In this unit students build on previous experiences with litres and millilitres. Work is carried out in the context of planning a morning tea with students measuring volumes accurately as part of the planning process.
When students can measure areas effectively using non-standard units, they are ready to move to the use of standard units. The motivation for moving to this stage, often follows from experiences where the students have used different non-standard units for the same volume. This allows them to appreciate that consistency in the units used allows for easier and more accurate communication.
For example, when building a sandcastle, students may have used a variety of cups and vessels to investigate what volume of sand can be held in the different containers. This allows them to appreciate that consistency in the units used allows for easier and more accurate communication.
It is important to note a mathematical difference between capacity and volume. Volume describes the amount of space occupied by a three-dimensional liquid, solid, or gas object (how much juice can fit into this container?). In comparison, capacity describes the space within a container (how much juice can this container hold?). In the measurement strand of the New Zealand Curriculum, the terms volume and capacity are used interchangeably. In the glossary of this document, “capacity” is defined as the interior volume of an object.
When learning about volume, students should have opportunities to explore the question “how much space does a three-dimensional object occupy?”. Students should also have opportunities to measure volume by measuring fluids. The volume of a cuboid can be calculated by multiplying together its width, length, and height (l x w x h = volume). Volume is measured cubic centimetres and cubic metres. However, the usual sequence used in primary school is to introduce the litre as a measurement of volume, before introducing cubic units.
Students’ measurement experiences must enable them to:
Students also need to be able to read a range of scales to accurately measure volume .
The standard units can be made meaningful by looking at the volumes of everyday objects. For example, the litre milk carton, the 2-litre ice-cream container and the 100-millilitre yoghurt pottle.
The learning opportunities in this unit can be differentiated by varying the scaffolding provided to make the learning opportunities accessible to a range of learners. Ways to support students include:
The context for this unit can be adapted to suit the interests and experiences of your students. The unit begins with a discussion of students’ experiences of morning tea with their whānau. Following this discussion you could work with the students to adapt the activities and contexts at the stations to reflect their experiences. Alternatively, you may like to choose a social gathering other than morning tea with whānau as the context for the measuring tasks. For example, the school disco, or a birthday party, a fiefia night, preparing a hāngī or another important cause for celebration and gathering.
Te reo Māori vocabulary such as mehua (measure), kai (food), rita (litre), and ritamano (millilitre) could be introduced in this unit and used throughout other mathematical learning.
This unit uses the context of morning tea with whānau. Begin by discussing students' experiences of of morning tea and compare differences between families. Explain that this week they will be working at different stations to help prepare for a of morning tea. This may be an event that you’d like to plan and invite students’ whānau to.
Note: It’s important not to use food for purposes other than food.
Points that may need to be discussed as work progresses include:
In this station students accurately measure the volume of a variety of different drinking glasses. You may wish to begin by modelling the measurement of the volume of a liquid. This could start with measuring the volume of water in millilitres and litres. Discuss where students have read or heard of the terms “millilitres” and “litres”. You may wish to make a list of objects in the classroom that show these measurements (e.g. drink bottles). Ensure that your students can read the scale of the provided measuring vessels accurately, and understand the relevant abbreviations (l or L for litres and ml or mL for millilitres). This could be modelled by the teacher, or pairs of students could work together to develop a set of rules for measuring volumes.
Student instructions (Copymaster 1)
In this station you need to estimate and measure the volume of different glasses for drinks at the morning tea.
Estimate the volume of each of the glasses in mL. Record your estimates.
Which glass do you think will hold the most?
Which will hold the least?
Which glasses will hold a similar amount?
Use the measuring equipment to measure the volume of each of the glasses. Record your results in a table as you work.
Compare your results with your estimates. How close were your estimates?
Which glass held the most?
Which held the least?
Which glasses held a similar amount?
Encourage discussion around why some learners estimated the volume of liquids differently.
In this station students accurately measure the volume of a variety of bowls that could be used to make jelly.
Student instructions (Copymaster 2)
In this station you need to estimate and measure the volume of different bowls used to make jelly for the morning tea.
Estimate the volume of each of the bowls. Record your estimates.
Which bowl do you think will hold the most?
Which will hold the least?
Which bowls will hold a similar amount?
Compare your results with your estimates. How close were your estimates?
Which bowl held the most?
Which held the least?
Which bowls held a similar amount?
If each packet of jelly makes 1 litre how many packets would be needed for each bowl?
How many packets would be needed for all the bowls?
Share and discuss your estimations and measurements with another pair or group. What is the same? What is different? Why might this be?
In this station students make baskets to hold chips and measure the volume of the baskets they have made.
Student Instructions (Copymaster 3)
In this station you will make baskets to hold chips for the morning tea and measure the volume of the baskets you have made. Can you make three baskets that hold different amounts?
Compare your results with your estimates. How close were your estimates?
Which basket held the most?
Which held the least?
In this station students measure the volume of a variety of cake tins and predict which recipe would be best to use for each tin.
Student Instructions (Copymaster 4)
In this station you need to measure the volume of the different cake tins, then decide which recipe mix would be best for each tin. Remember that the cakes will rise when they are cooked!
Compare your results with your estimates. How close were your estimates?
Which tin held the most?
Which held the least?
Recipes
Absurdly Easy Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
3 cups flour (750 mL)
2 cups sugar (500 mL)
6 tablespoons cocoa (90 mL)
2 teaspoons baking soda (10 mL)
1 teaspoon salt (5 mL)
3/4 cup vegetable oil (190 mL)
2 tablespoon vinegar (30 mL)
2 teaspoon vanilla (10 mL)
2 cup cold water (500 mL)
Directions
Mix the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients. Stir until smooth. Bake at 180ºC for at least 30 minutes.
One Mix Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
1 cup self raising flour (250 mL)
1 cup sugar (250 mL)
50 grams melted butter (50 mL)
1/2 cup milk (125 mL)
2 eggs
2 Tbsp. cocoa (30 mL)
1 tsp. vanilla (5 mL)
Method
Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl with a wooden spoon. Bake at 180ºC for about 30 minutes.
Daisy’s Easy Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups sugar (375 mL)
1 cup cold water (250 mL)
125g butter (125 mL)
2 Tablespoons cocoa (30 mL)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda (2.5 mL)
2 eggs, well beaten
1 1/2 cups self-raising flour (375mL)
Method
Put sugar, water, butter, cocoa and soda into a large pot.
Stir over low heat until butter has melted, then bring to the boil.
Simmer for 5 minutes and remove from heat.
When mixture has cooled, stir in beaten eggs. Sift in the flour and beat well.
Bake at 180°c for 50-60 minutes.
In this station students calculate and measure the volume of sauce needed for cheerios at the morning tea.
Student Instructions (Copymaster 5)
Family and whānau,
This week at school we are estimating and measuring volumes using litres and millilitres. Please help find a container in your home with an estimated volume of 600 ml. Please send it to school so we can measure its volume accurately.
Printed from https://meaningfulmaths.nt.edu.au/mmws/nz/resource/morning-tea-volumes at 8:45pm on the 26th February 2024