Measuring Up in Third Grade

I was inspired by my third grade students during a lesson in our Measurement and Data unit last week.  All of my students are Deaf/Hard of Hearing and English Learners.  Some have had interrupted education and others have health challenges that has impacted their access to learning.  Therefore, it is super-important that I begin every lesson by probing for prior knowledge and listening to their personal connections with the content I'm about to teach.  Real world applications make learning meaningful. I presented visual supports to discuss the measurement tools we would be using in the lesson.  Once they understood the vocabulary, they excitedly relayed experiences of being measured by a seamstress for special occasion dresses!  I quickly adapted my activities to include mock-dress measurement exercises.  They had a blast!  The take away?  Stop and listen to our students.