The Maths of Practical Life: Notes on Measurement
updated August 19, 2023
Recorded here is my own personal collection of articles, resources, favorite links, teaching ideas, and lesson plans. It encompasses many years, from the very beginning of my experience studying and learning about Waldorf to the present time. People from all around the world visit my site and recommend it to others. Welcome!
This site records my journey. I hope my honesty is encouraging and helps break down some barriers that may prevent people from trying Waldorf methods. Because this is an ongoing site documenting my curriculum planning and ideas, some materials are more Waldorf-y than others. Please feel free to take what you like and leave the rest.
This page has helpful links and LOADS of free resources to help you plan your third grade year. Enjoy!
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Maths of Practical Life: Notes on Measurement
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The overarching Math topic for the Waldorf Third Grade is "The Maths of Practical Life." This includes
Time (Clocks & Calendars), Temperature, Weight, Volume, Linear Measurement, and Money. I always include the Metric System here as well.
Because Waldorf brings things together in a rich, interdisciplinary way you have lots of choices for how to present
and practice these math concepts. Often, Time, Temperature, Weight & Volume are combined into a Baking block.
You could even create a family cookbook instead of doing a traditional MLB for this block!
 
Have fun with it! We did a great block on Foods of the World in 2021!
Clocks & Calendars can be done as its own block; see my notes here.
Currency is often done as its own block, but can be put into a block where you are purchasing supplies for a project, like
if you are building something for Linear Measurement.
And Linear Measurement is VERY flexible.
It can be combined with the Baking block...
or with the
Housebuilding block...
If you want
to put it in Housebuilding and are up for a detailed but beautiful project, I suggest making the Japanese dollhouse (instructions and measurements are given) in
Rumer Godden's Miss Happiness and Miss Flower.
 
or with the Fibers & Clothing block...
or with the Farming & Gardening block!
Of course, you could enjoy practicing Linear Measurement throughout the year and do more than one of these projects!
Other Ideas
Our World as Math Lesson Plans (PDF)
first part for Grade 2, second part for Grade 3
by Laura Kryger and Dr. Nancy Smith
Flicka, Ricka, Dicka and the Three Kittens
by Maj Lindman
old-fashioned fish scale
Victoria and Albert: The Wedding
episode 1
antique yardstick (17:23 - 17:55)
yard, finger, nail, inch
Read first two chapters of Alice in Wonderland (I like the edition illustrated by
Lisbeth Zwerger)
to begin your Linear Measurement studies. If you also have a middle schooler who is studying Latin, pair this with Alicia
in Terra Mirabili for
a fun challenge!
 
 
The Book of Little Folk: Faery Stories and Poems from Around the World
by Lauren Mills
"Little One Inch," a Japanese folktale, would be fun to do as a MLB page. Make a drawing of a little man who is actually 1 inch tall on your paper, then cut a strip of paper 6 feet long (to show
his final height when full grown) and fold it up and tape it into the MLB alongside the 1 inch man.
Suggested poems for Measurement:
Rounding
I think that Third Grade is the perfect time to teach rounding! It reinforces the place value learned in Second Grade
and there are so many fun ways to practice it in the measurement block. Round to the nearest tens, hundreds, hour, half hour, quarter hour, dollar, dime, meter,
inch, etc. Don't forget to review rounding again when you introduce Fractions in 4th and Decimals in 5th.
FREE Worksheets for Rounding blog post
Pinterest - Renee Schwartz
My curated collection of visuals! Browse sample main lesson book pages, watercolor paintings, chalkboard drawings, etc. for
Measurement.
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