Estimating Lessons for the Third Grade
Estimation is a valuable skill that we use in our lives on a daily basis, often without even realizing it. Accurate estimation is a learned trait, and one that can be taught and worked on with young children. Third graders can benefit from exercises that work on all types of estimation.
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What's in the Bag?
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Children learn to estimate quantities by participating in lessons where they are presented with a quantity of items, such as different colored macaronis, in a bag or bin that is see-through. They are asked to estimate how many of each color is in the container, and after making their estimations, take out the items and count them to compare to their estimations.
Relative Lengths
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Students learn to estimate using relative lengths by first measuring various parts of their body, such as the length of their hand or the distance from their elbow to their finger tips, then going around the room and estimating the lengths of various objects in comparison. After making their estimations, children use tape measures or rulers to measure actual lengths.
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The Carnival Jar
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After being presented with an established quantity of an item, such as twenty jelly beans, the children are then presented with a container full of the same item. Using the known quantity, children then must attempt to estimate how many of the item are in the container, similar to a carnival guessing game. Using multiple containers, filled with different items, the children can place several guesses, then compare their estimations to the actual count in each container.
Your Weight in Copper
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Working with pennies, and penny rolls, allows children to practice estimating with weights. Children are each given a roll of pennies to hold, then told to estimate the weight of the pennies. When the estimates are made, the pennies are weighed. Using that information, the children can then estimate how many pennies it would take to equal their own body weight.
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References
- Photo Credit ruler image by Albo from Fotolia.com
