Unit 6 Family Materials

Measuring Length, Time, Liquid Volume, and Weight

In this unit, students measure lengths in halves and fourths of an inch and represent measurement data on line plots. They learn about units for measuring weight, liquid volume, and time. They then use the four operations to solve problems involving measurement.

Section A: Measurement Data on Line Plots

In this section, students measure in halves and fourths of an inch, learn to use mixed numbers to represent lengths greater than 1, and interpret and create line plots that represent lengths.

Students relate the fractions on a ruler to those on a number line. The work here reinforces the idea that whole numbers can be expressed as fractions.

Section B: Weight and Liquid Volume

In this section, students learn to estimate and measure weight (in grams and kilograms) and liquid volume (in liters).

Students make sense of grams and kilograms by holding objects that are about 1 gram and about 1 kilogram. They see, for example, that a paper clip weighs about 1 gram and a regular cantaloupe weighs about 1 kilogram.

To make sense of liters, students engage in activities that require pouring water into containers. They also estimate the volume of liquid in everyday objects such as a bottle, a bucket, a sink, and so on.

Students also analyze the scale on liquid measuring tools, as shown here, and make sense of fractional units of liquid volume.

Section C: Problems Involving Time

In this section, students learn to tell and write time to the nearest minute. They solve elapsed-time problems where the start time, the end time, or the duration is unknown.

To reason about time, students use representations that make sense to them, including drawings, tables, equations, or words.

For example, the clock shows how students could think about 24 minutes after 3:45.

Section D: Explore the Fair

In this section, students apply what they learned in this unit to solve problems that involve measurements. All the activities use the context of a state or county fair. The work here gives students many opportunity to make sense of problems, use all four operations, and think carefully about their strategies and solutions.

Try it at home!

Near the end of the unit, ask your student to find the following measurements of objects around your home:

length measured to the nearest quarter inch
weight measured in kilograms or grams
liquid volume in liters

Questions that may be helpful as they work:

Before you measure, estimate the object’s length, weight or volume. Why do you think it will be that measurement?
Can you create a line plot of your data?