
• Digital clock
• 1–6 Dice

Day 1
Halves and quarters (pre-requisite skills)

Day 2
Read o’clock and half past times (analogue) (pre-requisite skills)

Day 3
Tell time to the quarter hour (pre-requisite skills)

Day 4
Match digital times to analogue (pre-requisite skills)

Day 1 Children write times in words under analogue and digital clocks. Times to nearest 1/2 hour. They also order times and match to daily events.

Day 2 Children order times to the nearest 1/2 hour throughout the day, using both digital and analogue formats.

Day 3 Children write times to the 1/4 hour, in words, alongside analogue clocks

Day 4 Children write 1/4 past and to times in written, digital and analogue formats. Some children also calculate 1/2 hour time differences.

• Using digital format, write the times that each of these events happens.
  Tea time
  Bed time
  School start time
  Playtime
• Use a circle of paper.
  Draw the minute hand in the correct place for each time listed. Use the colour indicated.
  Quarter to (blue)
  Half past (red)
  Quarter past (black)
• Write the missing digits in these times.
  Quarter past 4 is 04 : ☐
  Half past 6 is 06 : ☐
  Quarter to ☐ is 08 : 45
• If the time is five past 10, how would it show on a digital clock?
• If the time is 1:45, draw the position of the hands on an analogue clock.

In-depth Investigation: Pink or Blue?
Children explore the number of quarter past and quarter to times in a day by looking at the two sides of the clock.

Time Triples
Telling the time to the hour on analogue and digital clocks