Ask your class to use their foot lengths to make some ‘foot bars’ from card. Use them to measure objects outside - the height of a fence, the width of a door and each other’s height (easier if they lie down). They could record the length using tallies and then draw pictograms with mini feet to show the length of each object.
The class use their foot lengths to make some ‘foot bars’ from card. Ask:
- How are you going to decide which is the ‘standard foot length’ for the class?
- How can you do this without having a ruler or any other units of measurement?
- How would you do this with a ruler using centimetres?
They then use the standard length foot to measure objects outside and record the same lengths using metric measures.
The class use their foot lengths to make some ‘foot bars’ from card. Ask:
- How are you going to decide which is the ‘standard foot length’ for the class?
- What is the mean, mode and median length of the class foot?
- Will you measure in millimetres or centimetres? Will you round lengths? To whole centimetres or to which decimal place? To whole millimetres or the nearest 10mm?
Ask them to divide the standard foot length for their class into 12.
They then use the standard length foot to measure objects outside and record the same lengths using metric measures. The recording can be in numbers and in Roman numerals.
In pairs ask children to mark the length of 2 steps. Measure the length using the ‘foot bars’ and have three boxes to record if the pace is less than, more than or exactly 5 Roman feet. The results can be recorded on a block graph with cubes.
They then measure lengths of larger objects outside in paces - goalposts, paths and side of buildings. Observe how they count steps and then divide by 2 to find the number of paces, or count 2 steps as 1 whole. This can lead on to counting in twos and grouping in twos.
Y3-4
Using the class standard foot length ask children to measure the length of 2 steps. Record the number of steps that are less than, more than or exactly 5 Roman feet. The results can be recorded on a pictogram or bar graph.
Ask:
- How are you going to decide the class ‘Standard length’ of a pace?
- Can you count the distance of 1 Roman mile or 1000 paces?
- How many lengths/laps did you complete?
- How long did it take you to walk 1 Roman mile?
- How will you count each pace? Multiply by 2 and count to 2000? Count 2 steps only as 1 pace?
- How will you count accurately up to 1000 (or 2000)?
- Think about methods to record chunks of steps every 10 or 100 steps or paces.
Roman Stadium
An ancient Roman Stadium was a measure of length about 185 metres – originally the length of a stadium or track for a foot race or chariot race. Ask children to measure out a track that is 185m long using a trundle wheel.
How long does it take to run 1 Roman stadium?
How far is this using their class standard Roman Pace to measure the distance?
Complete the activity above and then ask:
- Can you measure your 1 Roman mile distance in metres using a trundle wheel or tape measure to find the length of one of the lengths and laps you completed? (they will then multiply the distance by the number lengths/laps they completed)
- Does each group have the same distance as 1 Roman mile?
- How are you going to decide the class ‘Standard length’ of a Roman mile?
They can records their results using numbers and Roman numerals.
Using the unit of measures for a purpose: a Roman Treasure Hunt
Set your class into groups and give each a few gold coins to hide anywhere around the school.
They then use these Roman measurements to draw a treasure map and give instructions from the classroom to the gold coins using Roman feet and paces. This will also include the language of position and direction – right, left, clockwise, anti-clockwise, right angles, degrees…
Groups swap maps to see if they can find the treasure the other group has hidden.
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