Customary Units of Capacity – Day 1

Focus: The student will identify objects that hold about a cup, pint, quart, and gallon.

Background for teachers: Capacity is the measure of the amount of liquid a container can hold. Different units can be used to estimate or measure capacity. The most appropriate unit to use for measuring is often the one with which the measurement can be expressed using the smallest whole number. The purpose of students comparing the sizes of the containers in the following activity is to use a common unit (cup) to estimate the amount of liquid, sand, or rice each container will hold. It is not required that third grade students memorize conversions between units of measurements, this is a 4th and 5th grade TEK. Estimating capacity and using benchmarks lays the foundation for students to convert units of measurement in 4th and 5th grades.

Materials: Measuring containers that hold a cup, pint, quart, and gallon (enough for small groups to each have a set), copies of Recording Sheet, water, rice, or sand for pouring into containers, random containers of different sizes including one that holds approximately 2 quarts (enough for each group of students to have 3 - 4 each); examples would be milk cartons from the cafeteria, water bottles of different sizes, Gatorade bottles, gallon milk cartons, pots

Activity:

1. Remind students they have already learned to measure the volume of solid figures. Today, you will learn how to measure how much liquid a container will hold.

2. Show students the container that holds one cup. Explain that this container holds one cup. Ask students to talk with their group members to brainstorm what other containers hold about a cup. Discuss responses with the class. Sample responses may include a juice box, coffee cup, or a glass.

3. Hold up the cup container again, along with a 2-quart container. Remind students that the smaller container holds one cup of liquid. Ask students to estimate how many cups would fit in the 2-quart container and write their answers on their copy of the attached Recording Sheet. How could we find how many cups would fit into the 2-quart container? Allow students to work with their group to find how many cups of water, rice, or sand will fit in the 2-quart container.

Customary Units of Capacity – Day 1

4. When most students are finished exploring, explain that the amount a container will hold is its capacity and that a cup is a customary unit of capacity.

5. Discuss how students found the amount of cups that would fit in the 2-quart container, demonstrating as you are discussing with the class. Students should fill in the actual measurement on their recording sheet when the class has decided the correct amount.

6. Repeat the activity, comparing how many cups each of the pint, quart, and gallon containers hold. Ask students to record their estimates on their Recording Sheet before measuring each of the items. Students may also find the capacity of other containers you have in the classroom.

7. Discuss estimates and measurements as students finish the investigation. Create an anchor chart to show how many cups a pint, quart, and gallon will hold. Remember, students do not need to memorize these. They will only need for benchmark purposes.

Capacity Benchmarks

Pint = 2 cups

Quart = 4 cups

Gallon = 16 cups

8. Homework: Customary Units of Capacity

Customary Units of Capacity – Day 1

Recording Sheet

How many cups does each container hold?

Container Estimate Actual Measurement

 

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Reteaching 18-2

Topic 18 33

Customary Units of Capacity

Capacity is the amount of liquid a container can hold. The containers show the different units of customary capacity.

cup (c) pint (pt) quart (qt) gallon (gal) 1 pt � 2 c 1 qt � 2 pt 1 gal � 4 qt

Choose the better estimate for each.

1. 2. 3.

1 c or 1 gal 1 qt or 1 gal 1 c or 1 qt

4. small water bottle 5. bucket 6. bathroom sink

1 pt or 1 gal 1 c or 1 gal 2 c or 2 gal

7. Reasoning Suppose you want to fill a pot with 1 gallon of water. You can use a measuring cup the size of a cup or a quart. Which would be best to use? Explain your reasoning.

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Customary Units of Capacity – Day 2

Focus: The student will identify objects that hold about a cup, pint, quart, and gallon.

Materials: Measuring containers that hold a cup, pint, quart, and gallon (enough for small groups to each have a set), containers from the previous day

Activity:

1. Ask each group of students to place their set of containers in order from the one that has the greatest capacity to the one that has the least capacity. Discuss placement of the containers with the class.

2. Read and discuss Room for Ripley with the class. Teacher should take plenty of time when discussing the equivalency chart in the book. If needed, show students how the comparisons are true by asking students to use containers to prove. Do not require students to memorize the equivalencies.

3. Students will play Capacity Compare with a partner. After students complete the activity, discuss which comparisons are more difficult than others.

4. Students will complete the daily practice sheet individually, Customary Units of Capacity.

5. Homework: Texas Student Activity Book, pp. 24, 60 and/or attached page.

Customary Units of Capacity – Day 2

Capacity Compare

Materials

Deck of cards, one set per pair

Pencils

Recording Sheet

Directions:

1. Teacher should review the cards with students to ensure they know what picture is on each card.

2. Shuffle the cards. 3. Deal out all of the cards. Each student may have their own deck of cards for the game

to last longer.

4. Each player turns over one card at the same time.

5. Compare the two measures.

6. Record the comparison on your Capacity Compare Recording Sheet.

7. Repeat directions 3-5.

8. Play until time runs out or until the recording sheet is full.

Customary Units of Capacity – Day 2

Capacity Compare Cards

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Capacity Compare Cards

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Customary Units of Capacity – Day 2

Capacity Compare Recording Sheet

Your card number Compare Your partner’s card number

Write three comparisons of your own using words.

Object Compare Object

Example: cup < water bottle

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34 Topic 18

Customary Units of CapacityChoose the better estimate for each.

1. 2. 3. 4.

1 c or 1 gal 3 qt or 3 gal 1 pt or 1 gal 10 qt or 10 gal

5. coffee pot 6. bowl of soup 7. thermos 8. small milk carton 1 c or 1 gal 1 pt or 1 gal 1 qt or 1 gal 1 c or 1 gal

Choose the better unit to measure the capacity of each.

9. hot tub 10. shampoo bottle 11. bucket 12. sports cooler qt or gal pt or gal c or gal qt or gal

13. Reasonableness John has 4 cups filled with fruit juice. He said that he has a gallon of fruit juice. Is his statement reasonable? Explain why or why not.

14. Estimation Which measurement best describes the capacity of a kitchen sink?

5 quarts 5 pints 5 cups 5 gallons

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Quick Check

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1. Which is NOT a customary unit used to measure capacity?

pint

cube

quart

gallon

2. Which of these objects probably holds about 1 pint?

bath tub

soup pot

coffee pot

teaspoon

3. Which measurement best describes the capacity of a juice box you might bring with your lunch?

1 cup

1 pint

1 quart

1 gallon

4. Writing to Explain Felix has a goldfish bowl. He wonders about its capacity. He has two tools he might use to find out: a 1-cup mug and a 1-gallon jug. Which tool should he use to find the capacity of the bowl? Explain your thinking.

Answer the questions below.

28772_023_041_1st.indd 32 11/19/07 11:16:05 AM

Metric Units of Capacity

Focus: The student will estimate and measure the capacity of various containers using metric units.

Background for teachers: Capacity is the measure of the amount of liquid a container can hold. Different units can be used to estimate or measure capacity. The most appropriate unit to use for measuring is often the one with which the measurement can be expressed using the smallest whole number. The purpose of students comparing the sizes of the containers in the following activity is to use a common unit to estimate the amount of liquid, sand, or rice each container will hold. A milliliter is one thousandth of a liter. The relationship commonly given to third and fourth graders is 1,000 milliliters = 1 liter so they can better understand the relative sizes of the units. However, they are not expected to convert measurements from one unit to the other. Estimating capacity and using benchmarks lays the foundation for students to convert units of measurement in 4th and 5th grades.

Materials: Several measuring containers that hold a liter or more (example would be a water bottle), 4-liter containers, and small containers that hold less than half of a liter (enough for small groups to each have a set), water, rice, or sand for pouring into containers, recording sheet

Activity:

1. Remind students they have already learned to find the approximate capacity of containers using customary units. Today, you will learn how to find the capacity of containers using metric units.

2. Show students the one liter water bottle and ask students to name something that has a capacity about the same as the water bottle. Students should talk with group members to brainstorm any answers. Sample response may be a shampoo bottle. Discuss all responses with the class.

3. Hold up the liter container again, along with the 4-liter container. This water bottle has a capacity of about 1 unit. How can you use this water bottle to estimate the capacity of the larger container? How can you check your estimate? Allow students to work with their group to find how many liters of water, rice, or sand will fit in the 4-liter container.

4. When most students are finished exploring, explain that two metric units of capacity are liter and milliliter. Write the metric units on the board with their abbreviations. There are 1,000 milliliters in a liter. Which unit is smaller? Explain there are approximately 20 drops from an eyedropper in a milliliter or about a spoonful. Do you think a container would hold more milliliters or more liters?

Metric Units of Capacity

5. Discuss how students found the amount of liters that would filled the 4-liter container, demonstrating as you discuss with the class. Students should fill in the actual measurement on their recording sheet when the class has decided the correct amount.

6. Have students work in pairs to estimate and find the capacity of larger containers.

7. Discuss estimates and measurements as students finish the investigation. Show a few containers to students and ask if they should use milliliters or liters to measure the capacity.

8. Show students the pictures attached. Would you measure the capacity using milliliters or liters? About how many units do you think would fit inside this container? Create an anchor chart to show the relationship between a milliliter and liter. Teacher might want to glue each picture under the appropriate unit for visual support.

Capacity Benchmarks

1,000 milliliters = 1 liter 1,000 mL = 1 L

9. Students will play Toss and Talk with a partner. See directions on attached page.

10. Homework – Metric Units of Capacity

Metric Units of Capacity

Recording Sheet

How many liters does each container hold?

Container Estimate Actual Measurement

 

Metric Units of Capacity – Day 1

Capacity Compare Cards

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Capacity Compare Cards

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TossRead the name of the container. Tell if its capacity is more than

1 liter or less than 1 liter. Explain.

2 bathroom sink

3 bathtub

4 swimming pool

5 juice glass

6 soup bowl

7 bucket

8 lake

9 paper cup

10 ketchup bottle

11 soup pot

12 mug

Get Started or

Get 10 squares in one color and 10 in another color.

Get two number cubes. Take turns with another player or team.

Talk about math as you play!

At Your Turn

Toss two number cubes. Add the dots. Find your toss below.

Follow the directions. Explain your thinking. Cover the answer.

If the answer is taken, lose your turn. Have fun!

Play again!

If you have more time

How to Win

You win if you are the first to get four connected rectangles, like:

more than 1 liter less than 1 liter less than 1 liter more than

1 liter

less than 1 liter less than 1 liter more than 1 liter less than 1 liter

more than 1 liter less than 1 liter more than

1 litermore than

1 liter

more than 1 liter less than 1 liter more than

1 liter less than 1 liter

28772_001-012_FSD.indd 7 11/19/07 11:16:44 AM

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Reteaching 18-4

Metric Units of Capacity

Two units of capacity in the metric system are milliliters (mL) and liters (L).

1 liter � 1,000 milliliters

Choose the better estimate for each.

1. 2. 3.

350 mL or 35 L 100 mL or 10 L 30 mL or 3 L

4. small milk carton 5. soup can 6. sports cooler

250 mL or 25 L 500 mL or 5 L 4 L or 40 L

7. Reasonableness Which is the better unit to use to measure the capacity of a bathtub: milliliters or liters? Explain your choice.

Milliliters are used to measure very small amounts of liquid.

1 teaspoon � 5 milliliters

A liter is slightly larger than a quart. Many beverages are sold in 1-liter and 2-liter bottles.

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Metric Units of Capacity, Day 2

Focus: The student will estimate and measure the capacity of various containers using metric units.

Materials: Assorted containers: one set of 4 – 5 containers for each group of 3 – 4 students, water, rice, or sand for pouring into containers, Toss and Talk pages (one per pair)

Activity:

1. Discuss homework from the previous lesson to clarify any questions.

2. Ask each group of students to place their set of containers in order from the one that has the greatest capacity to the one that has the least capacity. Discuss placement of the containers with the class.

3. Students will play Toss and Talk with a partner. After students complete the activity, discuss which capacity estimates were more difficult than others.

4. Students will complete Metric Units of Capacity.

5. Homework: Texas Student Activity Book, pp. 25, 30, or 61

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Center Activity 18-4

Toss Read the question. Choose the better estimate. Explain your answer.

2 Is the capacity of a pen cap about 1 milliliter, or 1 liter?

3 Is the capacity of a thermos about 1 milliliter, or 1 liter?

4 Is the capacity of a pitcher about 1 milliliter, or 1 liter?

5 Is the capacity of a glass of water about 250 milliliters, or 25 liters?

6 Is the capacity of a fish tank about 250 milliliters, or 25 liters?

7 Is the capacity of a bathtub about 150 milliliters or 150 liters?

8 Is the capacity of a baby bottle about 150 milliliters or 150 liters?

9 Is the capacity of a mug about 250 milliliters or 25 liters?

10 Is the capacity of a teacup about 250 milliliters or 25 liters?

11 Is the capacity of a measuring spoon about 25 milliliters or 25 liters?

12 Is the capacity of a soup ladle about 150 milliliters or 150 liters?

Get Started or

Get 10 squares in one color and 10 in another color.

Get two number cubes. Take turns with another player or team.

Talk about math as you play!

At Your Turn

Toss two number cubes. Add the dots. Find your toss below.

Follow the directions. Explain your thinking. Cover the answer.

If the answer is taken, lose your turn. Have fun!

Play again!

If you have more time

How to Win

You win if you are the first to get four connected rectangles, like:

25 L 250 mL 150 L 1 L

150 mL 250 mL 1 mL 250 mL

25 mL 1 L 150 L 25 L

250 mL 150 mL 250 mL 150 mL

28772_001-012_FSD.indd 8 11/19/07 11:16:47 AM

Water

FreshSprings

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Metric Units of CapacityChoose the better estimate for each.

1. 2. 3. 4.

2 mL or 2 L 2 mL or 2 L 5 mL or 5 L 1 mL or 1 L

5. kitchen sink 6. coffee cup 7. thermos 8. pitcher 2 L or 20 L 250 mL or 25 L 2 L or 20 L 40 mL or 4 L

Choose the better unit to measure the capacity of each.

9. tea cup 10. bath tub 11. glass of juice 12. washing machine mL or L mL or L mL or L mL or L

13. Reasoning A liter is equal to 100 centiliters. Is a centiliter a greater measure than a milliliter? Explain.

14. Estimation Which is the best estimate for the capacity of a large bottle of water?

1 L 400 mL 4 L 40 mL

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