Reception Unit 4: Measure
Lesson 3: Weight
Key learning: To use everyday language to talk about weight
To estimate, compare and explore the weight of everyday objects
Lesson overview
Do now
Practising transitions
One more than a given number (1–4).
Identify heavier and lighter.
Use balances to say which objects are
heavier and which are lighter.
Compare the weight of different
objects.
Explore and compare the weight of
different objects using balancing scales.
Ask pupils to say one more than a given number (1 – 4) for the transitions
today.
For the first term use the ‘do now’ part of the lesson to practise transitions.
Transition: One more than a number 1 – 4
New learning
Key vocabulary
weight, weigh, balances, heavy, light,
lighter, heavier, heaviest, lightest,
balance, scales, enough, not enough
Identifying heavier and lighter
Introduce the concept of weight by using the Big Picture. Ask questions
such as, “Which do you think is heavier, the cat or the mouse? Why?”
“Do you think the chair is heavier or lighter than the table? Why?”
Sentence structures
The egg is heavier than the flour.
Place a bag of flour, a bag of sugar and a block of butter in the middle of
There is not enough butter on the
balance.
the carpet. Select a pupil to hold the butter in one hand and the flour in
This side is lighter than that side.
the other.
Ask, “Which is heavier?”
The balances are the same.
Ask pupils to explain why they think so and ask what happens to their
The egg and the sugar balance.
hands if they hold something heavy.
Resources
Tell pupils that you are going to put the flour on one side of the balance
Big Picture
and the butter on the other side of the balance.
Interactive Whiteboard Resource 3
Ask, “What will happen to the scales if the flour is heavier than the
boiled or raw eggs (one per pair/group)
butter?”
balancing scales (one per pair/group)
Put the items on the scales and discuss what happens.
butter, sugar, self-raising flour (for
pairs/small groups)
Repeat with the butter and the sugar and then with the sugar and the
milk, vanilla extract
Model talk task
bowls
Possible misconceptions
spoons
Objects bigger in size will always be heavier and objects smaller in size will
always be lighter in weight.
By the end of this lesson ALL pupils
must be able to: say which object is
heavier and which is lighter.
flour.
Transition: One more than a number 1 – 4
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Reception Unit 4: Measure
Lesson 3: Weight
Key learning: To use everyday language to talk about weight
To estimate, compare and explore the weight of everyday objects
The bottle is heavier than the ball.
Talk task
Using balances to say which objects are heavier and which are lighter
In pairs or threes, give pupils a selection of objects to weigh using
balancing scales. Pupils to hold one item in each hand and estimate
which is heavier and which is lighter. Pupils to then use the balancing
The unifix cube is lighter than
scales to identify which object is heavier and which object is lighter
the book.
each time.
Transition: One more than a number 1 – 4
Develop learning
Are the egg and the sugar the same
weight or not? How do we know?
Comparing the weight of different objects
Explain to pupils that today they are going to bake cakes for the Tea Cosy
Café. Read the ingredients and instructions for baking a cake (Interactive
Whiteboard Resource 3).
Which is heavier at the moment, the
egg or the butter? How do you
know?
Crack one raw egg into a bowl and whisk it. Add one tablespoon of
milk and half a teaspoon of vanilla extract into the bowl.
Put a raw or boiled egg on one side of the balance scales.
Demonstrate how to make the scales balance using spoons of sugar. Make
Which is lighter at the moment, the egg
or the flour? How do you know?
sure that all the pupils can see when the scales balance.
Put the sugar in the bowl.
Keep the egg on one side of the scales and select a pupil to put spoons of
flour on the other side until each side is the same.
Put the flour into the bowl.
Yes, the egg and sugar are the
same weight because the scales
are balanced.
Again keep the egg on one side of the balancing scale and select a pupil
to put pieces of butter on the other side until each side is the same
and they balance.
Put the butter in the bowl.
Explain to the pupils that all the ingredients are in the bowl and
The egg is heavier at the moment
because that side of the balance is
lower than the side with the
butter.
that we will mix them later and bake cakes for the café. Tell pupils
that Mrs Tea Cosy needs many more cakes and that they are going to
work in groups to balance some ingredients with a boiled egg and put
them in a bowl for mixing and baking later.
The egg is lighter than the flour
because that side of the balance is
higher.
Transition: One more than a number 1 – 4
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Reception Unit 4: Measure
Lesson 3: Weight
Key learning: To use everyday language to talk about weight
To estimate, compare and explore the weight of everyday objects
Independent task
Exploring and comparing the weight of different objects using balancing
scales
Pupils to work in twos or threes to use the scales to balance a boiled egg with
the different ingredients needed for the cake.
Pupils to balance the egg with some butter, some sugar and some flour using
the key vocabulary to describe balancing the ingredients.
“The egg is heavier than the flour.”
“The flour is lighter than the egg.”
“The flour and the egg weigh the same.”
Pupils should be able to speak in full sentences during the independent task.
Transition: One more than a number 1 – 4
Possible adaptations
Pupils can only use one of the
ingredients (flour, sugar or butter) to
balance with the egg.
For the talk task, pupils can be asked to
weigh three objects and then order
them from lightest to heaviest or
heaviest to lightest.
Different stations/areas can be set up in
the classroom with each area set up
with the different ingredients needed
to balance with the eggs. One area
could have pupils balancing boiled eggs
with butter, another area balancing
boiled eggs with sugar and another
area balancing boiled eggs with some
flour. Pupils can move from one station
to another to explore weighing the
different ingredients needed for the
cake.
Plenary
Celebrating success and addressing misconceptions
The plenary should celebrate the pupils’ success, address any
misconceptions and/or prepare pupils for another lesson.
Teachers should plan the plenary based on the lesson to address any
misconceptions.
Suggested consolidation task
Provide opportunities for pupils to
explore weight using a range of
different everyday objects and
materials.
Reinforce that success comes from working hard and trying your best.
Suggestions for Maths Meetings
Use both concrete and pictorial
representations of balances and ask
pupils which objects are heavier/lighter
each time and how they are able to tell.
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information please see our terms and conditions at www.mathematicsmastery.org/terms-and-conditions