Comparing Length with Unit Blocks (3-5 years)
Text on screen: Comparing Length with Unit Blocks (3–5 years).
Logo: Count, play, explore—for early education.
On screen: Part 1: An educator sits next to a child at a table in a classroom. On the table is a basket of plastic connecting cubes. In front of the child are seven stacks of cubes, standing upright, all different lengths. The educator places three stacks of cubes on the table. One stack is short, one is medium, and one is tall.
Educator: If I have three, which one is the longest, the tallest? This one?
On screen: The child points to the short stack.
Child: Yeah.
On screen: The educator points to the short stack of cubes.
Educator: This one is the shortest. Shortest is the small. Shortest means small. Longest means the tallest one.
On screen: The educator holds both hands out, palms facing each other, and moves the top hand up, away from the bottom hand.
Child: So, my daddy is that tall.
On screen: The child points to the tall stack of cubes in front of them.
Educator: Your daddy is that tall?
Child: Yeah. My mommy is that tall.
On screen: The child points to the second tallest stack of cubes.
Educator: So, your daddy is this tall. Your mommy is this tall.
On screen: The educator points to the tallest stack, then the second tallest stack.
Child: I am this tall.
On screen: The child points to a stack of four cubes.
Educator: And you are this tall? And who is this tall? You have anybody in your family that could be that tall?
On screen: The educator points to a single cube.
Child: Yeah.
On screen: The child picks up a single cube.
Educator: Who?
Child: My cousin Alexa’s baby.
Educator: Your cousin Alexa’s baby could be the smallest one.
Child: Yeah.
Educator: Yeah. Okay. So, this is cousin Alexa’s baby. That’s you or this one?
On screen: The educator points to a stack of five cubes, then the stack of four cubes.
Child: That’s my brother, Chente.
On screen: The child points to the stack of five cubes.
Child: And that’s my brother, Gio.
On screen: The child points to the stack of four cubes.
Educator: That’s your brother, Gio. And which one is you?
On screen: The child points to the stack of three cubes.
Educator: Oh, that one. Are you younger than brother, Gio?
On screen: The educator points to the stack of four cubes.
Child: No.
Educator: No? Are you shorter than brother, Gio?
Child: Yeah.
Educator: Yeah? Okay. And how about—
Child: I have to make Charlie.
On screen: The child reaches into the basket and takes out some cubes.
Educator: Who could be this tall in your family?
On screen: The educator picks up the stack of two cubes and moves it in front of the child.
Child: Charlie.
On screen: The child puts the cubes they took from the basket back into the basket.
Educator: Charlie? Is Charlie younger than you? Smaller than you? Yeah?
Child: He’s short.
Educator: Charlie is short?
Child: Yeah.
Educator: So, he’s shorter than you? Yeah?
Child: Yeah.
Educator: What else can we measure? How about our whole hand?
Child: Yeah.
On screen: Part 2: The educator and child sit at a table with the basket of connecting cubes in front of them. There are several stacks of cubes standing upright in front of the educator. The child is holding a stack of three cubes.
Educator: Want to measure your whole hand? How long do you think your hand is? Let’s see.
On screen: The child holds up their palm and places the stack of cubes along the pinky side of the hand.
Educator: How about your whole hand from here to here, to the tip of this finger.
On screen: The educator points to the child’s wrist and moves their finger from the wrist up to the top of the child’s middle finger.
Educator: Can I help you?
On screen: The educator takes the stack of cubes from the child and places the end of the stack at the child’s wrist.
Educator: Okay, let's add more. Put your hand down. Let’s see.
On screen: The educator places their palm on the back of the child’s hand that is being held several inches above the table. The child adds a cube to the end of the stack laying in their palm.
Educator: Let’s see how long your hand is. Okay, that’s one, two, three, four.
On screen: The educator points to each cube in the stack.
Educator: What do we need to do? We need to add more. Can you add more?
On screen: The child reaches into the basket and picks up a connecting cube. The child attaches the cube to the end of the stack. The educator takes the cube and the stack, helping the child attach the cube. The educator places the stack back on the child’s palm.
Educator: Here. Here. Okay. Is that as long as your hand?
Child: No.
Educator: No. How many more do you think we need?
Child: One.
On screen: The educator places the stack upright on the table. The child reaches into the basket and picks up another cube. The child attaches the cube to the top of the stack.
Educator: One more? Okay, let’s try.
Child: [inaudible]
On screen: The child holds their palm out with the stack of cubes laying in their palm with one end against the wrist reaching to the end of the middle finger.
Educator: Oh, let’s count. See how long your hand is.
On screen: The child and educator point to each cube in the stack as they count.
Child: One, two, three, four, five, six.
Educator: Six. Do you think my hand is six?
On screen: The educator holds out their hand, palm side up, and takes the stack of cubes from the child. The educator is holding the stack of cubes up in their other hand.
Child: No.
Educator: No? You think it’s more or less?
Child: More.
Educator: Okay, let’s try.
On screen: The educator puts the stack on their palm with the end against their wrist.
Educator: So, six which is there. How many more do you think we need for my hand?
Child: Five.
Educator: Five more? Let’s try. Can you help me add more?
On screen: The educator holds a stack of nine cubes from their palm to the tip of the middle finger.
Educator: You think that’s good?
Child: Yeah.
Educator: Or do we need another one?
Child: That’s good.
Educator: That’s good? Okay. Whoops. Okay, so yours was six. Mine is one— Count with me.
On screen: The educator points to each cube in the stack as the child counts.
Child: One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine.
Educator: Nine.
On screen: In the next scene, the educator holds a stack of six cubes and a stack of nine cubes upright in front of the child.
Educator: Yours was six, mine is nine. Which one was the longest?
On screen: The child points to the stack of nine cubes.
Educator: Mine, right? Mine. Which one was the shortest?
On screen: The child points to the stack of six cubes.
Educator: Yours was the shortest.
Text on screen: A special thanks to the children, families, and staff of the Office of the Fresno County Superintendent of Schools' Lighthouse for Children Child Development Center without whose help these videos would not have been possible.
Logo: Count, play, explore—for early education.