Measuring & Plotting Lengths

Generate measurement data by measuring lengths to the nearest whole unit and display the data on a line plot

ages 7 to 88 practice questionsvideo included

What a learner can do afterwards

Measure the lengths of several objects and record the data
Create a line plot with a horizontal scale marked in whole-number units
Interpret a line plot to answer questions about the data

The lesson

When you measure something, look at where it lines up with the ruler. Pick the closest whole number, even if it lands a little off. That is measuring to the nearest whole unit. Write down every measurement you take, one by one.

Seven pencils were measured. Three of them are 5 cm long, the tallest stack of X's above the 5.

Try it together

Zoe measured five acorns to the nearest centimetre: 4, 5, 4, 6, 5. She wrote each number down, then made a line plot. Above the 4 she drew two X's, above the 5 she drew two X's, and above the 6 she drew one X.

Good to know

Line up your X's straight above each number, one X for every object. If a number has no objects, just leave it blank on the line.

Measure each object to the nearest whole unit, write it down, then stack one X above its number on a line plot to see the whole pattern at a glance.

Watch it

Where it sits

Learn first

Sorting into categories (age 6+)Measuring length (age 7+)

This opens up

Halves and quarters (age 8+)Working with money

Where this leads

Jobs that lean on this skill. Follow one to see everything it is built on.

Air Traffic Controller Artist Astronaut Athlete Baker Botanist

Then practise

8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.