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Comparing Size: Big & Small

Kindergartners compare the sizes of things — big and small, long and short, tall and short — learning the words we use to measure and describe how things compare.

KindergartenMeasurement30 minutes1 class periodPlay-BasedExplicit teaching4 StandardsCommon Core
Start the Lesson
Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Compare big and small.
  • ✓Use size words.
  • ✓Sort by size.
  • ✓Describe how things compare.
Essential Question

An elephant is BIG. An ant is SMALL. How do we compare how big or small things are, and what words do we use?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Sort It · Interactive

Big or Small?

Project this and sort each thing into big or small. Ask children: is this a BIG thing or a SMALL thing?

🐘 Sort each thing — big or small?Try it
🐘 Big
🐜 Small
Tap a thing, then tap a bucket.
The Lesson · Play-Based Learning (Gather · Explore · Play · Reflect)

30 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Gather — Big and Small

5 min

An elephant and an ant — which is big, which is small?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Compare a big and small thing.
  • Ask which is which.
  • Set the goal: comparing size.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Compare them.
  • Say big/small.
  • Get ready.
2

Explore — Size Words

10 min

Children explore.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send children to Big or Small?
  • Sort each thing.
  • Use size words.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Sort things.
  • Say big/small.
  • Compare them.
3

Play — Size Games

12 min

Play together.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Compare classroom objects.
  • Line them up by size.
  • Find the biggest and smallest.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Compare objects.
  • Line them up.
  • Find biggest.
4

Create — Make a Size Sort

8 min

Children create.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Draw a big thing and a small thing.
  • Compare them.
  • Share the drawing.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Draw big and small.
  • Compare.
  • Share it.
5

Reflect — Reflect

5 min

Share a comparison.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Show two things.
  • Say which is bigger.
  • Celebrate size words!

🎒 Student Actions

  • Compare two.
  • Say bigger.
  • Cheer!
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (Kindergarten).

CCSS
K.MD.1

Describe measurable attributes of objects, such as length or weight.

CCSS
K.MD.2

Directly compare two objects with a measurable attribute in common.

CCSS
K.MD.3

Classify objects into given categories.

CCSS
K.CC.6

Identify whether a group has more, fewer, or the same.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Big/small picture cards.
  • Sentence frame: “The ___ is bigger than the ___.”
  • Compare real objects.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Use very big vs. very small.
  • Compare two at a time.
  • Use picture support.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Compare long and short.
  • Order three by size.
  • Compare heavy and light.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Screen / tablet
  • 🧸Objects to compare
  • 💻Big or Small?
  • 🖍️Crayons
  • 🖼️Size picture cards
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

sizehow big or small something isbiglargesmalllittlelongnot shortshortnot long or not talltallhigh upcomparesee which is biggerbiggerlarger than
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
Which is bigger: an elephant or a mouse?
An elephant.
QUESTION 2
Which is smaller: a house or a key?
A key.
QUESTION 3
Name one word we use to compare size.
Big, small, long, short, tall, or bigger.

Growing at home? Big and small hunt.

Have families find big and small things around the house and compare them — “Which is bigger?” A printable size-sorting page is in the Early Learning library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 Comparing SizeFlip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
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Nice work!

Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 Comparing SizeQuiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
0%

Nice work!

Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ Comparing SizePrint
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: big, bigger, compare, long, short, size, small, tall
  1. not long or not tall
  2. little
  3. how big or small something is
  4. larger than
  5. large
  6. high up
  7. see which is bigger
  8. not short

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. Which is bigger: an elephant or a mouse?
  2. Which is smaller: a house or a key?
  3. Name one word we use to compare size.
Answer key — Part A: 1) short · 2) small · 3) size · 4) bigger · 5) big · 6) tall · 7) compare · 8) long
Part B: 1) An elephant. 2) A key. 3) Big, small, long, short, tall, or bigger.