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MSM Big Ideas and Goals

Making Sense of Measurement (MSM) focuses on ways to measure one-, two-, and three-dimensional attributes, develop connections among them, and make sense of standard formulas. Classroom Discussion is the implementation focus (Chapin, et al. 2009).

Big Ideas:

  • Measurement is the process of assigning a number to a magnitude of some attribute shared by some class of objects, such as length, relative to a unit.  (Progressions)
  • The purpose of measurement is to allow indirect comparisons of objects’ amount of an attribute using numbers. (Progressions)
  • Discussion of cognitively challenging tasks is complex, requiring teachers to understand how to prepare for these discussions and how to guide these discussions.  (Talk Moves)

Course Goals:

 

Participants will:

  • Reflect on the major ideas of K-8 measurement and data and examine how children develop those ideas.
  • Explore children’s thinking to reveal the issues children must work through to develop an understanding of measurement and data concepts.
  • Explore their own thinking and understanding measurement and data.
  • Lead discussions of cognitively challenging, problem-based instructional tasks in their own classroom
  • Develop their own understanding and what children need to understand about measurement (including length, area, and volume), and decomposing space in one-, two-, and three-dimensions.
  • Examine the relationship between size of unit and the number of units needed to measure a length.
  • Examine how changing dimensions of polygons affects perimeter and area.
  • Examine the relationship between the area of triangular regions and the area of rectangles.
  • Deepen their conceptual understanding of area and the way changing the dimensions of rectangular solids affects the volume and area.
  • Write and implement PBITs into their classroom practice.
  • Integrate talk moves and talk formats into their classroom discourse.
  • Consider the impact of discourse on student learning and discuss the ways that classroom discourse can help develop mathematical concepts and build relationships.