Skills Covered

How to Use This Pack

Five pages about measuring mass with a kitchen scale. On page 1 students read six dial scales in grams, where the numbers go up by 100 and the small ticks count by 10, 20 or 50. Page 2 reads heavier things in whole kilograms, on dials that count by 1s, 2s and 5s. On page 3 the scales have no pointer: students draw it to show the mass written underneath. Page 4 circles grams or kilograms for twelve pictured things, then the best estimate for four more. Page 5 has six one-step word problems that add, subtract, multiply and divide masses.

In the Classroom

Pass around a paper clip (about 1 gram) and a 1-liter bottle of water (about 1 kilogram) before page 1, so the two units have a feel. Read one dial together first: find the numbers on each side of the pointer, then count the small ticks between them. On page 3, ask partners to check each other's pointers.

At Home

Look at the labels on food in the kitchen: a box of pasta, a bag of rice, a can of beans. Is the mass in grams or kilograms? If you have a kitchen scale, weigh a few pieces of fruit and read the dial together.

Tips for Success

• Find what each small tick is worth before reading a scale
• Start at the number just before the pointer and count on by the ticks
• A pointer goes from the center dot straight to a tick
• Light things like a pencil or an apple are measured in grams; heavy things like a bike are measured in kilograms
• Write g or kg with every answer