Measurement and Augmented Reality

📖STANDARDS

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.3.MD.B.4: Generate measurement data by measuring lengths using rulers marked with halves and fourths of an inch. Show the data by making a line plot, where the horizontal scale is marked off in appropriate units— whole numbers, halves, or quarters.

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.MD.A.2: Measure the length of an object twice, using length units of different lengths for the two measurements; describe how the two measurements relate to the size of the unit chosen.

⏰ TIME

40-50 minutes

📲TECHNOLOGY REQUIRED

The teacher will need a computer with projector or smart board to show the presentation. Students will need a tablet or phone to do the activity and a measurement app installed. They will also need a ruler or tape measure.

This is the second of three lessons that use Augmented Reality apps. If you did the first lesson on perimeter, you already have one of the measurement apps installed.

You’ll need a measurement app installed.

Measure: For iPhones or iPads

Measure app

If using an iPhone, the Measure app should already be installed. On iPads, it may not be. Before starting this lesson, we recommend you check and, if not, parents or teachers can download the app for free here.

For Android Devices

Ruler app

Android devices do not come with a measure app. I tried several free AR measurement apps and all were difficult to use. I can’t honestly recommend any. Not an augmented reality app, but students can use the Ruler app by NixGame. It is simply a ruler on a phone and you can only use it to measure items the length of the phone/ tablet. We tried a lot of ruler and measure apps on Google Play and this is the one we recommend as the easiest for elementary school students to use and with the least annoying ads.

📃 Summary

Students learn that augmented reality is a type of computer application that adds to (augments) the reality we see. They learn that the measure apps on phones and tablets are a type of augmented reality. Students use an app to measure items, then use a ruler or tape measure to measure again. They plot their measurements on line plots and compare the two measures.

📚 LESSON

Short Presentation on Augmented reality.

Use this Google slides presentation to explain what is augmented reality, with examples. It also includes the video below.

Watch a video of an augmented reality app

This one-minute video is also in the Google slides but it is included here just in case, since we know media doesn’t always play in presentations, even when it should! (You can also check out some AR math apps here.)

Introduce apps your students will be using for measurement

Use this short presentation to explain how to use apps to measure, well, anything. If you already completed the first lesson on measuring perimeter and used this presentation, you may want to show it again to remind them and also to make the point that they were using augmented reality already and didn’t know it!

Measure Using Augmented Reality and Reality

Students find 10 items to measure using both the app and a ruler or tape measure. For each item, they complete the attached worksheet. Here is the same worksheet as a Google doc if are going to have them complete it online.

We strongly encourage the teacher to do one item with the class as an example. If your class has not yet mastered fractions, you may wish to tell them to just enter the whole number part of the measurement, as in this example.

Create two line plots

Optional: Watch this video on creating a line plot

If your students are not familiar with line plots, you may want to have them watch this seven-minute video which explains line plots step by step.

Now that students have watched the video and collected the data, their final task is to create two line plots of their results. Feel free to copy and paste the text below into your Google classroom or other assignment.

Line Plot Assignment

OPTIONAL: If students are learning online, they can use Jamboard to create a line plot, as shown in the video below.

You are going to make TWO line plots.

  • First, make a line plot of the ten measurements you did with the APP.
  • Second, make a line plot of the ten measurements you did with the RULER or TAPE MEASURE.

Now that you have your line plots, answer these questions.

  • Compare the two line plots. Do they look the same?
  • Compare your line plots with other students in the class.

Assessment

You can assess student’s progress through the assignment completed which shows both their measurement skills and ability to create and interpret line plots.

Individualizing Instruction

For students who are more advanced, you may wish to have them measure items and complete line plots using fractions or mixed numbers rather than just whole numbers.

Related lesson

The lesson Finding the perimeter and physical education is the first in the unit of augmented reality lessons.

One thought on “Measurement and Augmented Reality

  1. Pingback: Finding the perimeter & physical education

Leave a Reply to Finding the perimeter & physical education Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *