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Lesson plan Grade 1 Math

Falconridge Station's Three Hoses: A Grade 1 Length Lesson

A 40-minute grade 1 lesson in which students order three fire hoses from shortest to longest and use a ribbon to compare two hoses that cannot be moved.

Objectives

  1. Students will order three hose lengths from shortest to longest.
  2. Students will compare two hoses they cannot move by measuring each one against a ribbon.
  3. Students will explain why both objects must start at the same line.

Vocabulary

Key words: longer, shorter, longest, shortest, hose, hydrant

Teacher overview

Falconridge is a made-up town whose fire station keeps three hoses coiled on a rack beside the truck bay, and the crew has to know which hose reaches farthest before it drives to a hydrant. The hoses stay coiled on the rack, so the crew cannot lay two of them side by side to check; instead each hose is compared against one marked ribbon that travels from rack to rack. That working problem gives students a reason to order three lengths and to compare two lengths through a third object. The misconception this lesson targets is the belief that whichever object sticks out farther on the right is longer, regardless of where the two objects begin, which is why the procedure deliberately shows two ropes with mismatched starting points before it shows any correct comparison.

Procedure

Hook (5 min): Hold up two ropes of clearly different lengths, but hold them so the shorter rope starts farther to the right and its end sticks out past the longer one. Ask the class which rope is longer and take a show of hands. Lay both ropes on the taped starting line and ask again. Do not explain yet; let students name what changed.

Direct instruction (10 min): Name the two rules the class will use all lesson. Both objects start at the same line, and the one that keeps going is longer. Then set up the station problem. Two coiled hoses sit on racks at opposite ends of the room and cannot be carried to each other. Model stretching one ribbon along the first hose, marking where the hose ends, then carrying that ribbon to the second hose. If the second hose ends before the mark, it is the shorter hose.

Guided practice (12 min): Give each group of three students three ropes labeled Red, Blue, and Green. Groups line all three up on the taped line and place them in order from shortest to longest, then say the order aloud to a partner using the words "shortest" and "longest." Circulate and ask one group at a time to justify the middle rope's position.

Independent practice (8 min): Students complete the seven questions on the handout on their own. The questions describe comparisons in words rather than pictures, so students have to reason from statements such as "the Green hose is longer than the Red hose" instead of eyeballing a drawing.

Closure / exit ticket (5 min): Ask the formative check aloud and have every student answer with a thumb up for yes or a thumb down for no: "If two hoses do not start at the same line, can you tell which is longer by looking at the right end?" Look for at least four out of five thumbs down before moving on. Any student with a thumb up joins the support group in the next math block.

Falconridge Station's Three Hoses: A Grade 1 Length Lesson — Grade 1 Math
Name: ____________________________ Date: ______________

Student Handout

The Falconridge fire station keeps three hoses. They are named Red, Blue, and Green.

  1. The Red hose is longer than the Blue hose. The Green hose is longer than the Red hose. Which hose is the longest?
  2. The Red hose is longer than the Blue hose. The Green hose is longer than the Red hose. Which hose is the shortest?
  3. The Green hose is longer than the Red hose. The Red hose is longer than the Blue hose. Write the three hoses in order from shortest to longest.
  4. A yellow ribbon is longer than the Blue hose. The same ribbon is shorter than the Green hose. Is the Blue hose shorter than the Green hose? Write yes or no.
  5. A yellow ribbon is shorter than the Red hose. The same ribbon is longer than the Blue hose. Which hose is longer, the Red hose or the Blue hose?
  6. Ana lays the Blue hose and the Red hose on the line. She lines up the left ends. The Blue hose ends first. Which hose is longer?
  7. Sam lays two hoses on the floor. He does not line up the left ends. Can Sam tell which hose is longer? Write yes or no.

From Water for Schools (waterforschools.org). This material is in the public domain (CC0) and may be copied, edited, and shared freely.

Answer Key
  1. Answer: The Green hose. Green is longer than Red, and Red is longer than Blue, so Green is longer than both of the others.
  2. Answer: The Blue hose. Red is longer than Blue, and Green is longer than Red, so Blue is shorter than both of the others.
  3. Answer: Blue, Red, Green. Blue is the shortest, Red sits in the middle, and Green is the longest.
  4. Answer: Yes. The ribbon is longer than Blue and shorter than Green, so Blue must be shorter than Green even though the two hoses were never placed side by side.
  5. Answer: The Red hose. The ribbon is shorter than Red and longer than Blue, which puts Red above the ribbon and Blue below it.
  6. Answer: The Red hose. Both hoses started at the same line, and Blue ran out first, so Red keeps going farther.
  7. Answer: No. A length comparison only works when both objects begin at the same line, so Sam has to move one hose before he can decide.

Differentiation

Support

Give these students the three ropes and let them answer questions 1 through 3 by physically placing the ropes on the taped line rather than reasoning from the written statements. Read each statement aloud twice and have the student place one rope after each sentence.

Extension

Give these students a fourth rope and a written clue that places it between two of the others, then ask them to write the full order of four hoses and explain in one sentence how the clue fixed the new rope's place.

ELL supports

Post the words "longer," "shorter," "longest," and "shortest" with a matching arrow drawing beside each one, and use the same hand gesture every time you say them. Allow students to answer questions 1, 2, and 5 by pointing to a colored rope instead of writing the color word.

Extensions

Take the class outside to compare the length of the school's garden hose with a length of sidewalk using a piece of rope as the go-between, then ask which is longer and how the rope proved it.