Math Beyond Workbooks

Measurement & Fractions Activity

• skills involved: measuring in inches (and fractions of inches), adding and subtracting fractions and mixed numbers


• materials needed: rulers, small objects to measure

It can be surprising how many adult students do not know how to use a ruler. This activity combines ruler practice as well as practice subtracting fractions.

Have your students estimate the lengths of several small objects (in inches). Be sure that the actual measurements include fractions. Then have them measure each object, and finally ask them to calculate how far off their estimation was. Results can be recorded in a chart, like this:

To turn this activity into a game, students make their estimations without looking at each other's papers, then they measure together, and calculate how far off their estimations were from the actual measurement. At the end, each player adds all of the numbers in the "difference" column. The player with the lowest result wins.