The most common mistake
Children often start measuring from the end of the ruler, or from 1. On the printed-ruler sheets every object starts exactly at zero; on the “use your own” sheets they have to line it up themselves.
Real size
Every sheet is drawn to scale, so the objects are as long on paper as their measurements say. That makes it easy to check an answer with a real ruler.
In the MATATAG curriculum
- KinderMeasuring with non-standard tools, starting with body parts and moving to common objects.
- Grade 1Measuring and comparing length and distance with non-standard units, and solving problems with them.
- Grade 2Measuring, comparing and estimating length in centimetres and metres, and choosing the right unit.
Before rulers, Filipino children often measure the old way: a dangkal (handspan), a dipa (arm span) or a talampakan (foot). Measuring a desk in dangkal, then in centimetres, shows why a standard unit is useful.
Ruler work begins in Grade 2, so the centimetre sheets are Grade 2 practice. Inches are not part of the MATATAG length work, though children will hear them at home for height and screens.
Summarised in our own words from DepEd’s MATATAG Kindergarten Curriculum Guide and Mathematics Curriculum Guide, Grades 1–10 (2023).
