Students can read a poem based on Max's Math Adventures at Scholastic.com and use various nonstandard tools to find the measurement of items within the classroom. Characters Max and Ruthie are asked by their coach to measure sport-related items such as a baseball bat and a tennis racket. Challenge your fourth-grade students to measure another classmate and even the length of the school using their hands, feet or paper clips.
Groups of fourth graders can tie knots into common kite string in varying lengths, such as feet and yards, and use the string to measure various items using estimation. The ancient Egyptians used the same method to measure for construction and in geometric problems. Encourage the student groups to measure geometric shapes in the school yard, if applicable, and mark the shapes with removable stakes or sidewalk chalk. Instruct each group to double-check their accuracy of estimation using a tape measure.
Create two sets of memory matching cards using black note cards or construction paper in the same shape and size. On each pair of cards, write one measurement and its equivalent in another unit. As an example, one pair of cards may list 1 foot and 12 inches. The students, in pairs, take turns flipping over the inverted cards in an attempt to accurately match the correct measurements. The students may turn over only two cards at a time, and if the measurements are not equal, they must remember where the measurements are located to match another in future turns. As another measurement activity, use time conversions in another set of cards.
Create a scenario with the fourth-grade class that they are pirates and have found a treasure chest filled with pearls that are exactly the same size and shape. The treasure, for educational purposes, may be jellybeans, seeds or another inexpensive item. Measure one cup of the treasure and pour it onto a scale to find its weight. The students record the measurement of one cup of treasure to use in finding the weight of the entire heap of treasure in the chest. Students find out how many cups of treasure are included in the chest and multiply that value by the weight of 1 cup of treasure.