Measurement-- Liquid Capacity and Weight/Mass

Standards of Learning Covered Addressed

Pre-K -Measurement (Math Foundation Block 3)
K.8 and K.10
1.9 and 1.10
2.11
3.9
Big Ideas:
-Liquid Capacity and mass/volume are measured using specific tools.
-Units of measurement helps us to investigate and compare the weight/mass and
liquid volume of two or more objects.
Essential Questions:
-Why do we have units of measurement?
-How do we measure liquid capacity and mass/volume?
Centers for First Graders!
Station 1: Comparing Weights of Classroom Objects (Naturalistic Learning
Experience)
Directions: Students will place various objects in the balance scale. They
may place any amount of any available objects in either side of the scale.
Materials:
o balance scale (prof Thunder?)
o counting bears (prof Thunder)
o acorns (Kristen will bring)
o plastic easter eggs (Kristen will bring)
o dry beans (prof Thunder, or another object from the inventory bags)
o shells (prof Thunder, or another object from the inventory bags)
o plastic animals (prof Thunder, or another object from the inventory
bags)
o finger fiddles (prof Thunder)
o paper clips (Kristen can bring IF not available in classroom)
o unit cubes (prof Thunder)
o metric unit weights (prof Thunder??)
Questions: Tell me about what you put in this side of the scale Tell me
about what you put in the other side of the scale So you What could
you do to make both sides even? If student only puts objects in one side,
How could you compare those_____ to something else? What do you
notice about the (object on one side) and the (object on the other side)?
Turn to another student, What do YOU notice about the (objects in the
scale) Explain why you Turn to other student, Why do you think ______
did that? What would you have done? Do you see a connection between
what (student) did and what (other student) did? What if you..(added
some ____, took some _____ away, put ____ in that side instead of _____)
How does (object in one side of the scale) compare to (object in the other
side of the scale) ? Who knows what else (student) could put in the scale
to.(make both sides even, make one side heavier than the other.)?

Station Number 2: Capacity Sort (Teacher-guided)

Directions: The teacher will provide a variety of containers on the table (some
Tupperware, small bottles, etc.). One will be marked target. The students
will look at the variety of containers and be asked to estimate, which one
holds, about the same as the target container. Ask them to pick a container
that they think holds the same, holds less then, and that holds more than.
Then, the students would be given water to fill their target container. The
students will then test and see if they were right. The students will do this over
a large tray or Tupperware so that if the water spills out, it just falls in the tray.
Materials needed:
o containers of various sizes (i will bring)
o large trays (i will bring)
o water (in the room)
Questions to ask:
o Why did you choose that one to be equal to the target container?
o Why did you choose that one to be less than/more than the target
container?
o How did you know?
o How did you know the container you chose could fit more than the
target?
o How did you know the container you chose could fit less than the
target?
Station Number 3: Comparing Volumes of Materials (Naturalistic Learning
Station)
Directions: The student will use the materials provided to compare the
volumes of different objects.
Materials needed:
o Rice (prof Thunder?)
o Unit cubes (prof Thunder?)
o Measuring cups (I will bring)
o Different size containers (I will bring)
o Large containers to contain the rice (I will bring)
o Plastic spoons (I will bring)
o Measuring spoons (I will bring)
Questions to ask:
o What kind of materials are you using to measure the volume of these
objects?
o Why did you choose the materials?
o How would you compare the volume of objects?
o Why do you think this method would work?
o Would this method always work? How would you know for sure?
Station Number 4: Create your own scale (Teacher guided)
Directions: Students will create their own scale by using yarn to hang a
plastic cup on either side of a wire hanger. The most important thing to keep
in mind while constructing the scale is making sure that the two cups are

equal distance apart. The students will then use this scale to compare the
weights of different objects.
Materials needed:
o Wire hangers (I will bring)
o Yarn (I will bring)
o Plastic cups (I will bring)
o Plastic bears (Prof Thunder?)
o Unit cubes (Prof Thunder?)
o Small bags of rice (I will bring)
o Safety pins (I will bring)
o Plastic utensils (I will bring)
o Buttons (Prof Thunder?)
o Small pieces of paper (I will bring)
Questions to ask:
o Which one of those is heavier/lighter?
o What could you add to make the two sides equal?
o What is the relationship between the two sides of the scale?
o Why did you decide to compare those items?
o How could you tell that that side was heavier or lighter?
Measurement Unit Planning Project
Group Paper

Personally, when we thought back to learning measurement during our

times in elementary school classrooms, activities such as measuring objects with
unifix cubes or counting bears, comparing how tall students were compared to
one another, or playing with rulers to measure objects around the room came to
mind. As we reflected on how we experimented with and learned about
measurement from the student perspective, it was interesting to realize that the
activities related to length and height stood out in our memories rather than
measuring volume or weight/mass. However, this type of measurement is used
just as frequently on a day to day basis as length from filling up the gas in a car
to liquid ingredients while cooking dinner and seeing how much eating dessert
caused the scale to tip upwards upwards after the meal. Therefore, it is
interesting to us to plan out ways to make this topic more memorable for students
through tasks that are engaging and help with their understanding.
Additionally, this topic is intriguing because it is interesting to consider how
students learning and thought processes develop. Particularly looking into the
earliest ages, the foundations of this concept in terms of how children thought
about weight, mass, and volume was interesting to each of us! For instance, the
misconceptions in terms of conservation, or that two objects can look different
and contain the same amount of mass or volume, begins in early childhood, and
is sign of cognitive development when students are able to think past focusing
on one characterisic. Even thinking more generally than just issues concerning
conservation, misconceptions seem to be particularly common for this math
concept across the age span. In fact, we were able to clarify the difference
between mass and weight for ourselves while looking at the curriculum

framework and some additional resources while discussing this project!

Considering the fact that there are small elements which we as college seniors
were grappling with, it was particularly compelling for us to devise centers which
presented the information in a more efficient and effective way than it seems to
have been presented to us when we were in the same position as our students!
Perhaps the reason why it was not as memorable for us when we were
the students is that the measurement of volume and weight is a more subtle
feature of objects. In other words, the children tend to focus on the measurement
of height, length, or time more frequently, such as how tall they are growing or
how much time they have to play video games, than weight, mass or volume, so
the lessons related to these concepts are more easily understood and placed in a
context. However, this is not to say that these concepts are not easily connected
to the naturalistic experiences of the children. The experiences we immediately
thought of were childrens experiences with weight and volume in terms of food.
For example, students experiment with the idea of volume when they are pouring
themselves a drink out of a pitcher and realize that the two do not have the same
volume, or by deciding who has more Halloween candy based on whose basket
is heavier. In addition to seeing the changes in their own weight as the children
have check-ups, even the youngest children are noticing differences in weights in
their day to day lives by realizing that some objects are too heavy for the child to
pick up or if they are able to pick it up.Furthermore, students experience volume
in a variety of naturalistic ways, even if they dont incorporate the vocabulary of
standard units quite yet. One example that immediately came to mind was when
children are playing at the beach or lake, and notice that some buckets carry
more sand or water than other buckets. Although they might not have the
instruction at the earliest ages to discuss weight and volume with the language
noted in the standard, all students experiment and notice weight and volume in a
variety of ways throughout their daily lives!
One of the connections we thought about was experimenting with the
volumes of different shapes in geometry, such as the ones we explored in one of
the naturalistic centers that the geometry group presented. This is one of the
motivations for building on this in our own naturalistic center. If this is done with
elementary and younger students, then this center is a time for the students to
experiment and confront any misconceptions they have involving conservation
and how the shape of the object relates to the volume it holds. For instance,
students might think that long tall skinny cylinders will hold more rice than a
shorter wider cylinder.
A second concept that might tie in really well with the measurement of
volume in particular is the idea of fractions. Personally, we remembered plenty of
struggles we encountered when we were first introduced to this math concept
back when we were students. Since this seems to be a challenging concept, then
the concrete examples involving volume would be a good way to help the
students understanding. One specific example could be showing students how a
pitcher of water can be divided in half to give equal amounts two glasses, or
showing the relation between cup, cup using water and measuring cups.
Additionally, teachers could extend on the connections between measurement

and fractions by using a digital scale to weigh objects. The students can discuss
how the decimals relate to the fractions!
The measurement of weight/mass and liquid volume falls under the
content standard of measurement. It is important for students to be able to
understand the basics of measurement as well as use tools to measure because
the knowledge will allow them to eventually engage in higher level science
activities that require measurement to complete such as chemistry. The
foundation also carries over into their daily lives because knowing how to
measure liquids and the weight/mass of an object can support them when
cooking at home. In pre-k through 3 grade the majority of what they focus on is
the tools used and how to describe the relationships between to objects as well
some application of this knowledge in the older grades with actually measuring
weight/mass and liquid volume. This addresses the process/practice standard of
communication and representation. Communication is addressed by learning
the describing words that could be used to explain the relationships between
objects and representation is addressed as they learn that in order to measure
something specific they need a certain tool and they cannot use a tool that
measures weight/mass to measure the liquid volume of something. The
knowledge of tools and describing words supports the students for when they
actually apply it as well as the beginning application of it will help when students
need to be able to measure liquids or weight/mass precisely to use in other ways.
This type of measurement connects to other process/practices standards
including problem solving and connections. Once they are comfortable with the
measurement tools they will be able to problem solve what tool would best be
used to determine the measurement they need to know. Measurement should
not be taught isolated to math but incorporated into other subject matters
specifically science because that is a content area where they will apply
measurement often.
Measurement of liquid volume as well as weight/mass can be integrated
into other subjects beyond mathematics. In visual arts students are given
opportunities to use motor skills (such as molding) to create two and threedimensional works of art (Visual Arts 1.12) as well as demonstrate the use of
size relationships in works of art (Visual Arts 1.10). This provides opportunities
for teachers to provide students with the same amount of clay and ask them to
mold them either into an object or more specifically an object that could hold
liquid with the only requirement being that they must use all the clay. This can
teach them that items may look different but they are the same weight. If
students make objects that can hold liquid they could later measure how much
liquid their container could hold. To address music students could be shown how
to make music with glasses. This would open up the opportunity for them to
discuss how the sound coming from the glass differs when the glass is different
sizes or when the glass is filled up a different amount. This can address Music
standard 1.9 in which students will create music.
To integrate measurement of weight/mass of an object with science and
physical education students could use scooters/carts that are weighted and be
asked to push/pull them. This addressed the physical education standard 1.1b
rd

demonstrate critical elements used in non-locomotor skills (e.g. pushing,

pulling) as well as the science standard 1.2c where students explore how
pushes and pulls can change the movement of an object. Before pushing the
cart they could discuss which ones they thought would be heavier than others
and after pushing/pulling with help they could weigh the weights if they are not
labeled already to discover the weights of the carts. They could also discuss
after which ones took more effort than others. These questions could be
discussed as a group or to incorporate literacy students could write about their
experiences and reflect on these questions (English 1.12 and 1.13).
To integrate technology, allow students to use scales that input the data
into the computer. After all students have been given the opportunity to input
some data into the computer the teacher can model how to create graphs on the
computer. This activity would help to addresses Technology K-2.1a K-2.2b as
well as science 1.1i.
To apply this to social studies, in first grade students are learning about
being a good citizen and part of being a good citizen is participating in voting
(History 1.10f). Students can be shown two objects/containers and be allowed to
vote on which they think weighs more/holds more liquid Votes can be counted
and then children can measure how much each weighs/holds to figure out the
answer. Another option would be to address the history standard 1.1 and show
them images of different types of scales. This will help them learn that in the
past we did not have the technology to make our measuring tools small and
lightweight in the same way we do today. To expand on this and include a
literacy component, students could be asked to write about what they think
scales and other measuring tools will look like in the future.