• Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Observing with our senses). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
• Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.

1. Which sense would you use to notice a bird singing? (sight (eyes) / hearing (ears) / smell (nose) / touch (skin)) → hearing (ears)Prompt: Which part of your body would notice it?
2. Which of these would you notice using touch (skin)? (the colour of a leaf / smoke from a bonfire / how soft a feather is / the size of a puddle) → how soft a feather isPrompt: Imagine doing each one. Which body part would you use?
3. Which tool helps you look at a tiny bug more closely? (a magnifying glass / a thermometer / a clock / a ruler) → a magnifying glassPrompt: Which tool makes things look bigger?

• Show a simple experiment with one thing changed and ask what makes it a fair test.
• Share the objective: Choosing a measuring tool. Read the success criteria together.

• Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
• Example: Which tool would you use to measure how tall a sunflower has grown?
• Step 1: A ruler or tape measure measures length (how long, wide or tall).
• Step 2: So the answer is: a ruler or tape measure
• Answer: a ruler or tape measure
• Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.

• Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
• Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.

1. Which tool would you use to measure how long it takes to run 50 metres? (a measuring jug or cylinder / a stopwatch or timer / a ruler or tape measure / a thermometer) → a stopwatch or timerPrompt: Is it a length, a temperature, a mass, a time or an amount of liquid?
2. What could you measure with a ruler or tape measure? (how long an ice cube takes to melt / how far a paper plane flew / how much water a plant is given / how much milk is in a glass) → how far a paper plane flewPrompt: What does this tool measure: length, temperature, mass, time or volume?

• Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
• Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.

The 6 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.

• Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.

1. What could you measure with a thermometer? (how much water a plant is given / how heavy a pet hamster is / how warm the classroom is / how far a paper plane flew) → how warm the classroom isPrompt: What does this tool measure: length, temperature, mass, time or volume?
2. Which is the best tool to find out how long it takes a snail to cross a table? (a thermometer / a stopwatch / a rain gauge / a ruler) → a stopwatchPrompt: "How long it takes" is about time.

Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/science/grade-1.