Divide the students into teams. Stand on one piece of construction paper for each team and have students trace your shoe or foot using a pencil, then cut out the traced shoe print.
Pass out graph paper and explain that the students will be measuring the space between items in the classroom. Assign each team a measurement — from wall to wall, from one corner of the reading area to the other, the height of the filing cabinet — and have each child note her team's assignment at the top of the graph paper turned to landscape mode. Have the students draw your shoe underneath this title.
Have each team take its assigned measurement in units of its cutout of your shoe. Have each student record the team's findings by coloring in blocks on the graph paper on a line out from the picture of your shoe. Help any team that doesn't quickly think of setting down the shoe tracing repeatedly.
Give each team or each child another sheet of construction paper and have them trace and cut out one or more shoes. Have them draw this shoe in a fresh part of the graph paper and repeat the measurement using this new unit. Ask them to start coloring squares directly below the beginning of the first record. Comment on the differences between the units or the records.
Assign the same measurements using 12-inch rulers. Allow the children to use the ruler as a whole as a unit, but especially when they reach the wall or other obstacle, encourage them to look at the smaller units marked on the ruler.
Gather the teams to discuss their findings. Explain that each ruler measures 1 foot, which is equal to 12 inches and, if shown on your ruler, 32 centimeters. Have the students measure their shoe tracings against the ruler. Ask how many inches are in a teacher-foot and a student-foot. Assist students in converting their ruler-foot measurements to inches or centimeters.
Show students a yardstick. Point out that it has 36 inches marked. Ask three students to come hold 1-foot rulers to the yardstick, so everyone can see that 3 feet fit perfectly.
Give each team one of the longer measuring tapes. Have them repeat their measurements using these tools and record them by coloring a box on the graph paper for each inch. Discuss the findings and comparisons.