Measurement: Feet Educational Resources K12 Learning, Measurement and Data, Math Lesson Plans, Activities, Experiments, Homeschool Help

Lesson Plan - Get It!

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Have you ever heard of something being several feet long?
How would you measure that?
Take off your shoes and walk on the object?

Of course not! There's a better, not-so-silly way!

In the previous Related Lesson in the Measurement series, found in the right-hand sidebar, you learned how to measure with inches.

Did you know there are twelve (12) inches in a foot?

A foot is another customary form of measurement you can use to measure large objects and spaces. A foot is bigger than inches and centimeters and can be used to measure large objects.

Take out your ruler. Most rulers start at zero inches (0) and go up to twelve inches (12). If your ruler stops at twelve inches, it is a foot long. You can describe the length of something by saying it is a foot long or it is several feet long. The abbreviation for foot and feet is "FT."

You can use a variety of different tools to measure feet. Check out the images below to see the tools you can use to measure with feet:

ruler, tape measure, and measuring tape

Let's learn to measure feet (Yes, you can measure your foot if you like!).

Start by using your ruler. If you want to measure something that is larger than a foot, you can start at one end of the object.
Place your finger where the ruler ends.
Then, place the ruler down so it starts where your finger is.
You can repeat this process until you reach the end of the object.
Make sure you keep track of how many times you pick up the ruler and move it. If you have to move the ruler five times, your object is probably about five feet long.

measure table

Using a regular ruler isn't the easiest way to measure by feet. Using a tape measurer, or measuring tape, is a great way to measure by feet.

Take out your measuring tape or tape measurer.
Use your ruler and your measuring tape to measure at least two large objects in your learning space.
Tell your parent or teacher what measurements you found. Which tool was easier to use? Tell your parent or teacher.

Using a measuring tape or a tape measurer makes measuring large objects much easier. These tools are good for measuring things like furniture, and even the size of a room!

In the Got It? section, you will be practicing measuring with feet by measuring some animals at the zoo!