How it works
Each problem on these measuring in inches worksheets draws a bar above an inch ruler, starting at the 0 mark. Sheets go from whole inches to quarter and eighth inches, and the key gives each length in lowest terms.
Read the full guide
Whole inches, then the small marks
Start on Whole inches on a 6 inch ruler: read the number under the end of the bar. On the half and quarter sheets most bars stop between numbers, so count the small marks past the last whole inch: 2 small marks past 3 on a quarter-inch ruler is 3 2/4, written 3 1/2.
Why the ruler is drawn
The ruler is printed under every bar, so the reading stays right even when a printer shrinks the page. That also means a real ruler laid on the paper will not match: pupils read the drawn one.
- Before the eighths, ask pupils to find the half-inch and quarter-inch marks on the drawn ruler; the longer marks are the bigger fractions.
Questions and answers
What grade learns to measure in inches?
In Common Core states, grade 2 measures to the whole inch, grade 3 to the half and quarter inch, and grade 4 to the eighth inch with line plots. The sheets here follow that order.
How do you read a quarter inch on a ruler?
Each inch is cut into 4 equal spaces. Count the spaces past the last whole number: 1 space is 1/4, 2 spaces are 2/4 or 1/2, 3 spaces are 3/4. So 2 spaces past 5 is 5 1/2 inches.
Do the answers have to be in lowest terms?
Yes, the key writes them that way: 6 eighths past 1 is 1 3/4, not 1 6/8. Accept 1 6/8 as a correct reading while pupils learn, then ask for the simpler form.