Line Up

Goal: Line up in order by a characteristic related to size

1. Make a quick prediction

Choose a characteristic of size that children can physically compare, such as their height, foot length, arm span, or hair length.

Tell children they will be lining up from largest to smallest.

Children predict whether they’ll be near the start, middle, or end of the line.

 

2. Line up!

Children compare size for the chosen characteristic and line up in order. If two children have the same measurement, they stand side by side.

 

3. Check the order

Ask for a volunteer or two to leave the line and check that everyone is in the right place.

If time permits, ask:

Are you in the part of the lineup you predicted?

Are there any people with the same height? Which height is most common?

If we do this again in 6 months, do you think everyone will be in the same place in line?

 

Variations

Line Up by Number (Grades K, 1, 2)
Choose a characteristic that children can count or give a number for, such as number of pockets, age, or number of baby teeth lost. Children line up by that characteristic. They then go down the line saying their numbers while everyone listens to make sure the numbers are in order.

 

Guess Our Lineup (Grades K, 1, 2, 3, 4)
One person is the Detective and leaves the room while the others line up in order by a secret characteristic. The Detective returns, looks over the lineup, and tries to determine the characteristic by asking yes-or-no questions.

 

Number Stories (Grades K, 1, 2, 3, 4)
Line up according to the same characteristic at different points in the year. For instance, line up by height at the start of the year and record the order. Try it again in March, and compare how the order changed. 

 

Books and Other Resources

The Long and Short of It (Grades: K, 1, 2)
Nathan, Cheryl, and McCourt, Lisa. Mahwah, NJ: BridgeWater Books. 1998.
           
Tiger Math: Learning to Graph from a Baby Tiger. (Grades: 3, 4)
Nagada, Ann Whitehead and Bickel, Cindy. NY: Henry Holt. 2000.

 

Spotlight

Graphing

When children line up in order, they form a human graph. Each person is like a “point” on the graph.

The line children form shows the characteristics of the group:

• the largest and smallest measurements

• the range, or span of measurements

• the slope, or variation from person to person

• common or modal values—whether some measurements are the same

Connections

Comparing Sizes

This activity helps build the skills needed to make quick comparisons of height, length, and width. Since most of us don’t carry around measuring tapes, we make a lot of judgments based on relative sizes: Are these pants likely to be wide enough for me? Is this book too tall for my bookshelf? Will this container fit on the bottom refrigerator shelf?

With practice, people become good at making comparisons. Hairdressers can quickly judge hair length; carpenters are good at determining if two boards are the same size; athletes can judge the distance remaining to a racing goal.

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