Lesson Notes By Weeks and Term v5 - Grade R

Lesson Video

This page supports the lesson note with a companion video and a short classroom-ready summary.

For class groups and homework, share this lesson page so learners also get the summary, objectives, and full lesson context.

Performance objectives

• Compare two objects to see which is longer or shorter.
• Put objects in order from shortest to longest.
• Feel two objects to find which is heavier or lighter.
• Use our new measuring words like 'longer', 'shorter', 'heavier', and 'lighter'.

Lesson summary

This lesson introduces Grade R learners to the foundational concepts of measurement: length and mass. In South Africa, these concepts are part of everyday life and are essential for developing mathematical literacy and problem-solving skills. Learners experience these concepts when they help carry groceries, noticing a bag of mielie meal is heavier than a bag of chips; or when they play with friends, comparing whose toy car rolled a longer distance. By formalising this learning with specific vocabulary and comparison techniques, we empower them to describe and interact with their world more precisely.

Lesson notes

Concept 1: Length (Long and Short) What is Length? Length is a measure of how long something is from one end to the other. It tells us the distance between two points on an object. For young learners, we introduce this as simply 'how long' or 'how short' something is. How Do We Compare Length? The most important rule for comparing length is to start at the same point. This is called a baseline. We place the objects side-by-side, making sure their bottoms are lined up perfectly. Then, we can easily see which one is taller or goes further.

Vocabulary: Long: An object that has a great length.

Short: An object that has a small length.

Longer: Used when comparing two objects, this is the one with the greater length.

Shorter: Used when comparing two objects, this is the one with the lesser length.

Longest / Shortest: Used when comparing three or more objects.

Worked example

Example 1: Comparing a Pencil and a Crayon

Step 1: Get a new pencil and a wax crayon.

Step 2: Place them on a table so they are next to each other.

Step 3: Make sure their bottom ends are lined up perfectly on an imaginary starting line.

Step 4: Look at the top ends. You will see that the pencil's top end goes further than the crayon's top end.

Conclusion: We can say, "The pencil is longer than the crayon." We can also say, "The crayon is shorter than the pencil."

Example 2: Ordering three pieces of Rooibos tea-stained string

Step 1: The teacher has three pieces of string: a red one, a blue one, and a green one.

Step 2: To find out the order from shortest to longest, we lay them all down on the mat.

Step 3: We line up the starting end of all three strings together. They must start at the same place!

Step 4: Now we look at where they end. We might see the red string ends first, then the green one, and the blue one goes the furthest.

Conclusion: The red string is the shortest. The blue string is the longest. The green string is longer than the red one but shorter than the blue one.

Concept 2: Mass (Heavy and Light)

What is Mass?

Mass is how much 'stuff' is inside an object. For Grade R learners, we explain this as how heavy an object feels. It's important to teach that a big object is not always heavy (like a balloon) and a small object is not always light (like a stone).

How Do We Compare Mass?

At this stage, we don't use scales. We use our bodies! This method is called hefting. We hold one object in one hand and the other object in the other hand. We feel which hand is being pushed down more. The one that pushes down more is the heavier object.

Vocabulary:

Heavy: An object that is difficult to lift or pushes down on your hand a lot.

Light: An object that is easy to lift or doesn't push down on your hand much.

Heavier: Used when comparing two objects, this is the one with more mass.

Lighter: Used when comparing two objects, this is the one with less mass.