Mathematics 5 curriculum guide 2015 I table of contents acknowledgements

Town 
Distance from 
(home town) 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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MATHEMATICS 5 CURRICULUM GUIDE 2015
Specific Outcomes
MEASUREMENT
Suggestions for Teaching and Learning
Students will be expected to:
Shape and Space (Measurement)
5SS2 Continued...
Achievement Indicators:
5SS2.7 (Continued) Explore 
and generalize the measurement 
relationships between and among 
millimetres, centimetres, metres 
and kilometres.
It is important for students to understand that the unit chosen for 
measurement affects the numerical value of the measurement. The 
larger the unit, the smaller the numerical value: 1 m = 100 cm, for 
example, the larger unit (metres) has the numerical value of 1 but the 
distance measured in the smaller unit (centimetres) yields the larger 
numerical value of 100.
Working in pairs, have each student trace their partner’s body on 
large sheets of paper. Measure the length of their paper body parts 
i.e., legs, arms, fingers and total length of body. Students will need 
to decide which measuring tool would be most appropriate for 
each measurement - to measure fingers, they would use a cm ruler, 
to measure the length of body, they would use a metre stick. Ask 
students to record all measurements in mm, cm and m. Ask why the 
millimetre measurements have a larger numerical value than the metre 
measurements. 
5SS2.8 Provide a referent for 1 
millimetre and explain the choice.
Ask students to suggest objects that are about 1 mm, 1 cm or 1m.
These may serve as referents. Referents are everyday objects of particular 
lengths that students can use as benchmarks to help them estimate. The 
use of referents makes the learning more meaningful for students and 
helps them come up with reasonable estimates. 
When discussing referents for 1 mm, examples should be given of 
objects that would be measured in mm: the thickness of a button, a 
ladybug, thickness of a gold chain.
A centimetre is about the length of a staple or the width of a pinkie nail.
5SS2.9 Provide a referent for 1 
centimetre and explain the choice.
The metre stick provides an excellent referent for one metre and is a 
familiar object for students. One metre is about the distance from the 
floor to a door knob. After tracing or marking out a metre with tape, 
students could brainstorm ideas for objects that are about a metre or 
more than one metre; e.g., the long edge of a newspaper, width of a 
whiteboard, teacher’s desk.
5SS2.10 Provide a referent for 1 
metre and explain the choice.

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