In the discussion of the measurement standard, the National Council of Teachers
of Mathematics states that "In the middle grades, students should build on
their formal and informal experiences with measurable attributes like length,
area, and volume; with units of measurement; and with systems of
measurement." (Principles and Standards for School Mathematics,
NCTM, 2000, p. 241)
At its simplest, measurement in grades 6-8 begins with what appears to be a
basic need for the student to know how to use a ruler to measure length. The
reality is that even this apparently simple measurement task requires the use
of multistep mathematics thinking. Many students lack the computational skills
and conceptual understanding necessary to take on the more sophisticated tasks
of finding surface area and volume and using units and converting units in
metric and customary systems. The suggested online resources may help your
students develop a conceptual understanding of area, perimeter, and volume and
learn to use formulas and measurement units. The resources can also help you
plan a really worthwhile class project. Check out the nine specific
expectations that NCTM describes for middle school students related to the
measurement standard.
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Copyright
November 2004 — The Ohio State University. This material is based upon work
supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0424671. Any
opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this
material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of
the National Science Foundation.
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