Wake County Public School System, 2013

Mathematics Alignment Lesson

Grade 4 Quarter 4 Day 146
Common Core State Standard(s)
4.MD.1 Know relative sizes of measurement
units within one system of units including
km, m, cm; kg, g; lb, oz; l, ml; hr, min, sec.
4.MD.1

Within a single system of measurement,
express measurements in a larger units in
terms of a smaller unit. Record measurement
equivalents in a two-column table.


Vocabulary
Liter: the basic unit of capacity in the
metric system
Gram: the basic unit of mass in the
metric system
Materials Needed:
Blackline Masters- Units of Mass,
Conversion Practice,
Measurement Brainstorm
TI-15 Calculators
Alignment Lesson
Symmetry in the Metric System

Note: Distribute TI-15 Calculators to students before lesson starts.
Since the concept of this lesson is conversion between units and not
multiplication facts, students should be allowed to use their
calculators when solving.

Activity 1: Symmetry in the Metric System
1. Distribute Blackline Master Units of Mass and have
students study the place value chart. Ask students to turn
and talk with a partner about what they noticed.

2. Students record ideas in the box label, What do you notice
in the chart above?

3. Allow 3-4 students to share responses, and help students
notice the following ideas:
symmetry around the units
prefixes
use of base ten
how the size changes with each place
relate to the place value chart

4. Make connections with words students know that use the
same prefix. E.g., century (100 years), decade (10 years),
millennium (1000 years), millipede, centipede

5. As a class, discuss and complete the Prefix chart using a
gram as the whole. Students should be using their calculators
to help them convert. Emphasize to students how the
meaning of the prefix relates to the size of the number.
Questions to discuss could include:

What would I do to convert from ______ to _____?
(Always converting from a larger unit to a smaller unit)
How would be able to tell which units are smaller?
Are there any general rules that we could make about
the conversions? Justify your thought.

6. Ask students turn and talk about the relationships in the chart
before continuing to the next activity. Have 2-3 students
share their responses.



Lesson Continued on next page.







Homework
Blackline Master - Symmetry in the
Metric System Journal Prompt
Assessment
Blackline Master- Conversion
Practice
Standards for Mathematical Practice
Standard 5- Use appropriate tools
strategically
Standard 7 - Look for and make use of
structure


Teacher Guide Grade 4 Day 146 Standard(s) 4.MD.1
Wake County Public School System, 2013











































Alignment Lesson
Symmetry in the Metric System
Continued
Activity 2: Conversion Practice

1. Distribute the Blackline Master Conversion Practice. Have students complete the two column charts and
share responses.

2. Explain to students that for the liters, they should color in the amount of milliliters that is equal to 10
centiliter.

3. Then have students write about how milliliters and centiliters are related.

Activity 3: Measurement Brainstorm

1. Distribute Blackline Master Measurement Brainstorm. Explain to students that they will be making a list
of items that they would measure with each of the units listed.

2. Have students brainstorm independently for five minutes and record their answers in the chart. Then
students can pair up and record other answers.

3. Share responses and record reasonable responses on a chart together.

4. Distribute Blackline Master Symmetry in the Metric System Journal Prompt for homework.



Source: Teacher Created
Blackline Master Grade 4 Day 146 Standard(s) 4.MD.1
Wake County Public School System, 2013

Name:__________________________________________ Date:________________

Units of Mass

kilogram hectogram decagram gram decigram centigram milligram

kg hg dag g dg cg mg

10 x 10 x 10 10 x 10 10 x 1g 10x 10 x 10 x 10 x 10 x 10x
larger larger larger smaller smaller smaller

1 kg 1 hg 1 dag 10 dg 100 cg 1,000 mg
= 1,000 g = 100 g = 10 g = 1 g = 1 g = 1 g

What do you notice in the chart above?

Prefix Chart
Prefix Meaning
Grams as a
Fraction
Grams as a
Decimal
kilo-


hecto-

deca-

(gram)

deci-

centi-

milli-

Blackline Master Grade 4 Day 146 Standard(s) 4.MD.1
Wake County Public School System, 2013
Name:_____________________
Date:______________________

Conversion Practice






Color in 10 cL and describe with words the relationship between milliliters and
centiliters.



Grams Centigrams

2
5
0.07
9
n
Kilogram Grams
1000
1
3
5
8
n
100 mL
10 mL
50 mL
















Blackline Master Grade 4 Day 146 Standard(s) 4.MD.1
Wake County Public School System, 2013

Name: ___________________________________________ Date:_________________
Measurement Brainstorm
Brainstorm a list of items you would measure with each of the following units.
Grams Milligrams
Kilograms Liters
Milliliters Kiloliters
Blackline Master Grade 4 Day 146 Standard(s) 4.MD.1
Wake County Public School System, 2013
Name:_________________________
Date: ________________________
Symmetry in the Metric System
Journal Prompt


Think about the following objects. Decide which unit of measurement we discussed today
(kilogram, gram, milligram, kiloliter, liter, milliliter) that you would use. Justify your
response.

Olympic Swimming Pool-


Orange Juice-


Chapter Book-


Feather-



Answer Key Grade 4 Day 146 Standard(s) 4.MD.1
Wake County Public School System, 2013


Answer Key

Prefix Meaning
Grams as a
Fraction
Grams as a
Decimal
kilo-

thousand

1,000.00
hecto- hundred

100.00
deca- ten

10.00
(gram) unit

1.00
deci- tenth

0.1
centi- hundredth

0.01
milli- thousandth

0.001


Answer Key Grade 4 Day 146 Standard(s) 4.MD.1
Wake County Public School System, 2013

Answer Key






Color in 10 cL and describe with words the relationship between centiliters and
milliliters.





Grams Centigrams

1
2 200
5 500
0.07 700
9 900
n n x 100
Kilogram Grams
1,000 1
1

3 3,000
5

8 8,000
n n x 1,000
100 mL
10 mL
50 mL
Answers will vary. Accept any reasonable
answer that explains the relationship. An
example follows.

Since cL are larger than mL I had the multiple
the 10 cL X 10 to find the equivalent amout of
mL. Since 10 cL x 10 = 100mL, I colored
100 mL.