Measure Your Way through the 100th Day of School

The 100th day of school is an awesome time to celebrate mathematics and number, but it is also a great time to connect mathematics to the world around them. This can be engaging for students of all ages. This list of measurement question stems can engage students of all ages and create opportunities for students to compare these measurements.

How tall is 100 _______.

How tall is a tower of 100 first graders, fifth graders, or teachers?

How tall is a stack of 100 connecting cubes?

How tall is a stack of 100 library books?

How many __________?

How many times can you write your name in 100 seconds? 100 minutes?

How many times do you write each digit if you write the numbers from 1 to 100?

How many times can you sing happy birthday in 100 seconds? 100 minutes?

How heavy is 100 _____?

How heavy are 100 hexagons? triangles? rhombuses?

How heavy are 100 balloons filled with air?

How far can you go in 100 ________?

How far can you go in 100 minutes by walking, running, in a car, on a train, or in an airplane or rocket?  

How far can you walk in 100 seconds, minutes, or hours?

How long is 100 ________?

How long is a collection of 100 pencils end-to-end? Side-by-side?

Find something that is 100 centimeters, inches, feet, or millimeters.  

How long does it take to write your name 100 times?

What is 100 _____ from ________?

What is 100 steps from our classroom?

What is 100 miles from our school?

Find 100 objects that will fill a __________ (e.g., 5-ounce cup, a quart jar, a zip lock bag)

Find something from 100 years ago (e.g., a popular recipe, book, family treasure, headline)

We hope these measurement prompts inspire and excite your students to make sense of 100. We also found the activities described in the NCTM article 100 Activities for the 100th Day of School by Cynthia Thomas inspiring and helpful especially if you want to involve everyone in the school.