When is a foot not a foot? When you use the length of your own foot to measure distances, of course. To underscore the importance of standardized units of measurement, middle schoolers engage in a series of activities that ask them to chart distances using the length of their own foot as a measure and to then use customary unit standards to measure the same distance.

Concepts

measurement, standard units of measurement, distance

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Additional Tags

math

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Instructional Ideas

• Check out the American National Standards Institute blog for a brief history of the origins of the U.S. Customary System of measurement 

Classroom Considerations

• The referenced Measure for Measure: Lengths and Heights video is available for purchase from Discovery School

Pros

• The four-page packet includes step-by-step directions for the activities

Cons

• None