Before rulers existed, people measured with everyday objects — let's try it!
A NON-STANDARD unit is any everyday object used to measure length — like a paper clip, a crayon, your hand, or a shoe. We measure by lining the units end-to-end and counting how many fit along the object.
Measuring a book with paper clips 📎:
6 paper clips fit along the book. The book is 6 paper clips long!
A pencil is laid next to linking cubes: 🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦 The pencil equals 8 cubes in length. We say: the pencil is 8 cubes long.
How to measure with non-standard units:
Longer object
Shorter object
The ruler is longer because it takes more cubes to measure it!
Maya used 🖇️ paper clips to measure her shoe. She needed 9 paper clips. Her friend's shoe needed 7. Whose shoe is longer?
Remember This!
No gaps and no overlaps! If you leave spaces between units, you'll get a smaller number than the real measurement. If they overlap, you'll get a bigger number.