Wairakei Primary School is fortunate to have two amazing capacity kits to use to investigate units of measure such as millilitres and litres. Thanks to the Taupō Cosmopolitan Club for funds that were granted our school and used to purchase these fantastic resources.
A number of different non-standard units of measure such as rods, blocks, and our hands and feet were all used during investigations. Exploring the standard units of centimetres and metres were made easier using rulers and tape measures and students were able to record their measurements to the nearest half centimetre in their books.
Great conversations, communication and cooperation was observed throughout the time Room 1 used the kit, though it was most definitely an outside activity. Water, water, everywhere and lots of laughs. The students were able to discuss what was happening and make comparisons between the different shapes and sizes of containers.
The tablespoon fills up the big round container when you use it 92 times to scoop water in.
A big measuring cup fills the long skinny, 1,000ml container when you use it 4 times so the cup is a quarter of the big 1,000ml container. The cup is 250mls so that must be one quarter of 1,000.
The sphere with the hole in it filles the beaker when you use it 7 times. It was quite hard to fill the sphere though and big bubbles came out of it when you hold it in the bucket.
I really enjoy getting outside and trying out the measuring with the equipment. My team worked pretty well together and we tried lots of different containers to fill up one container.
Teamwork was the name of the game when measuring students' bodies. While working with a buddy, each student measured their eyes, nose, length of arms and legs, waist, and across their shoulders. They were able to record their measurements on a piece of paper and write their answers to the nearest half centimetre. Students learned the importance of recording the unit of measure that they used as if they didn’t put it down then someone reading their answers might think it was mm or m.
This was another activity that had high levels of motivation and enjoyment. As Mrs Ross walked around the classroom taking photos and talking to students about the measurements, she noticed that the conversations were all on topic and using appropriate measurement vocabulary. Success and fun were tied hand in hand and students were able to prove their understanding and learning when discussing their findings with others.
Measuring our bodies was funny. Some of the parts were really tricky to measure using a ruler because it doesn’t bend. I got the giggles when we measured my eyes and nose.
I liked using the measuring tape for measuring arms and legs. It was good because we didn’t have to shift it and remember where the end had been like a ruler. Zane did the measuring for me.
I really enjoy when our activities are fun. It makes me want to do them and learn more, especially when I can talk about the learning with my friends.
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