Grade
1

Math in Our World: Two Tall Plants

Here are two of my favorite plants!

One of them is called a snake plant. The other one is called a ponytail palm.

I love to watch my plants grow. I use cubes to see how tall they are.

  • Measuring a snake plant with a cube train. The cube train has 2 sections of 5 white cubes and 2 sections of 5 blue cubes.
  • Measuring a ponytail palm with a cube train. The cube train has 2 sections of 5 white cubes, 1 section of 5 blue cubes, and 3 more blue cubes.
  1. What do you notice? What do you wonder?
  2. Use pictures, models, numbers, or words to show how the heights of the plants are related.
  3. What math questions can you ask about the plants? Answer all the questions you can!
  • Sketch and label the cube trains that show the height for each plant.
  • The cubes are in groups of 5 blue cubes and 5 white cubes. Count by 5s, so you don’t have to count them one by one.
  • Is one plant taller than the other plant? How can you find the difference between their heights?
  • Show your work to someone else. Use numbers and math words to explain your thinking. Did they understand?
  • Ask whether they have any other questions you can answer!

Use paper clips, cubes, or other small objects to measure the lengths of two different things in your home. Which is longer? Which is shorter? How do you know?

Printable Version

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Reference for Educators

Sample problems and solutions