K-5 friendly lesson
Try one idea, then jump into the activity.These lessons are designed to feel short, friendly, and easy to follow.

Measurement Word Problems (Customary Units)

šŸ•µļøā€ā™‚ļø Measuring on the job! Someone measured two different objects in feet or inches. Now you have to combine or compare them in a story problem!

Lesson 7

Concept

Now we combine our measuring skills with our stacking math skills. šŸŽÆ **The Measurement Clues:** **Story:** "Tom threw a paper airplane 45 inches. Sarah threw her paper airplane 62 inches. How much farther did Sarah's airplane go?" 1. **Find the Clues:** "How much farther?" = Compare! = SUBTRACT! 2. **Stack It:** Big number on top! 6 2 - 4 5 -------- 3. **Solve (with borrowing!):** 2 becomes 12. 6 becomes 5. 12-5=7. 5-4=1. 4. **Answer:** 17. 5. **Add the Unit!** Always write the word "inches" at the end, so people don't think you mean 17 miles, or 17 bananas. **17 inches farther!**

Try it

Measure the story! **Instructions:** Figure out if the story is Add or Subtract. Stack to solve. Don't forget your units! **Mystery 1:** A wooden board is 24 feet long. A carpenter cuts off 8 feet of it with a saw. How long is the board now? * Action: __________ * Stacked: 24 ____ 8 * Answer: ___ _______ (Don't forget the measurement word!) **Mystery 2:** The red ribbon is 16 inches long. The blue ribbon is 25 inches long. If you tape them together end-to-end, what is the total length? * Action: __________ * Stacked: 16 ____ 25 * Answer: ___ _______ **Mystery 3:** A giant sunflower grew 72 inches tall. A rose bush grew 48 inches tall. What is the difference in their heights? * Answer: ___ _______