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Contributor: Marlene Vogel. Lesson ID: 10726
Lee and Marlene are at it again! They're arguing over whose cookie is bigger! You're the only one who can help but you have to use a ruler and scale. A video and online games teach measurement skills!
The Great Cookie Debate
Lee and Marlene are best friends. They do everything together. They go to school together, they play together on the weekend, and they eat their snacks together. Because they are such good friends, they will often share their snacks with each other.
One day, Marlene brought a bag of cookies to share with Lee. Each of them reached into the bag and took out one cookie. Before eating them, they decided to compare their cookies. Lee said, "My cookie is bigger than your cookie."
"No way," said Marlene. They kept arguing back and forth until someone suggested they use math to compare their cookies to see who has the bigger cookie.
Marlene and Lee stopped arguing when they both realized they did not know how to compare their cookies using math.
We use math every day in our lives, and sometimes we don’t even realize it!
When most people think about math, they think about using pencil and paper to figure out problems. Also, when most people think about math vocabulary, they think of words like add, subtract, divide, and multiply.
This lesson focuses on showing you how you use math in your everyday life, and pointing out the math vocabulary that you already use.
Since the subject of math has many vocabulary words, we will discuss math vocabulary that is related to comparing objects. The following is a list of math vocabulary words used to compare objects:
| Math Vocabulary for Comparing Objects | |
| Compare | |
| Alike | Different |
| Bigger | Smaller |
| Taller | Shorter |
| Heavier | Lighter |
| Longer | Shorter |
| Thicker | Thinner |
| Greater Than | Less Than |
| More | Fewer |
Review the slides to learn the meanings of the words in the list:
Now that you know the language, you're ready to compare.
In the following activities, you will have an opportunity to practice comparing objects by measuring with a ruler, or with your own personal measuring stick. You will also measure the weight of objects using a balance scale.
Supplies
Supplies to Make Balance Scale
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