Taller or Shorter? How to Compare and Contrast Objects by Their Height

To introduce the lesson, you can do the following:

• Write the lesson title on the board or the chart paper: Taller or Shorter? How to compare and contrast objects by their height
• Ask your students what they think the lesson is about. Elicit some responses and write them on the board or the chart paper.
• Tell your students they will learn how to compare and contrast objects by their height using words like taller and shorter. Explain that height is how tall something is from the bottom to the top.
• Show your students an example of two objects with different heights, such as a pencil and a book. Ask them which one is taller and which one is shorter. Have them explain why they think so.
• Write the words taller and shorter on the board or the chart paper. Explain that these are comparative words that describe how two or more things are different in size. Tell your students they will learn more words like these in this lesson.

To warm up your students, you can do the following:

• Show your students the video link for the lesson plan: https://youtu.be/1uULkPwDxjY
• Tell your students they will watch a video to teach them how to compare and contrast objects by height. Explain that the video is narrated by B-Facto, a friendly character who will guide them through various exercises.
• Play the video and pause at specific points to ask questions or check comprehension. For example, you can pause after each exercise and ask your students to repeat the words that B-Facto used to describe the heights of different animals or objects. You can pause after each question and have your students answer it before B-Facto reveals the answer.
• After watching the video, review the key vocabulary and concepts with your students. Write them on the board or the chart paper. For example, you can write:
  • Height: how tall something is from the bottom to the top
  • Taller: when something has more height than another thing
  • Shorter: when something has less height than another thing
  • Same height: when two things have equal height
  • Non-standard units: things we can use to measure height, such as blocks, paper clips, crayons, etc.

To introduce the concept of measuring height using non-standard units, you can do the following:

• Tell your students that they will learn how to measure how tall different objects are using non-standard units. Explain that non-standard units are things that we can use to measure height, such as blocks, paper clips, crayons, etc.
• Show your students an example of how to measure the height of an object using a non-standard unit. For example, you can use a block to measure the height of a pencil. Demonstrate how to place the block next to the pencil and align the bottoms. Then, count how many blocks it takes to reach the top of the pencil. Record the measurement on a paper or a chart. For example, you can write Pencil = 3 blocks.
• Ask your students if they can think of other non-standard units that they can use to measure height. Elicit some responses and write them on the board or the chart paper. For example, you can write Paper clips, crayons, spoons, etc.
• Explain that different non-standard units can give different measurements for the same object. For example, a pencil might be 3 blocks tall, but it might be 6 paper clips or 2 crayons tall. Tell your students this is because non-standard units are not equal in size. Ask your students why this might be a problem when we want to compare the heights of different objects. Elicit some responses and write them on the board or the chart paper. For example, you can write: It might be confusing or inaccurate.

To reinforce the concept of comparing and contrasting objects by their height using words and non-standard units, you can do the following activities and games with your students:

 

Activity 1: Sort and compare

• Divide your students into small groups and give each group a set of objects with different heights, such as pencils, books, toys, etc.
• Have each group sort their objects from tallest to shortest and place them in a line.
• Have each group compare their objects using words like taller and shorter. For example, they can say: The book is taller than the pencil. The toy is shorter than the book.
• Have each group measure their objects using a non-standard unit of their choice, such as blocks, paper clips, crayons, etc. Have them record their measurements on a paper or a chart. For example, they can write Book = 5 blocks. Pencil = 3 blocks. Toy = 2 blocks.
• Have each group compare their measurements using words like more and less. For example, they can say: The book has more blocks than the pencil. The toy has less blocks than the book.
• Have each group share their results with the class.

 

Activity 2: Guess and check

• Divide your students into pairs and give each pair an object with a hidden height, such as a box or a bag.
• Have each pair guess how tall their object is using a non-standard unit of their choice, such as blocks, paper clips, crayons, etc. Have them record their guess on a paper or a chart. For example, they can write Box = 4 blocks.
• Have each pair measure their object using the same non-standard unit that they guessed with. Have them record their actual measurement on a paper or a chart. For example, they can write Box = 6 blocks.
• Have each pair compare their guess and actual measurement using words like more and less. For example, they can say: We guessed less blocks than the actual measurement. The box has more blocks than we guessed.
• Have each pair share their results with the class.

 

Game 1: Taller or shorter?

• Divide your students into two teams and have them stand in two lines facing each other.
• Choose one student from each team to stand in front of their line.
• Ask the rest of the class to decide which student is taller and which is shorter.
• Have the class say "Taller" or "Shorter" together, depending on their decision.
• If the class is correct, the team with the taller student gets a point. If the class is incorrect, the team with the shorter student gets a point.
• Repeat with different pairs of students until everyone has had a turn.
• The team with the most points wins.

 

Game 2: Same height

In this game, students will practice identifying objects with the same height as a given object. You will need some cards with pictures of different objects and animals, such as a giraffe, a dog, a pencil, a book, etc. Make sure the cards are all the same size and shape.

• To play the game, divide the class into small groups and give each group a set of cards. Shuffle the cards and place them face down on a table. Ask one student to pick a card and show it to the rest of the group. The student should say the name of the object or animal on the card and ask, "What is the same height as this?" For example, if the card shows a giraffe, the student should say, "This is a giraffe. What is the same height as this?"
• The other students in the group should look at their cards and try to find one that has an object or animal that is approximately the same height as the one on the card. They should hold up their cards and say, "This is a (name of object or animal). It is the same height as a (name of object or animal on the first card)." For example, if one student has a card with a tree on it, they should say, "This is a tree. It is the same height as a giraffe."
• If no one in the group has a card that matches the height of the first card, they should say, "I don't have anything that is the same height as this." The student who picked the first card should place it face up on the table and pick another. The game continues until all the cards are used or time runs out.

This game helps students to compare and contrast objects by their height and to use words like same and different to describe them. It also reinforces their vocabulary and their visual perception skills.

 

Game 3: Tallest and shortest

• Ask your students to stand up and form a line. Tell them they will arrange themselves from the tallest to the shortest. Explain that the tallest person should stand at one end of the line, and the shortest person should stand at the other end. Then, have them compare their heights with those next to them and switch places if needed. You can also help them by giving clues, such as "Who is taller than you?" or "Who is shorter than you?"
• Once they are in order, ask them to say their names and point out who is the tallest and who is the shortest in the class. You can also ask them questions like "Who is taller than you but shorter than X?" or "Who is shorter than you but taller than Y?" to reinforce the concept of relative height.
• To make it more fun, you can also have them sing a song or chant a rhyme while they are in line, such as:

  Taller, taller, who is taller?

  Shorter, shorter, who is shorter?

  We can compare our heights.

  And see who's big and small.

  Taller, taller, who is taller?

  Shorter, shorter, who is shorter?

After the activities and games, you can invite the students to share their findings and observations with the rest of the class. You can ask them questions like:

• What did you notice about the heights of different animals and objects?
• How did you use words like shorter and taller to compare them?
• How did you measure the height of different things using non-standard units?
• What did you learn from this lesson?

 

Encourage the students to use complete sentences and give examples from their work. You can also praise their efforts and achievements and point out any interesting or creative ideas they came up with.

To conclude the lesson, you can review the main points and concepts that the students learned. You can use the video link again to reinforce the learning objectives and to show them how much they have progressed. You can also ask them to apply their new knowledge to other situations, such as comparing the heights of people in their family or things in their room. You can also extend the lesson by introducing them to words that describe size, such as big, small, long, short, wide, and narrow.