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Grade 2 · Maths · Lessons
Reading a ruler
📏ruler✏️pencil🧵string📐meter stick
Measuring.
The big ideaStart at zero. Count the spaces, not the marks.

How it works

Line the end of the object up with zero.

Read the number where the object ends.

If it doesn't start at zero, count the spaces from where it starts.

01234567891011126 inchesstartend
A crayon from 3 to 9 on a ruler is 6 long: count the spaces.

Example 1: From zero

  1. A pencil starts at 0 and ends at the 10 on a centimeter ruler.
  2. Read the number at its other end.
  3. The pencil is 10 cm long.

Example 2: Not from zero

  1. A crayon starts at 3 and ends at 9 on an inch ruler.
  2. Count the spaces from 3 to 9: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. Or take away: 9 − 3 = 6.
  3. The crayon is 6 in long.

Example 3: A meter stick

  1. A ribbon starts at 0 and ends at 85 on a meter stick, which is marked in centimeters.
  2. Read the number where the ribbon ends.
  3. The ribbon is 85 cm long.

Words to know

centimeter
A small unit of length.
inch
A unit of length. Longer than a centimeter.

Watch out

Try it

  1. A pencil starts at 0 and ends at 9 on a centimeter ruler. How long is it?
  2. A crayon starts at 2 and ends at 8. How long is it?
  3. Do you count the marks or the spaces?
  4. What do you write after the number: a unit or nothing?
Answers: 1. 9 cm · 2. 6 · 3. the spaces · 4. a unit
For grown-upsLet your child measure toys, books and shoes, and compare using a centimeter ruler.
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