Measure me Leaves and Stems

Real measurement with a real ruler on something that is not a straight line.

Leaves are curved and stems bend, so a child has to decide what they are measuring before they can measure it. Length along the curve or straight across. Both are valid and they give different numbers, which is the first honest encounter with measurement as a decision rather than a fact.

We do not resolve it. We ask them to state which method they used.

The page has the recording table, ten specimens, and a method box. Also a comparison at the end between two children measuring the same leaf, which will produce different numbers and a good argument. That argument is worth more than the numbers.