Principles and Standards for School Mathematics

Measurement Standard

Measurement Standard (pre-K - 2)

measure with multiple copies of units of the same size, such as paper clips laid end to end;


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use repetition of a single unit to measure something larger than the unit, for instance, measuring the length of a room with a single meterstick;


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use tools to measure;


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develop common referents for measures to make comparisons and estimates.


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Measurement Standard (3 - 5)

develop strategies for estimating the perimeters, areas, and volumes of irregular shapes;


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select and apply appropriate standard units and tools to measure length, area, volume, weight, time, temperature, and the size of angles;


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select and use benchmarks to estimate measurements;


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develop, understand, and use formulas to find the area of rectangles and related triangles and parallelograms;


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develop strategies to determine the surface areas and volumes of rectangular solids.


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Measurement Standard (6 - 8)

use common benchmarks to select appropriate methods for estimating measurements;


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select and apply techniques and tools to accurately find length, area, volume, and angle measures to appropriate levels of precision;


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develop and use formulas to determine the circumference of circles and the area of triangles, parallelograms, trapezoids, and circles and develop strategies to find the area of more-complex shapes;


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develop strategies to determine the surface area and volume of selected prisms, pyramids, and cylinders;


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solve problems involving scale factors, using ratio and proportion;


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solve simple problems involving rates and derived measurements for such attributes as velocity and density.


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Measurement Standard (9 - 12)

analyze precision, accuracy, and approximate error in measurement situations;


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understand and use formulas for the area, surface area, and volume of geometric figures, including cones, spheres, and cylinders;


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apply informal concepts of successive approximation, upper and lower bounds, and limit in measurement situations;


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use unit analysis to check measurement computations.


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