THE WITCHS HAT.LEARNING OBJECTIVES:To recognise the need to use standardised units.

Use a ruler to draw lines to the nearest centimetre.

Practise in counting forward/back in 10s, 5s or 2s.

SUCCESS CRITERIA: I can use a ruler to measure and draw lines to the nearest centimetre.

AGE RANGE:Year 2.

RESOURCES:

Rulers, metre stick, soft toy (cat), adult sized witchs hat, phone, large plastic box containing hat paper pattern, adult sized witchs hat and large copy of the instructional text, IWB to demonstrate use of a ruler if possible, prepared worksheets - lines to measure to nearest cm.

Start with children on the carpet in a circle.1.MENTAL STARTER.Explain that you need to make a phone call. Show the children the phone (I used an old red one). Tell them that you met an old friend who is a witch called Wizzy Woo at the local supermarket and she invited you to a party at her house, but that you do not have a witchs hat to wear to the party and need to make one. The problem is that you dont know how tall to make the hat.

Show them the paper pattern you have made. Demonstrate how you measured the height using cat lengths. Ask the children to help you phone Wizzy Woo. Tell them that the phone number is 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 (or count in 5s, 2s etc.), but everyone in the room has to do it together perfectly. Practise as a class (in groups or as a class).

2. MAIN ACTIVITY.

Chant the phone number. Pretend to talk to Wizzy Woo (who is nice but rather strict).

Ask her how tall you should make the hat. Tell her how many cat lengths tall it is. Look a bit put out. Put the phone down.

Tell the children that Wizzy Woo says no-one uses cat lengths any more. Explain why. She says we have to use centimetres.

Ask the children if anyone knows what centimetres means (look puzzled).

Decide you are going to use magic to change cat lengths into centimetres.

Ask children to stand up and learn the following spell:

Wing of bat and breath of cheetahs,

Turn cat lengths into centimetres.

Everyone holds hands and starts to walk around the circle. Say spell three times. (This is to give the children a bit of a break and get them up and moving).Tell the children I think the number is 15. Decide to check with Wizzy Woo.

Chant the phone number together again.

Wizzy Woo gets a bit cross and calls you a numpty.

Tell the children she is sending an instructional text called How to use a ruler to measure in centimetres, and to look in the large plastic box for it (or flipchart on IWB).

Ask the children to help you read and understand the instructional text, maybe getting stuck on the maths vocab.

Demonstrate use of a ruler using an IWB resource if possible.

3. GROUP WORK.Each group to complete worksheet for measuring lines at appropriate level, (you could create a sheet of witch hat paper patterns (triangles) for them to measure the height).Early finishers can check the work of other children in their group or have a go at drawing lines of a given length.

Mark the work with the children.4. PLENARY.

Sit the children in a circle on the carpet.Ask children to help you measure the height of the paper pattern hat.

It is too tall for a 30 cm ruler. Ask the children what you should do. Introduce the metre stick.

Ask a child to help you measure the hat. Decide to check with Wizzy Woo.

Chant the telephone number together.

Tell Wizzy Woo what you think the height is. During the conversation Wizzy Woo tells you she has decided to send you a witchs hat and it is in the large plastic box. Get the hat and put it on.

Ask all the children to help you say thank you. Thank you Wizzy Woo. Good bye.

Ask the children to give you thumbs up if they think they will be able to help you again if you forget how to measure lines with a ruler.

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