Teach the masses about the metric system with this hands-on measurement lesson. Given a fruit or vegetable, learners estimate, measure, and convert its mass using the metric units gram and kilogram.

Additional Tags

science

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Instructional Ideas

• Include this lesson in an upper elementary or middle school math lesson series on the metric system
• Perform this as a science lesson at the beginning of the year, familiarizing students with measurement tools they'll be using throughout the year
• Choose fruits and vegetables of various sizes and densities, allowing for follow-up discussions about the difference between mass and volume

Classroom Considerations

• Send letters home asking parents to donate fruits and vegetables for use in this lesson

Pros

• Offers questions for guiding a discussion about measuring mass
• Includes grouping strategies to use during each phase of the lesson

Cons

• Resource provides only a general outline of the sequence of activities involved in this lesson, requiring the teacher to fill in the details
• A worksheet for recording measurements and converting units is not included and needs to be created by the teacher

Common Core

3.MD.A.2 4.MD.A.1 4.MD.A.2 5.MD.A.1 6.RP.A.3.a 6.RP.A.3.d MP5 MP6