Illuminations: Measuring Up

Measuring Up

Unit Overview

Lesson 1

Lesson 2

Lesson 3

Lesson 4

Lesson 5

Lesson 6

Lesson 7

Do You Measure Up?

Students learn the basics of the metric system. They identify which units of measurement are used to measure specific objects, and they learn to convert between units within the same system.

Learning Objectives

Students will:

identify the appropriate unit of measure for familiar objects and distances
make conversions between units of measure in metric units

Materials

Index cards
Markers
Metric Conversions Activity Sheet

Instructional Plan

Provide students with index cards and markers. Have them brainstorm different measures used in the metric system and record them on index cards.

In pairs, have the students organize the index cards into categories of weight, length, and volume. Ask the students to rank each unit within the category according to size (smallest to largest).

A sample chart appears below.

Length	Mass	Volume
millimeter	milligram	milliliter
centimeter	gram	liter
meter	kilogram
kilometer

Next, have the students generate a list of items measured with each unit. Place each item on a separate index card and distribute the cards among the class.

A sample list is shown below.

Length	Mass	Volume
millimeter insect lengths	milligram medicines	milliliter medicine dosage
centimeter length of paper	gram food	liter milk
meter length of a hallway	kilogram mass of humans
kilometer distance between cities

After the students are familiar with the different sizes of the metric units, show them a conversion table. Refer to the Metric Equivalents lesson plan on the Educator’s Reference Desk Web site for an explanation of the conversion method by multiplying and dividing by powers of ten.

Distribute the Metric Conversions activity sheet to the students to work on individually or in pairs.

Metric Conversions Activity Sheet

Questions for Students

What kind of metric units are used to measure fruit at the grocery store?

[Mass of fruit: grams.]

What is the smallest unit of the metric system that you might use to measure length? What is the largest?

[Millimeter; Kilometer]

How is volume measured in the metric system? Where have you seen this unit on everyday products?

[Liter is the base unit; bottles of water]

Where are some common places you have seen the metric system used instead of customary units?

[Student responses may vary]

Assessment Options

At this stage of the unit, students should be able to do the following:
- Identify the appropriate unit of measure for familiar objects and distances
- Make conversions between units of measure in metric units
Tell students to create a series of problems, using the metric system, that they can exchange with each other. Include with each problem an open-ended response question that measures the students' understanding of the metric measure and its application.

Teacher Reflection

Did the students demonstrate an understanding of metric measures? What additional experiences do they need before moving on to the next lesson?
Did students apply metric measures correctly? In what areas did they demonstrate confusion about appropriate units for specific tasks?
What additional experiences do the students need in converting units between customary and metric measures? What additional activities can reinforce this lesson?

NCTM Standards and Expectations

Measurement 6-8

Understand both metric and customary systems of measurement.
Understand relationships among units and convert from one unit to another within the same system.

This lesson was developed by Katie Carbone.