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Features

Measure things to the nearest half inch with rulers marked in halves, where some ends fall a little before or past a mark
Measure things to the nearest quarter inch with rulers marked in quarters
Read line plots of bean sprouts and feathers: how many of a length, the most common length, how many are longer or shorter, and how many quarter inches between the longest and the shortest
Make line plots from tables of hand spans and seashells, writing the missing numbers under the line
Measure eight worms, plot their lengths and answer questions
Rulers print at real size
Every page in color and in black and white
Answer keys included

Skills Covered

Measure to the nearest half inch
Measure to the nearest quarter inch
Write a length as a mixed number, like 3 1/4 inches

Read a line plot marked in halves or quarters
Make a line plot from a table of measurements
Answer how many, most common and how much longer questions

How to Use This Pack

Five pages on measuring lengths and showing them on line plots. On page 1 students measure six things to the nearest half inch with rulers marked in halves; some end a little before or past a mark, so they pick the nearest one. Page 2 measures six more to the nearest quarter inch with rulers marked in quarters. Page 3 has two finished line plots, bean sprouts in half inches and feathers in quarter inches, with eight questions: how many are one length, the most common length, how many are longer or shorter, and how many quarter inches longer the longest is than the shortest. On page 4 students write the missing numbers under two line plots and draw an X for each length in a table of hand spans and a table of seashells. Page 5 measures eight worms to the nearest quarter inch, plots the lengths and asks three questions. The rulers print at real size, so real rulers can check the answers.

In the Classroom

Before page 1, fold a paper strip one inch long in half and then in half again: the folds show the half inch and the quarter inches. Have each student measure a pencil or a crayon to the nearest quarter inch and put a sticky note above that length on a class line plot on the board, then read it together. On page 4, point out that the marks on a line plot go up by the same step every time, like the marks on a ruler.

At Home

Measure a handful of crayons, spoons or leaves to the nearest quarter inch and make a line plot on paper with one X for each. Ask which length is the most common, and how many quarter inches longer the longest is than the shortest.

Tips for Success

Line up the end of the thing with the 0 on the ruler
The nearest mark is the one the end is closest to
Between two whole inches, the longest mark is the half inch; the shorter ones are the quarter inches
Each X on a line plot is one thing that was measured
Cross out each length in the table as you plot it

Common Core Standards Alignment

This pack supports the following Common Core State Standards for Mathematics:

3.MD.B.4 Measure lengths to the nearest half or quarter inch and show the measurements on a line plot marked in wholes, halves or quarters.

Line Plots for 3rd Grade

3rd Grade

Measuring to the nearest half and quarter inch, and line plots marked in halves and quarters. Students measure things with inch rulers, read line plots, make line plots from tables and from their own measurements, and answer questions about them.

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What’s Included

5 worksheets in color and in black and white, with answer keys (15 pages)
Measuring to the nearest half and quarter inch on real-size rulers
Reading line plots and making them from tables
Measuring, then plotting the lengths and answering questions

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Free to print and share

This worksheet is free to download, print, copy, and hand out in your classroom or at home. You do not need to create an account, and there are no watermarks on the PDF.