Choosing measurement units
Choose and use appropriate standard units to measure length (m/cm), mass (kg/g), temperature (°C), and capacity (litres/ml) to the nearest appropriate unit
What a learner can do afterwards
- Measure the length of a table in centimetres using a ruler
- Weigh an object in grams using a scale
- Measure the capacity of a container in millilitres using a measuring jug
The lesson
Some things are small and some things are big. When you measure, you pick a unit that matches the size of the thing. Length can be centimetres or metres, weight can be grams or kilograms, and liquid can be millilitres or litres. Warm or cold days get measured in degrees Celsius, written as °C.
Mia wants to know how long her pencil is. A pencil is short, so she measures it in centimetres. Her dad wants to know how long the football pitch is. The pitch is long, so he measures it in metres.
A grape is light, so you weigh it in grams. A watermelon is heavy, so you weigh it in kilograms. A teaspoon of water is measured in millilitres, but a full bathtub is measured in litres.
Before you measure, ask yourself: is this small or big, light or heavy? Then pick the unit that matches.
Match the unit to the size of the thing: small things get small units, big things get big units.
Watch it
Where it sits
Where this leads
Jobs that lean on this skill. Follow one to see everything it is built on.
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.