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Comparing Tall and Short

Preschool, Kindergarten Math

by Angela Coleby September 18, 2015

From skyscrapers to ants, comparing sizes with your class can be endlessly fun! This lesson will help your
students compare short and tall sizes.

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to differentiate between short and tall.

Materials and preparation Key terms

Blocks (10 to 15 per pair of students) short


Short object, such as a baseball tall
Tall object, such as a baseball bat
Comparing Short and Tall worksheet
Whiteboard
Markers
Rulers

Attachments

PDF
Comparing Short and Tall

Introduction (5 minutes)

Sing the Tall and Short action song to the tune of "Are You Sleeping" (Frère Jacques): This is tall. (Open
hands as wide as possible vertically.) This is short (Place hand an inch apart.) Tall and short. (Open hands
wide vertically; then, bring them close together, x2.) Hotels are tall. (Raise one hand high in the air.)
Puppies are short. (Place hand low to the ground.) Tall and short. (Open hands wide vertically then bring
them close together, x2.)
Sing it by yourself first, and have your students sing along the second time.
EL

Beginning

Preview the song with students prior to the lesson to familiarize them with the words and tune.
Encourage students to mimic the hand motions as you sing.

Intermediate

Provide visual cue cards to post that match the lyrics in the song.

Explicit Instruction/Teacher modeling (20 minutes)

Give the definition of short and tall. For example, short is when something measures a small distance
from end to end and tall is when something has a greater height.
Display two items side by side, where one is tall and the other is short. For example, show a baseball and

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a baseball bat.
Explain to them that the baseball bat is tall compared to the ball because it has a greater height.
Explain that the ball is short compared to the bat because it only has a short distance from end to end.
Give students these materials to hold and compare them.
Call two students to the front of the class and ask which is tall and which is short.
Correct students if they provide the incorrect answer.
Choose several pairs of students with varying heights to compare.
EL

Beginning

Focus on classroom objects to compare rather than students.


Ask students to show if a student is short or tall by making a motion with their hands (using motions
learned in the song).
Model describing the objects using sentence frames such as: The _ is taller than the . The is shorter
than the ___.

Intermediate

Invite students to repeat after you to describe each object as tall or short, e.g. "This is short. This is tall."

Guided Practice (15 minutes)

Place students in pairs.


Give students 10 to 15 blocks per pair.
Instruct one person in the pair to build a tall tower and the other to make a short tower.
Have students compare the sizes of the towers.
Instruct pairs to switch roles building a tower of the opposite height.
EL

Beginning

Build a tower and then ask students to work with a partner to build either a taller or shorter tower than
your model tower.

Intermediate

Provide structure for students to describe their towers, "This tower is shorter. This tower is taller."
Ask students to think about the differences in the towers. Why is one shorter/taller?

Independent working time (15 minutes)

Give students the Comparing Short and Tall worksheet.


Read through the instructions for each section with the class.
EL

Beginning

Work within a small group to read through each part of the worksheet and complete with support.

Intermediate

Pair students together to complete the worksheet.

Related books and/or media

GAME: Circus Measurement

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Differentiation

Enrichment: Direct your students to measure the height of the towers they build. Instruct them to use a
ruler and state how tall or short they are.
Support: Point around the room to give students examples of tall items and short items. Give your
students extra assistance with the worksheet.

Assessment (5 minutes)

Check your students' worksheets to see if they are understanding the difference between short and tall.
EL

Beginning

As students work, notice if there are any areas of confusion or misconceptions to address.

Intermediate

Ask students guiding questions as they work to assess their understanding: Which one is tall? Which is
short? How do you know?

Review and closing (10 minutes)

Draw a tall and short image on the whiteboard.


Call various students to circle the tall or short drawing.
Sing the tall and short action song with the class.
EL

Beginning

Have students point to the tall/short image.

Intermediate

Ask students to show short/tall using hand motions.

Get more lesson plans at https://www.education.com/lesson-plans/

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