What is MEASUREMENT?

First of all, before starting with other aspects or resources, we need to know what is the measurement, which can be measurable and some basic foundations about the topic. In this first post we are going to deal with these issues because we can’t address something if we don’t know it before, don’t you think?

According to the Dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy, to measure is the action of “comparing a quantity with its respective unit to discover how many times the second one is included in the first one”. This definition is only one of hundreds of them and we will take it just like a reference because our aim is the practical application of the basic concept.

However, what is the origin of measuring? Since ancient times, measuring has been a vital necessity for men and women. The first units of measurement appear with the first tools invented by human beings. The primitive societies needed rudimentary measures for several tasks: the construction of shelters, the dressmaking of clothes or just to be able to cook food to survive.

The most ancient systems of weight and measurement that we know were created in the ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt and the Indian Valley. There were also references mentioned in the Bible. Many measurement systems were based on the use of the different parts of the human body and several tools found in each natural environment. Using the following video, we can teach our students how to measure using parts of their bodies. It can be a useful and enjoyable way to introduce them to the world of measurement.

Nowadays, we use the International System of Units (ISU) or (SI) in Spanish, which is the current decimal metrical system that establishes the units and magnitudes to be used internationally. This system consists of seven magnitudes used and their respective units of measurement: length, mass, time, electric intensity, temperature, light intensity and quantity of substance. Although this is an international system, there are some countries which have their measurement systems and can use both of them, as in England. I have found really interesting the following video to make children aware of the importance of using an international measurement system. The examples of measuring objects with pencils of different sizes can be carried out also in class with our students to see the differences.

The most important thing is that our learners can practically apply this theory using the proper units of measurement in their daily life. For this reason, we must teach it through meaningful situations that happens constantly. Finally, I suggest this video to sum up this introductory lesson about measurement for our students. It also includes a fun quiz at the end to check the acquisition of the previous contents. It uses the English system.