The following measurement activities and warm-up questions can be used throughout the year. Providing students with
ongoing measurement practice will help them solidify their understanding of their otherwise abstract concept.
LENGTH ACTIVITIES
Measurement(s)
addressed
Inch
centimeter
Inches
feet
Inch, foot,
yard
Mile and
Kilometer
Activity
Type
Hands-on
Hands-on
Online
game
Video
Description
Write your name using lines that are 1 inch long, and then write your name using lines that
are 1 centimeter long. What do you notice?
Measurement project; students measure the heights of 5 people
http://www.superteacherworksheets.com/measurement/measuring-project.pdf
Cool to Rule activity- students estimate and then measure
http://www.eduref.org/Virtual/Lessons/Mathematics/Measurement/MEA0015.html
Video: Measuring Race Tracks (A Segment of: Discovering Math: Grades K-02:
Measurement)
Log-on to www.discoveryeducation.com. Type “Measuring Race Tracks” in the
search box and click “search”.
Inch, foot,
yard
Hands-on
Measuring Body Parts activity sheet.
http://illuminations.nctm.org/lessons/HowLong/HowLong-AS-BodyParts.pdf
Inch, foot
Hands-on
Are you a square or a rectangle? Activity. Have students predict, measure, and complete
the following:
Are you a square or a rectangle?
How does your height compare with your arm span?
1. Make a prediction: How many feet/ inches tall do you think you are?
I think my height is ________
2. Make a prediction: How many feet/ inches wide is your arm span?
I think my arm span is _______
3. Measure to find out:
My height is:
My height is ________
My arm span is:
My arm span is _______
4. Choose one. I am a:
Square
all
Online
game
Tall rectangle
Wide rectangle
The Whaddaya Know Quiz Show. Log-on to www.discoveryeducation.com. Type
“The Whaddaya Know Quiz Show – Units of Length” in the search box and click
“search”.
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Mile, foot,
yard
Inches, feet,
yard
Inches
Inches, yards
LENGTH WARM-UPS/ ONGOING ASSESSMENT ITEMS
Choose a measurement that makes the most sense to fill-in the blanks.
Height of a basketball hoop: _____________
3 mi.
10 ft.
Width of a door: _______________
1 yd.
4 ft.
Distance you can walk in 1 hour: _______
Your height: __________
Lexi, Mark, DaShawn and Ali were having a contest to see who could push their racecar the farthest
distance. All four students said they were the „winner‟. The information below shows how far each
racecar traveled.
Lexi: 42 inches
Mark: 1 yard, 3 inches
DaShawn: 4 feet
Ali: 3 feet, 8 inches
Task: put their measurements in order from the shortest to longest.
Explain your reasoning.
Josh, Ben, Ty, and Ed are about the same height. Find the height of each boy.
_________ is 49 in.
Clues:
_________ is 48 in.
Ed is not the shortest.
_________ is 47in.
Josh
is more than 4 feet tall.
_________ is 46in.
Ben‟s height is an odd number of inches.
A dollar bill is 6 inches long.
How many dollar bills, laid end to end, is a yard long?
Write the measurement that makes the most sense
5 miles
8 inches
A pencil is about __________ long.
6 feet 30 inches
A bed is about __________ long.
A table is about _________ high.
You can ride a bike about ________ in 30 minutes.
Fill in the blanks with these numbers 60 9 3 4 5 so that the story makes sense.
Barry is ___ feet, or ___ inches tall. His friend, Meela is ___ inches shorter than Barry.
She is ___ feet ___ inches tall.
Complete the sentences below.
1. ______________ is about 1 inch long.
2. ______________ is about 1 foot long.
3. ______________ is about 1 yard long.
4. ______________ is about 1 mile long.
Here are the lengths of three pieces of kite string:
4 yards
50 inches
5 feet
Which piece of string is the longest?
Tell how you decided.
Hermie is 2 inches less than 5 feet tall.
Tanya is not the tallest.
Rona is 3 inches taller than Carlos.
Write the name of each person
Height
4 ft. 6 in.
4 ft. 9 in.
4 ft. 10in.
5 ft. 0 in.
Page 2 of 16
WEIGHT ACTIVITIES
Grams and
kilograms
How much is a handful? In groups of 4, students each take a handful of rocks, pattern blocks, markers,
paperclips, etc. They weigh their handful in grams and complete the following:
A handful of ___________________ weighs about _______ grams. It would take about _______
handfuls to make a kilogram.
Pounds and
ounces
Pound and
ounce
Pound and
ounce
Pound and
ounce
Gram
kilogram
The following is a mixed-up table of weights for wildlife animals. Change the weights so the
measurements make sense.
Animal
Weight Corrected Find something in the room that is about the same
weight
weight as the turtle (hint: the turtle weighs 1.5 lb.)
and weigh it on your classroom scale.
Rat
1 oz.
What item did you choose? ________
Turtle
15 lb.
Did it weigh more or less than the turtle? ______
Kitten
1.5 lb
Snake
3 oz
How much more or less? _________
Hummingbird
2.5 lb.
Medium-Sized Dog
5 oz.
This link below will allow students to take a 10 question weight quiz. The questions are good and
students have the chance to review and correct mistakes.
http://www.softschools.com/quizzes/math/weight_measurement/quiz2108.html
Click the activity below to have students determine if each item should be weighed in pounds or
ounces:
http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/ounces_pounds/
This online quiz allows students to determine if an object is a little less, a little more, or about a pound.
http://www.eduplace.com/cgibin/template/kids/hmm/practice/templates/rules.thtml?ID=hmm07_ep/gr2/1803&GRADE=2&UNIT=7&CHAPT
ER=18&LESSON=3&UNIT_TITLE=Measurement&
Weighty Contest:
Challenge students to bring in something that is between 2.5 and 3 kilograms. Give a treat to the student who
brings in the item closest in weight.
Do the same for 10 grams.
Gram
kilogram
Have students bring in dry goods in packages that show metric weight. Ex. Box of cereal says “840 grams” or
bag of flour says “1.7 kilograms”. Then have students find other items in the room that weigh the same.
This will help students build a strong concept of metric weight.
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WEIGHT WARM-UPS/ONGOING ASSESSMENT ITEMS
Pounds and
ounces
Grams and
kilograms
Elise weighed four bags of apples.
A = 18 ounces
B = 1 ½ lb
C = 1 lb.
D = 26 oz.
Which bag of apples is the heaviest? How do you know?
Gram or Kilogram?
Would you use a gram or a kilogram to measure the following?
Box of books
2 cookies
I Pod
Wii game and controller
Gallon of Kool-Aid
Handful of popcorn
Pounds and
ounces
5 pounds or 5 ounces? Label each of the following with 5 pounds or 5 ounces. Check one of the items
you chose as 5 ounces on a scale at school.
A newborn baby ____________
A golf ball ____________
Bowl of cereal ___________
A hamburger ___________
A bag of sugar _____________
Ounces
pound
A piece of candy weighs 2 ounces. How many pieces would you need to make a pound of candy?
How do you know?
Gram
Kilogram
On his birthday, Neil picked up a gift bag that weighed 1432 grams.
What could have been in the bag?
Is this more or less than a kilogram?
(Reasonable items might include items that would weigh about 2.5 pounds)
Would you rather have 100 grams of nickels, or 100 grams of dimes?
a nickel has a mass of 5 grams.
a dime has a mass of about 2 grams
Page 4 of 16
Cup, pint,
quart, gallon,
liter
Cup, pint,
quart, gallon,
ounce
CAPACITY
Play “Got Milk” from the 3 Grade Measurement Unit.
rd
How many ounces are in a gallon?
There are 2 cups in a pint.
There are 2 pints in a quart.
There are 2 quarts in a half gallon.
There are 8 ounces in a cup.
There are __________ ounces in a gallon.
Quart
http://pbskids.org/cyberchase/games/hardproblems/
This game is more about number sense; students use an 8-quart and 3-qurt container to fill jugs from 1 to
8 quarts. A good extension activity!
Cup, pint,
quart, gallon,
This is a great matching activity. Students match the conversions, then click “check” to get immediate
feedback and correct their mistakes.
http://www.mrnussbaum.com/mathdrills/measurement/capacdrag2.htm
Cup, pint,
quart, gallon,
Gallon Man knows Great Behavior Measures Up: Reinforce great behavior and learn about
liquid measurement too!
Buy or make Gallon Man. Make another copy of the cups, pints, quarts, and gallon shapes that make
up Gallon Man. Put velcro on the pieces and store the pieces in a ziplock bag somewhere near Gallon
Man. Ask members of your learning community to add cups, pints, etc. to Gallon Man when "Good
Things" are observed! Once all 16 cups have been traded in for 8 pints and 8 pints have been traded in
for 4 quarts and 4 quarts have been traded in for 1 gallon it's time for a celebration!
Cup, pint,
quart, gallon,
Have students click the link below to take a 10 question capacity quiz. The questions are good
and students have the chance to review and correct mistakes.
http://www.softschools.com/quizzes/math/volume_measurement/quiz2109.html
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CAPACITY WARM-UPS / ONGOING ASSESSMENT ITEMS
Cup, pint,
quart, gallon
Cup, pint,
quart, gallon
Na‟Teese is a chef.
She has several gallon, quart, pint, and cup containers.
Na‟Teese wants to measure 27 cups of water.
What is the fewest number of containers she can use?
Explain your answer.
Ms. Clark had 2 quarts of milk.
Her son Jack drank 1 pint
Her daughter Shondra drank 2 cups.
Ms. Clark used 1 cup to make a pie.
Cup, pint,
quart, gallon
How much milk was left?
Four friends were painting their rooms. Who used the most paint?
Becca used 2 gallons
David used 12 pints
Alan used 9 quarts
Chin used 12 cups
Cup, pint,
quart, gallon
Wayne drank 2 pints of milk on Monday, 3 cups on Tuesday, 1 quart on Wednesday and another quart
on Thursday. Did he drink an entire gallon of milk?
How do you know?
Liter
You would use a liter to measure which of the following?
Water in a sink
Juice in a juice box
Water in a cooler
Coffee in a mug
Page 6 of 16
MIXED REVIEW
cm. m.
gm. Kg.
Temperature
Anchor chart of measures
MEASUREMENT OLYMPICS
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks2bitesize/maths/shape_space/measures/play_popup.shtml.
Students measure the length and weight of a package to determine what postage is needed
This is a great temperature review. Includes Celsius and Fahrenheit. Students must read
thermometers as well as answer questions such as “which is colder?”. Students receive feedback on
their answers and an explanation.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/numbers/measuring/temperature/quiz.shtml
Temperature
This Interactive Thermometer lets students see the temperature in Fahrenheit and Celsius and
provides pictures of common activities!
http://www.mathsisfun.com/measure/thermometer.html
MIXED-UP MEASUREMENTS
Write the measurement that makes the most sense
A sink holds about 10 ________ of water.
Its 90 ___ from home plate to first base.
In one hour, you can walk about 3 __________.
A pair of snakes weighs about 5 _______,
Its good to drink 8 ____ of water each day.
gallons
miles
pounds
cups
feet
Fill in the blanks with the words below. Use the unit that makes the most sense.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Jin Lee‟s father weighs about 90 ________.
Comfortable room temperature is about 21 º ___________.
A scarf is about 100 _________ long.
The distance of the bicycle race was 12 __________.
A dime weighs about 2 _____________.
meters
celsius
kilometers
centimeters
grams
kilograms
Challenge students to create mixed up measurement stories or questions like those above. Have students
share them with the class.
.
Page 7 of 16
Additional Activities:
Title: Conservation of Capacity
Getting Started with Mathematical Power in Grade 3
Background: Reasoning about Attributes
The work students do with attributes is critical in their learning to measure. Comparison activities help them gain
understanding of the attributes. Students’ ability to reason about attributes will also give clues to their readiness
to move to activities involving less concrete experiences and work with standard units and tools . One reasoning
process is a student’s ability to conserve an attribute. If students conserve an attribute, they know the attribute
remains constant when its shape or position changes. Here is an informal assessment of conservation of capacity.
Materials: 2 tall containers the same size; 1 container shorter and wider than the other 2
Directions: To test for conservation of capacity, fill two identical containers (A and B) with the same amount of
liquid. Ask the students if the containers have the same amount of liquid in them.
A
B
If they say yes, then pour the liquid in container A into container C.
C
Ask if container C has more, less, or the same amount of liquid as container B.
Assessment: If they say that they have different amounts of liquid, the students are not conserving capacity.
Another activity to test for conservation of capacity would be to have available many different sizes of containers
with some containers the same size. Students can pour rice or sand from one container to another and observe
what happens when the size of containers differs.
Students who do not conserve capacity should be encouraged to focus on making direct comparisons of the capacity
of objects and using nonstandard units in order to provide a concrete base upon which an understanding of capacity
can develop.
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Title: Conservation of Length
Getting Started with Mathematical Power in Grade 3
Background: Reasoning about Attributes
The work students do with attributes is critical in their learning to measure. Comparison activities help them gain
understanding of the attributes. Students’ ability to reason about attributes will also give clues to their readiness
to move to activities involving less concrete experiences and work with standard units and tools . One reasoning
process is a student’s ability to conserve an attribute. If students conserve an attribute, they know the attribute
remains constant when its shape or position changes. Here is an informal assessment of conservation of length.
Materials: 2 strings the same length
Directions: To test for conservation of length lay two strings the same size out parallel to each other, and ask
students if the strings are the same length. Have them imagine an ant starting at the end of each string and
walking along each string, and then ask them if the ant would travel the same distance along each string.
If the students answer yes, change one string so that there is a bend or loop in it, and ask the students again
whether the ants would travel the same distance.
Assessment: If the students say the ants would not walk the same distance, with the one walking the curved path
walking a shorter distance, the students are not conserving length.
Another activity to test for conservation of length would be for the students to build two towers with the same
number of connecting cubes. If they think the two towers have the same length, then break one tower into two
smaller towers. Ask them if the two smaller towers have the same length as the one tall tower. Have them put the
two small towers back together to show they make the same length as the tall one.
Students who do not conserve length should be encouraged to focus on making direct comparisons of the length of
objects and using nonstandard units in order to provide a concrete basis for understanding that the length of an
object does not change when it is moved.
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Title: Conservation of Mass
Getting Started with Mathematical Power in Grade 3
Background: Reasoning about Attributes
The work students do with attributes is critical in their learning to measure. Comparison activities help them gain
understanding of the attributes. Students’ ability to reason about attributes will also give clues to their readiness
to move to activities involving less concrete experiences and work with standard units and tools . One reasoning
process is a student’s ability to conserve an attribute. If students conserve an attribute, they know the attribute
remains constant when its shape or position changes. Here is an informal assessment of conservation of mass.
Materials: 2 balls of clay with same mass; balance (optional)
Directions: To test for conservation of mass, give the students two balls of clay having the same mass. Students
can verify that the balls of clay have the same mass by using a balance if necessary.
Have them roll one ball of clay into a long snake. Ask them to compare the mass of the ball of clay with the long
snake. Ask if they have the same mass or if one has more mass than the other.
Assessment: If they say that they both have the same mass, they are conserving mass.
Another activity to test for conservation of mass would be to give each student a piece of aluminum foil. Have
them fold the foil in half and cut out two identical rectangles. Ask them if both pieces have the same mass. Then
have them roll one piece up into a very tight ball, and ask if they both have the same mass. Have them unfold the
ball and lay it out flat, smoothing it into the original rectangle, and ask if the two original rectangles have the same
mass.
Students who do not conserve mass should be encouraged to focus on making direct comparisons of the mass of
objects and using nonstandard units in order to provide a concrete basis for understanding that the mass of an
object does not change when it is reshaped.
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I Have – Who Has Elapsed Time Activity
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