i-Ready Classroom Mathematics Grade 1, Unit 5: Geometry Time and Measurement
In this unit, first graders measure and compare lengths, tell time to the hour and half hour, and explore shapes. They name shapes by their attributes, or features, combine shapes into new ones, and split circles and rectangles into halves and fourths, which helps them see half past on a clock. After two-digit adding, this is hands-on work, and next they read data and solve word problems.
By Robert “Bobby” BarnettMath teacher, parent, and founder of Bobby’s Math Club
What is my child learning in Unit 5?
- Ordering three objects by length and comparing two things using a string or a paper strip. Learn more: Ordering three things from shortest to longest
- Measuring how long something is with same-size units end to end, and counting the units. Learn more: Measuring length by lining up same-size objects
- Telling and writing time to the hour and half hour on analog and digital clocks. Learn more: Telling time to the hour and half hour
- Telling shapes apart by sides and corners, not by color, size, or which way they face. Learn more: What makes a triangle a triangle
- Making new shapes from smaller ones, like a rectangle from two squares or a hexagon from triangles. Learn more: Building bigger shapes from smaller ones
- Dividing circles and rectangles into two or four equal shares and naming them halves and fourths. Learn more: Halves and quarters of circles and rectangles
Sample questions to try together
These are real questions from our practice. Tap the speaker to hear one read aloud, or the light bulb for a hint, and talk about the answer together.
Question 1 of 3
Which object is usually the longest?
- A book
- A bus
- A shoe
How you can help
- Measure a few things at home, like a shoe or a book, with paper clips end to end, then line them up from shortest to longest.
- Fold paper shapes into halves and fourths, and ask your child to name the shares. Point to half past on a clock and connect it to half a circle.
- Build pictures from paper triangles and squares, and ask your child to name the shapes they made and count their sides and corners.
Where kids can get stuck
- Measuring with gaps between units, so things seem shorter than they are.
- Mixing up the hour hand and minute hand, reading 3:00 as 12:15.
- Calling a rectangle cut into one big and one small piece "halves."
Practice makes perfect
Bobby's Math Club has practice problems that adapt to your child’s level, each with a detailed explanation and an easy-to-follow video, so your child can build confidence in these skills one step at a time.
Words your child will hear
- length
- How long something is from one end to the other.
- unit
- A same-size thing used to measure, like a paper clip or a cube.
- hour hand
- The short hand on a clock; it shows the hour.
- minute hand
- The long hand on a clock; it shows the minutes.
- attribute
- A feature of a shape, like how many sides or corners it has.
- vertex
- A corner, where two sides of a shape meet.
- equal shares
- Parts of a whole that are all the same size.
- half
- One of two equal parts of a whole.
- fourth
- One of four equal parts of a whole, also called a quarter.
Want to help your child master shapes, time, and length?
In Bobby's Math Club, your child practices these skills at just the right level, with a hint when they need one, a clear explanation after every question, and kid-friendly videos. Unlimited practice is free.
Join the club
Written by Robert “Bobby” Barnett
Bobby is an award-winning math teacher, the author of Meet Every Learner’s Needs, and the father of two elementary-school math learners. He uses Bobby’s Math Club with his own kids a few times every week. Learn more or contact Bobby.
Which math standards does i-Ready Classroom Mathematics Grade 1 Unit 5 cover?
i-Ready Classroom Mathematics Grade 1 Unit 5 covers these math standards. Each one links to what it means, sample questions, and teaching strategies.
- 1.MD.A.1: Order three objects by length.
- 1.MD.A.2: Express the length of an object as a whole number of length units.
- 1.MD.B.3: Tell and write time in hours and half-hours.
- 1.G.A.1: Distinguish between defining attributes and non-defining attributes.
- 1.G.A.2: Compose two-dimensional shapes or three-dimensional shapes.
- 1.G.A.3: Partition circles and rectangles into two and four equal shares.
For teachers: Unit names and order vary between editions and districts, so your school’s own materials have the exact sequence. Learn how Bobby's Math Club can help your students grow.