Lesson Notes By Weeks and Term v5 - Grade 2

Lesson Video

This page supports the lesson note with a companion video and a short classroom-ready summary.

For class groups and homework, share this lesson page so learners also get the summary, objectives, and full lesson context.

Performance objectives

• This week, we dive into the exciting world of Measurement! Measurement is a practical skill we use every single day in our lives in South Africa. When we help Gogo bake by measuring cups of flour, when we see how far we have to walk to the spaza shop, or when we compare who has the heaviest bag of maas, we are using measurement. In Grade 2, we begin this journey by using things we find all around us—like our hands, feet, pencils, blocks, and cups—to measure. These are called non-standard units. Learning to use them helps us understand the idea of measuring before we move on to formal units like centimetres and kilograms in later grades. This hands-on approach makes learning maths fun and connects it directly to our world.
• By the end of this week, learners will be able to:
• Estimate and measure the length of objects using non-standard units (e.g., hand spans, pencils, footprints).
• Compare and order objects based on their length, using vocabulary like 'longer than', 'shorter than', and 'the same length as'.
• Estimate and measure the mass of objects using a balancing scale and non-standard units (e.g., blocks, marbles, bottle tops).

Lesson summary

This week, we dive into the exciting world of Measurement! Measurement is a practical skill we use every single day in our lives in South Africa. When we help Gogo bake by measuring cups of flour, when we see how far we have to walk to the spaza shop, or when we compare who has the heaviest bag of maas, we are using measurement. In Grade 2, we begin this journey by using things we find all around us—like our hands, feet, pencils, blocks, and cups—to measure. These are called non-standard units. Learning to use them helps us understand the idea of measuring before we move on to formal units like centimetres and kilograms in later grades.

Lesson notes

This section explains the three big ideas for this week: Length, Mass, and Capacity. A. Length What is Length? Length tells us how long or short something is. It can also tell us how tall something is or how wide it is. We measure the distance from one end of an object to the other. How do we measure it? (Using Non-Standard Units) Before we use rulers, we use everyday objects to measure. This helps us understand that measurement is about counting units. The most important rule is that your units must be the same size and you must not leave any gaps between them.

Common non-standard units for length: Hand spans Footprints (heel-to-toe) Pencils Paper clips Unifix cubes or blocks