To assess students' prior knowledge, have students brainstorm different customary units of measure in length, weight, and volume. List these on a chart for future reference. Discuss with the students the best measuring tools for objects with which they are familiar. Alternatively, you may ask the students to refer back to the charts they created in Lesson 1.
To begin the lesson, organize the class into three groups of equal size. Provide one group with 16 cups, the second group with 8 pints, and the third group with 4 quarts. Give each group a one-gallon container filled with water.
Allow students to pour the water from the gallon jug into their particular measuring unit. As the students discover the relationship between the different amounts, have them record their findings on a piece of chart paper.
Direct the students' attention to the number of cups in a pint, the number of pints in a quart, and the number of quarts in a gallon (1 pint = 2 cups, 2 pints = 1 quart, 4 quarts = 1 gallon). When they have "discovered" the correct equivalent measures, show them the Gallon Man organizer.
The Gallon Man is a large uppercase G with four uppercase Qs inside the G, two uppercase Ps inside each of the Qs, and two lowercase Cs inside each capital P.
A model of Gallon Man is provided in the activity sheet, The Gallon Man.
Once the students have had a chance to familiarize themselves with Gallon Man, they can practice making conversions between units of measure. One strategy is making a table and filling in known amounts to convert to another unit. Students can use conversion factors to help them.
Students may complete the Gallons, Cups, and Pints activity sheet individually or in pairs. You may wish to add more questions to the activity sheet, depending upon the needs of your students.
