Clip 5/29: Standard 1: Making Sense and Perseverance Using Measurement Part C2
Overview
Mathematically proficient students consider the available tools when solving a mathematical problem… Proficient students are sufficiently familiar with tools appropriate for their grade or course to make sound decisions about when each of these tools might be helpful, recognizing both the insight to be gained and their limitations… They detect possible errors by strategically using estimation and other mathematical knowledge.
Tracy Sola has tasked students with the exploratory activity of measuring objects around the room with “cube trains.” She is allowing the students to decide how they will measure objects that do not have a length that exactly matches a whole cube.
Students work in teams as they make sense of using the tool of a cube train to measure the length of objects. As students are measuring, they have discussions about the appropriateness of the tool for measuring curved objects. They also start to develop an understanding of using estimation when they must make decisions regarding how to estimate the length of objects that do not match a whole number of cubes.