Measurement: Length and Height

What Is Measurement?#

Measurement is the way we find out the size of something — how long, how tall, or how wide it is. When we measure length or height, we are finding out how much space something takes up from one end to another.

Why Do We Measure?#

Measuring is something people do every day!

• A builder measures boards before cutting them.
• A baker measures ingredients to make a cake.
• A doctor measures your height to see how much you have grown.
• A parent measures a piece of furniture to see if it fits in a room.

Knowing how to measure accurately is an important life skill!

What Is Length?#

Length is how long something is — measured from one end to the other (usually side to side or left to right).

Examples: the length of a pencil, the length of a table, the length of a room.

What Is Height?#

Height is how tall something is — measured from the bottom to the top.

Examples: your height, the height of a door, the height of a tree.

Standard and Non-Standard Units#

In early grades, you might have measured things using non-standard units — like cubes, paperclips, or handspans. These are fun but not always accurate, because everyone's handspan is a different size!

Standard units are units that everyone agrees on. Using standard units means two people measuring the same thing will always get the same number. The two major measurement systems are:

1. The metric system — uses centimetres (cm) and metres (m)
2. The imperial/customary system — uses inches (in) and feet (ft)

In Grade 2, you will learn to measure using both systems. Let us get started!