Measurement
is a natural link between mathematics and real-world contexts. Students
see measurement used in everyday situations and can understand the relevance
to their own lives. As they become proficient with measuring, they will
acquire knowledge about what tools to select for measurement tasks and
what units would be most appropriate.
Measurement activities should begin with nonstandard units in each measurement attribute before students use standard units. They should explore the effects on measurements when the unit is changed. Most importantly, they should be actually measuring rather than looking at pictures in a textbook. Moreover, measurement can be used as a context to introduce and explore rational numbers (fractions and decimals).
In grades K4, the mathematics curriculum should include measurement so that students can