Sir Cumference and the First Round Table by Cindy Neuschwander

Mathematical Strand:

Measurement

Topic:

Students will understand the terms and measure circumference, diameter, and radius. (This lesson also incorporates the sub goal of naming geometric shapes.)

Grade Level:

4-6

Lesson Created by:

Toni Haddock, Eugene Field Elementary, Manhattan, KS

Lesson Description:

Materials

• Sir Cumference and the First Round Table, paper cut into a 5 by 20 rectangle, a piece of string about a meter long for each student, circular objects, recording sheet
  

1. Launching the Lesson (engage):

1. Show students the book and read the title. Ask them if they’ve heard of Sir Cumference or a round table. (Hopefully someone will have heard of the word circumference and perhaps even Camelot, King Arthur, or the Round Table.)
   

2. Developing the Lesson:

1. Read Sir Cumference and the First Round Table. As you read the book, recreate the tables shown in the story. Call attention to the names of the shapes: rectangle, square, triangle, rectangle, parallelogram. (Unless you have lots of time and patience, it is too complicated to have each child make the shapes. So do it as a demonstration.)
   
2. After reading the story, review the meanings of the words circumference, diameter, and radius. Then allow students to choose several circular objects, and use string and a ruler to measure circumference, diameter and radius. Write measurements on recording sheet.
   

3. Closure/ Discussion/Elaboration:

1. After everyone is finished allow time for students to find others who have measured the same objects. They should check to see if they got the same measurement. If not, they can measure again together.
2. As a class, review the meanings of circumference, diameter and radius. As a follow up, on another day, give a short assessment with a circle on it. Without reviewing the meaning, ask students to measure the three parts of the circle. After hearing this story, students should never confuse the three terms!
   

Name __________________________________________________

Date ___________________________________________________

Name of object _______________________________________________________

Circumference ___________________________________________

Radius _________________________________________________

Diameter _______________________________________________

Name of object _______________________________________________________

Circumference ___________________________________________

Radius _________________________________________________

Diameter _______________________________________________

Name of object _______________________________________________________

Circumference ___________________________________________

Radius _________________________________________________

Diameter _______________________________________________

Name of object _______________________________________________________

Circumference ___________________________________________

Radius _________________________________________________

Diameter _______________________________________________