Students first place string around a large circle such as a hula hoop.	The string makes an outline of the circumference of the object being measured.	Students straighten out the string, and then measure it with a yard stick.

Students then measure the diameter of the hula hoop. The measurements are recorded.	Students measure the circumferences and diameters of other round objects.	Students can measure both the tops and bottoms of objects with differently sized circles.
It is often easier to turn objects upside down to measure the circumference on the floor.	Students should measure many different sizes of circles.	Indicators: 3.6.3.2 determine the relationship between the diameter and the circumference of a circle. 3.6.3.3 estimate and compute the circumference and area of a circle using formulas and other methods.

The class generates a table that shows the measurements of the diameter and circumference of round items found in the classroom. It does not matter that some students measured in inches and some in centimeters because students are generalizing the relationaship between the diameter and the circumference. Many of the measurements are not exact, but using estimating, students can discover that the circumference is about three times greater than the diameter.

The fifth grade indicator states that students should understand that the circumference is about three times greater than the diameter. Students have discovered the approximate relationship between circumference and diameter on their own before they are introduced to the concept of pi.