Measure Lines to the Nearest Half Inch

About this worksheet

Six line segments sit on six rulers, and the lengths are 2, 4 ½, 3, 1 ½, 3 ½ and 4 ½ inches. The instruction warns that some lines do not start at 0 and tells the child to subtract the start mark from the end mark; two of the lines begin at the 1-inch or 2-inch mark, which is where a child who reads only the right end goes wrong. Plain lines rather than objects keep the focus on the ruler itself. Page 2 shows the six answers with the ½ written out. Third graders need about ten minutes. Asking the child to say start and end numbers aloud for every line catches the trap before it happens.

Tips for using it

• Have your child write the start number and the end number above each line before subtracting.
• Find the two lines that do not start at 0 before measuring anything.
• Draw a line from 2 to 5 ½ on a real ruler and ask its length.
• Notice that two answers are the same (4 ½) and check both lines.

Printing tips

Download the PDF and print at 100% (or “fit to page” on A4). Page 1 is the worksheet and page 2 is the answer key with the answers in red; print just page 1 if you want to keep the answers for checking. Free for personal, family and classroom use.