- Definition
A benchmark is like a familiar example you keep in mind to help you estimate or check other measurements. For instance, knowing your pinky finger is about a centimeter helps you guess other small lengths.
Using the width of your pinky finger as a benchmark for one centimetre helps you estimate the length of a crayon.
How to teach this in 30 seconds
Try this analogy: A benchmark is like knowing how long your own foot is, so you can guess how many steps it will take to cross the room.
Ask your child: About how many of your hands long is this table?
Common mix-up: Kids may think measuring always requires a ruler. A benchmark is a personal reference point you can use anywhere to estimate.
Examples
- Knowing 10 is a benchmark number helps you quickly see that 9 is one less than 10.
- Using the length of an adult's foot as a benchmark to estimate the length of a rug.
benchmark is a term used in Ontario’s Kindergarten to Grade 8 curriculum.
Where this shows up
The descriptions on this page are SmartStudy’s own original, plain-language writing — not the Ministry’s wording. They are aligned to the Ontario Curriculum, © King’s Printer for Ontario. For the Ministry’s official wording, see the source link below. SmartStudy is an independent service and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the Government of Ontario or the Ministry of Education. Ontario Curriculum and Resources ↗
