Measurement Lesson: Sustainable Fabrics

Students explore their shoes' size and purpose and learn about the positive and negative aspects of synthetic fabrics.

Inquire: Students draw and label their favorite pair of shoes, focusing on the purpose of the shoes’ materials.

Investigate: Students explore how a shoe’s size impacts its use by measuring and comparing their shoe size to their classmates’ shoe size.

Inspire: Students learn about the positive and negative aspects of synthetic fabrics in shoes and make a pledge to take care of their shoes.

Suggestions

• Sentence frames for all student discussion questions are included in the Teacher Document for additional support.

• Teachers can incorporate this lesson into a math unit on measurement.

• Students explore measurement through the use of manipulatives and motion.

• Students have various opportunities to engage in and practice motor skills and develop critical thinking and verbal reasoning.

• Students work collaboratively with peers for discussion and group work.

Prerequisites

• This lesson can be taught with companion lessons on other fabrics.

• Teacher will need to obtain a copy of the book, If the Shoe Fits: Nonstandard Units of Measurement, by Jennifer Dussling.

• Teacher can review additional teacher notes on synthetic fabrics in the Teacher Document.

• Teacher should gather and prepare the following materials: 

• 10-20 per student: paper clips, toy cars, unit cubes, counting bears, or other uniform items that can be used as nonstandard units of measurement

• 1 per student: rulers, yard or meter sticks

Differentiation

• Visual Sentence Boards are provided as an option to support student responses and can be printed out from the Teacher Document.

• Students can use the provided sentence frames in the Teacher Document for any class or group discussions.

• Shoe measurement worksheets in the Student Document are differentiated according to grade level standards and scaffolded for student ability.

• Students can trade shoes and complete another round of center activities with a partner’s shoe.

• To extend older students’ learning about the harmful effects of synthetic fabrics, watch the video The Story of Microfibers. A video guide is provided in the Teacher Document.

Students learn about synthetic fabrics and their production in this session. Furthermore, it helps them understand the effects of synthetic fabrics—both good and bad—on people and the environment, as well as what they can do to prevent synthetic fabrics from ending up in the ocean and other ecologically delicate areas. Our examination of the lesson's science content was successful after fact-checking the lesson's materials.

Primary Standards

• Common Core English Language Arts Standards (CCSS.ELA)
  • Speaking & Listening (K-12)
    • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K.1 Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about kindergarten topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.
    • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.1.1 Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 1 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.
    • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.2.1 Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 2 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.
• Common Core Math Standards (CCSS.MATH)
  • Measurement & Data (K-5)
    • CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.MD.A.1 Describe measurable attributes of objects, such as length or weight. Describe several measurable attributes of a single object.
    • CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.MD.A.2 Directly compare two objects with a measurable attribute in common, to see which object has "more of"/"less of" the attribute, and describe the difference. For example, directly compare the heights of two children and describe one child as taller/shorter.
    • CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.1.MD.A.1 Order three objects by length; compare the lengths of two objects indirectly by using a third object.
    • CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.MD.A.1 Measure the length of an object by selecting and using appropriate tools such as rulers, yardsticks, meter sticks, and measuring tapes.

Supporting Standard

• Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
  • ESS3: Earth and Human Activity
    • K-ESS3-3 Communicate solutions that will reduce the impact of humans on the land, water, air, and/or other living things in the local environment.