Lesson plan of Comparison of Measures: Capacity and Mass

Objectives (5-7 minutes)

1. Understand the concept of capacity and mass: Students are expected to understand the concept of capacity (the measure of the amount of space that an object can occupy) and mass (the measure of how much matter an object has). To do this, the teacher should provide practical and contextual examples.

2. Know the units of measurement for capacity and mass: The objective for students to become familiar with the metric units of measurement for capacity (liters, milliliters) and for mass (kilogram, grams). They should also understand the metric system of measurement and know how to convert units within the metric system.

3. Compare measurements of capacity and mass: Students will be able to compare different measures of capacity and mass. They should understand the concept of more, less than, or equal to, as well as be able to apply the concept practically and in context.

Secondary objectives:

• Develop a sense of responsibility and autonomy: With the help of flipped classroom methodology, the students are encouraged to take a more active role in their learning process, which will help them develop a sense of responsibility and autonomy.
• Encourage collaboration and critical thinking: During group discussions, students will be able to collaborate in teams to share ideas and support each other during problem solving. This can help develop team work and critical thinking skills.

Introduction (10-12 minutes)

1. Review of previous content: Begin the class by reviewing previously learned math concepts such as number theory and representation (numerals and quantities) and addition and subtraction. Reviewing can help students build a strong foundation for new concepts they will be learning. (3-5 minutes)

2. Problem situations: Present students with a brief contextual word problem that relates to comparing capacities and masses, for example: "We have two bottles, one with 500ml of soda and the other with 1 liter of water. Which bottle holds more liquid?" or "We have a 250g orange and a 200g apple. Which one weighs more?" The goal of this is to get students thinking about the topic of the day and to contextualize it. (4-5 minutes)

3. Contextualization: Explain the real-world applications for understanding capacity and mass by giving examples that will be relatable to the students' own lives. As an example, the capacity of water glasses, pencil boxes, soda bottles or the mass of rice (for cooking), fruit, and toys could be discussed. The concept can be further understood by students when they make personal connections. (3-4 minutes)

4. Grabbing the students' attention: Get the students engaged and curious about today's topic by sharing a unique, interesting, or unknown fact related to capacity and/or mass. An example of this could be sharing the etymology of the word "liter" which comes from the old French word "litre" or telling them that a kilogram is defined as the mass of 1,000 cubic centimeters of water at the temperature 4 degrees Celsius. Sharing unusual facts can help to make learning more interesting and memorable. (2-3 minutes)

Development (20-25 minutes)

1. Activity 1 - "Measuring in the Kitchen" (10-12 minutes)

   In this hands-on activity students will explore capacity and mass measurements in the familiar context of their kitchen. Provide students with an assortment of kitchen ingredients that come with capacity or weight measurements on the labels, such as bags of rice or flour or bottles of cooking oil. If possible provide students with a variety of household measuring cups and utensils such as a scale, graduated cylinders, or measuring spoons.

   1.1 Step 1: Introduction (1 minutes)

   • Briefly remind students about the concepts of capacity and mass as well as their corresponding units of measurement.
   • Explain to the groups of students the goal of this activity: to compare and contrast the capacities and masses of various kitchen ingredients.

   1.2 Step 2: Materials set up (2-3 minutes)

   • Divide the students into small groups .
   • Each group should get a selection of kitchen ingredients and measuring tools. Instruct students that once they have selected their kitchen item, to first measure its capacity, and the measure its mass, and finally record both measurements on a chart that you will have provided them.

   1.3 Step 3: Experiment (5-6 minutes)

   • Students will measure the capacities and masses of the different kitchen items. They will need to pay attention to how to fill a container to get an accurate liquid measurement and how to read the scale to get an accurate mass reading.
   • Each group will be responsible to record their measurements on the provided chart, including the correct units for each measurement (liters or milliliters, grams or kilograms).

   1.4 Step 4: Share out (2-3 minutes)

   • After all of the groups have completed the experiment have a whole group discussion. Each group will share their findings and compare them to the measurements that other groups found for the the same kitchen items.
   • Guide the students' discussion with questions about what the found and how the kitchen items compared to one another.

2. Activity 2: "Air Balloons" (10-12 minutes)

   In this hands-on activity, students will explore capacity by using air-filled balloons.

   2.1 Step 1: Introduction" (1 minute)

   • Begin the activity by sharing with students that air takes up space and that we can therefore measure the volume of air.
   • Show them a deflated balloon and then the inflated balloon so that students can see the change in its dimensions.

   2.2 Step 2: Set Up (2-3 minutes)

• Similar to the previous activity students will divide into small groups and obtain a few balloons, and flexible measuring tapes or rulers.
• Have students, in their groups measure the diameter and the circumference of a balloon before it is inflated and then repeat after the balloon has been inflated. They should also record the different measurements on a data collection sheet.

2.3 Experiment (5-6 minutes)

• In their groups, students will use the measuring tapes and rulers to find the diameters and circumferences for each balloon, taking not of how the air filling the balloon changes its dimensions. Be sure that students pay attention to the correct units of measurement (e.g., centimeters)
• Students will record all of the dimensions of the inflated and deflated balloon on the provided data collection sheet.

2.4 Step 4: Share Out (2-3 minutes)

• Once all of the students have finished experimenting, bring the class back together for a large group share out. Have each group share their data with the class.

Returning to the Classroom (3 -5 minutes)

Take time to let students share what they discovered and what they learned from both hands-on activities. Students should feel encouraged to share their personal thoughts, ask questions and make connections to content learned in the lesson. The instructor should take this time to help reinforce concepts learned during the activities and to clear up misconceptions.

Debriefing (8-10 minutes)

1. Group Discussion (3 -4 minutes)

   Bring the whole class back together to sit in a large group to debrief. Have each group share the results of their activities, including their findings, conclusions, and comparisons from both the "Measuring in the Kitchen" and "Air Balloon" activities. Encourage students to present their findings using the data that they collected. Ask the groups questions to stimulate discussions about the activity and encourage critical thinking skills

2. Connecting to Theory (2-3 minutes)

   After the class discussion have students return to their seats. Review with students what they have learned in class today, reemphasizing the theoretical concepts related to capacity and volume. Define and contrast the two terms and discuss the corresponding metric units of measurement for each (liters, milliliters, kilograms, and grams) and review how they were used practically in today's activities.

3. **Individual Reflection (2-3 minutes)

   To wrap up today's lesson have students take a minute to think about what they have learned today. Pose a question or two for them to consider.

   • "What is one thing you learned about the capacity and/or the mass of objects today?"
   • "How could you use what you learned today in an application outside of class?"

   Give students a minute or two to think about their answers and then ask a few of them to share what they have thought of with their classmates.

4. Closing (1 minute)

   End the class by thanking everyone for participating and restating that everyone did a wonderful job today. Make sure the close the lesson on a positive note

Conclusion (5-7 minutes)

1. Summarize Key Points ( 2-3 minutes)

   Review the key points of the class. Remind students about the definitions of mass and volume/capacity and their metric units of measurement (liters and millimeters, kilograms, and grams). Reiterate that it is essential to be able to compare and contrast the capacities or masses of different objects and that this skill can be used both in the classroom when solving math problems or in real-world situations.

2.Connecting Theory with Practice (1- 2 minutes)

Explain to students the connection of the theory that they have learned today with everyday applications outside of the classroom. Emphasize that the activities that they completed (e.g., "Measuring in the Kitchen" or "Air Balloons") were not just done to complete an assignment, but instead were designed to help student understand the real-life uses of understanding capacity, mass, and volume. This should help to solidify their understanding of today's topic.

3.Extra Materials ( 1 - 2 minutes)

Share with the students any links to web-based videos or assignments that students can use to continue to explore the concepts learned in class today. This may include links to videos, games or problem sets. Share the links using your school or districts online portal.

4. Real-world Relevance ( 1 minute)

   Discuss with students the importance and prevalence of the concept of mass and volume/capacity in everyday life. Give students examples of how being able to both compare and measure mass and capacity impacts their daily routines for example, cooking, or understanding how something works, such as scales and balances. Additionally, discuss how these skills and concepts are used and applied to other subjects, such as science and engineering.

5. Closing ( 1 minutes)

Close the class reminding students of the importance of continued practice to build their learning and confidence within the topics of mass, volume, and capacity. Encourage ongoing exploration of these concepts and welcome students to ask any questions that they have either during the next class period or after school.