Who Measures What in Our Neighborhood?

Individual Student Growth - Student Portfolios

Teachers maintain portfolios of students' work samples throughout the year. To evaluate individual growth in a project, the teachers and students reflect and examine the documentation in the students' project portfolios. Five examples of students and their areas of growth are included below.

LS's (6 yr) and Growth in Observational Drawings - From Simple to Complex

Drawing represents children's thinking. As students progress from simple to complex drawings, they are demonstrating that they understand more about the topic. Teachers saw evidence of growth and change of understanding over time in LS's observational drawings.


In January, LS places a few random numbers on the ruler in her drawing.		LS's memory drawing shows a large ruler with a few numerals on it.

In May, LS draws a more accurate representation of a ruler at the end of the project.

Not only did LS become more aware of measurement tools, she even asked a friend of her family if he could come and talk about the kind of measuring he did as a food inspector. LS arranged for the food inspector to come and talk to the other students at school.

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NB's (6yr) Growth in Representing and Understanding - Smaller Leap to a Greater Leap

In April, NB predicted that she was 8 inches tall before being measured. Early in the project she drew and labeled her picture, "I am being measured." A month later she drew the ruler taller than her body. However, in each drawing, the ruler indicated that she was 8.


On 1/16, NB draws the ruler stopping at 8. However, it was too short to measure the person.		2/13, NB draws the ruler going taller than the person.

After a parent measured her at school, she proudly announced that she was 47 inches tall. At the end of the project in May, NB wrote about foot rulers for measuring small things like a chick. She also talked about yard rulers for measuring taller things. She commented that she would need "two yard rulers," not foot rulers, to measure her. The student reflections demonstrated that she gained a real interest in measuring and felt empowered to measure herself and others. Notice how all three responses in the student reflections related to her identity as a child who sees herself as being competent to measure.

What would you tell a friend about measurement?
NB: I would say we could measure each other. We could weigh ourselves and find out how tall we are.

What would you like to keep doing with measurement?
NB: I'd like to measure myself to see how tall I am or how much I weigh.

What are you still wondering about measurement?
NB: I was wondering what number a yardstick went up to, but then I found I could find out easily by looking at a yardstick."

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Using Digital Photographs for Assessment and Teaching

The digital photographs became both a tool to extend learning for the students and a way to enhance evaluation and assessment for the teachers. The teachers gave students the photographs from their field experiences to help them represent what they saw and learned on their trips. Using the digital photographs, students carefully tried to match their representations to the pictures. The digital camera was a new purchase this year. The teachers suspected that not only did students mature in their ability to represent their ideas over the year, but that the digital photographs greatly improved their attention to details and their ability to make more realistic and accurate representations in the measurement project.

BH's (5yr) Growth in Representing - Simple to Complex

BH was self motivated and worked independently on his three-dimensional representations. Over the months he demonstrated his increased attention to detail as he covered the boxes with paper and paint to transform them to model the objects that he was representing.

Digital Documentation of Process

Teacher's Comment

In September, during the fall project on Keeping our Environment Healthy, BH chose to make a simple three-dimensional construction out of cardboard.

In October, BH had big plans for his three-dimensional work and would return to it over several project/activity time periods.

He made a series of boats with construction paper taped to cover the words of the box. He was proud that his boats did not dump garbage into the water, but rather reduced, recycled, and reused.

Throughout November, he continued to paint his series of boats to make them look complete.

By December, BH's three-dimensional construction of a ship has many details and a coat of paint to give it a more finished appearance. He returned to his project over several days and worked diligently until completion.

2/29/02BH used clay at the beginning of the measurement project. He misnamed the ruler a scale.

In the measurement project BH worked collaboratively with two other children on making a money counter. Working as a team was a new experience for BH. Even though it appeared that he knew that the money counter was not red, he didn't object and helped paint it. Afterward he reported, "We needed to repaint it, because the color we used in the beginning wasn't good."

BH embellished his ideas on the second topic web by explaining how he could measure or predict the height of flowers.

BH: You can measure how tall flowers are with a ruler. You could go outside into your garden to see how tall the plants are if you feel like it. You could also predict how tall the plants are going to be, so you can think where you want to plant them. You can measure all kinds of plants.

The statement infers that he conceptually understands how to measure with a ruler. However, because he placed the numerals on the ruler with 1 on the top, he may have misconceptions about how to use the tool for measuring, or he may not have paid attention when he was making his drawing.

The documentation often provides evidence that students have shown discrepancies in their understanding. Teachers need to plan additional activities to teach and further assess students' knowledge. In this case, BH performed other measuring activities satisfactorily in class.

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MB's (6 yr) Growth in Representing, Greater Engagement and Persistence

The teachers watched the ways that students chose to represent their ideas. Teachers probed students' thinking by asking questions. MB grew in his disposition to attend to details and to independently stay engaged for longer periods of time.

Digital Documentation of Process	Teacher's Comment
	In September, MB's representation of the garbage truck during the fall project is simply made. There are few details and no attempt to make it look finished.
	In late April, MB and JK worked as a team to find the right material to make a coil representation. They discussed and tried out materials in answer to the teacher's question, "What materials do you think would work best in making your representation?" They tried clay and were unhappy with the results. The photograph shows that in the first week of May, they are working with paper shreds.
	As MB contemplates how to make the thin pieces of paper roll like a coil, JK puts the shreds on his head. MB is frustrated by the thin pieces of paper tearing and JK not contributing. MB & JK decide to work on separate representations.
	Looking at the digital photograph, MB thinks about his options.
	5/13 MB tries cardboard cylinders in answer to the teacher's question, "What other materials could you use?"
	5/16 MB solicits help in holding and taping the tubes to make the coil representation. MB worked diligently on getting the coil to look the way he wanted.
	5/23 The coil had many numbers on it. MB's idea was to write numbers around the coil with a pen. He found this to be tedious work so he decided to write on a third of the coil each day.
	5/30 This is the Open House display of MB's coil representation next to the digital picture.

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DM's (6 yrs) Growth in Thinking and Reflecting on Her Past Experiences and Data Collecting - Simple to Complex

DM had experience with project work in her previous class. Her academic skills were on par with typical kindergartners, but she was less accomplished in social skills and expressive vocabulary. DM was able to formulate questions but self-evaluating and reflecting on her own work was difficult for her.

Date	Child's Comment	Context for Documentation	Teacher's Comment
1/7	First comment: You have to measure wells - you know, water. Second comment: You measure basketball hoops.	This is a whole group brainstorming session.	At this meeting, children reflected on what they knew about measurement. Many of the students brainstormed about experiences that they had. DM had difficulty reflecting on her past. After a child remembered about measuring the depth of swimming pools, DM offered measuring wells. Again, a child brainstormed, "You measure to have the right size bat." DM suggested. "You measure basketball hoops." DM didn't appear to recall her own experiences, however when she listened to peers' comments she offered something similar.
1/16		Memory drawing saying: "My Auntie measured me for a dress."	DM drew a long measuring tape with no numbers on it.
1/24	Answered a sign-in question under "yes" that measuring a baby's weight is the same as measuring the inside of a clubhouse.	After the students grouped their memory drawings by similarities, she responded to the sign-in question.	In the discussion on 1/22, DM talked about an experience that she now remembered - that her baby brother got weighed but she did not differentiate in the discussion or on the sign-in question between types of measurement (linear or weight).
1/28	DM: You can measure the lake. This is a ruler measuring into a swimming pool.	DM joined the group discussing difficulties that they had in measuring liquids.	DM joined a group of friends. She had brainstormed about measuring water. However, she had not measured wells in the past. She had experiences with liquids in pouring drinks, but she did not mention it.
2/15	DM: I think we'll see people measuring wells for water.	Students predicted all the ways they thought people measured in and around the school building.	All the predictions except DM's were based on previous experiences. DM did not make a prediction that was linked to her past experiences in the school.
2/19	One tally mark in each category.	Data collecting on a field site visit to the offices in our school building during math time.	DM did not appear to understand data gathering or connect marking a tally behind a picture after seeing a measuring device or someone measuring. When the teacher had a conference with her, she said she had seen all those things one time. This did not agree with the data collected by the rest of class.
2/21		Data collected is translated to a bar graph during math time.	DM translated the data to the bar graph correctly.
3/8	DM: We learned about measuring stuff. I love measuring water.	DM's entry for the K/1 classroom newsletter, February issue.	Since beginning the project, DM has commented about water. This entry in the February newsletter is a realistic reflection on her experiences.
3/11		During journal writing time, DM draws and questions, "Why do you measure with the ruler?"	DM sincerely wondered why people measured with rulers. This drawing is the first piece of evidence that she was beginning to reflect on what she wanted to know.
3/14	DM works with AC on painting a box white.	The work is to represent the kiln that she saw with a small group on a field visit to the Ceramics studio on 3/13. She painted the box during project/activity time.	Three girls decided to work together to make a kiln representation. They planned what materials they needed. DM contributed by painting for a short while.
3/15	DM scribbled in round black circles over the white paint.	During project/activity time, a digital photo was placed so DM could see the black straight lines that looked like bricks.	The other two girls, NO and AC, decided that DM was tired of working on that representation and that was the reason she was not being careful. They were upset at their work having to be redone. The thin straight lines may have been a manual dexterity challenge for DM.
4/2		DM chooses to measure around the room during project choice time.	DM made a choice of something that interested her and worked collaboratively with someone else on a common task.
4/17		DM painted on one side of the fire truck during project/activity time.	DM positively contributed to a shared group representation. She was successful partly because she was alone on that side with her own brush and it was not delicate work.
5/14	DM: I didn't know that kids can measure with a ruler or tape measure; I didn't know that you measure tables and carpets; I didn't know that you can measure seats.	End of the project brainstorming session during a whole group meeting where students shared what they learned about measurement.	DM comments are directly related to some of her chosen classroom experiences that involved linear measurement. The average age of conservation for number and linear measurement is 6 - 8 years. She had a clear understanding between linear and weight measurement.
5/21		Illustration of what she now knows about measurement.	The drawing showed that DM had put numbers on the ruler realizing how important numbers are in measuring. In her memory drawing in January, she did not draw numbers.
5/24	DM: People measure other people with a tape measure to see how tall they are. They can measure bricks with a tape measure to find out how big they are and you could use them for buildings. Measuring is important for making a map of the world because you have to measure how big is the world.	Students generated four themes of "What's Important about Measuring." They worked in groups planning and making murals to be displayed at the Open House.	DM chose to work with the group on the mural, "Measuring is Important for Good Health." She was uncooperative with the group and the group asked her not to work with them. DM decided to work alone on a poster. She dictated what she was illustrating. She talked about three of the four themes all in one.
5/28	DM PowerPoint presentation.	DM chose to make a PowerPoint presentation.	The PowerPoint presentation shows an increased ability to reflect on her experiences.
5/30	DM took data from measuring and weighing chicks.	The data was placed on a graph.	DM grew in her ability to gather data. She was able to gather data, graphically organize it, and communicate the findings.

Although DM made positive contributions on shared group tasks at times during the project, improving her social skills remained a target goal. DM showed gains in her ability to think about measurement and reflect upon her past experiences. She also grew in her ability to gather data and organize it meaningfully.