Help!! KS1 measures - with distinct lack of scales!!

littlebigfish · Help!! KS1 measures - with distinct lack of scales!!

Can anyone sugest activities my class can complete relating to measures (weight and capacity) we can do with only 5 balance scales, no scales with measurments on.

I'm also dreading teaching capacity in my tiny classroom - how can I do it without getting water/sand all over the place!?

cornflake girl

I put one balance out on each table and used little freezer bags with sand in The children had to find objects that weighed more or less or about the same as they little bag of sand. If you tell the children that you are looking for co-operation with the equipment just as much as weighing and using key vocab they should be okay.

I'm doing capacity this week. I'm going to do whole class demo for most of it and then for the rest I'm using rice. I can't use water as we have carpet and I don't want to rely on good weather to take them outside. I'm only doing one day on capacity and then will look at it in more detail in the summer term when I can take them outside.

HTH

redredrobin

CG's suggestions are the way to go - 1 set of scales per table. If you have any standard weights (and want to get that far) you could get them to work out which items weigh more / less than 500g etc.
Capacity can be done in a washing up bowl on a table top - do it before lunch so that there's time to dry off the table top!

twinkle298

There are some good computer demos for reading numbered scales if you need to do that kind of measuring as well (not familiar with Y2 objectives) eg. www.teachingmeasures.co.uk and ITPs. You could use those in the ICT suite or have groups reading the scales from the interactive whiteboard/whole class whiteboard work using the scales on an IWB. Have you got proper weights for 100g etc. ? If so you can get children to find objects that balance those weights or make a ball of plasticine/playdough that matches that amount. You could also ask people at school or maybe parents to lend you their kitchen or bathroom scales for a few days.

For capacity this should be ok - I have done water work in a carousel with groups in Y3 without any spillages. Do you have any art table cloths you could use? Just explain to the children that you don't expect any water to be spilt and if anyone does spill because they are being silly they won't be able to take part. (Obviously the odd drop will be ok so long as they know they have to wipe up themselves) No walking around carrying water - have everything set up on tables ready and/or have your TA bring over jugs of water. Sand and rice are good to use as well.

littlebigfish

Thanks all - you've given me loads of fab sugestions.

queenlit

Take in some groceries and ask children to put them in order from largest to smallest. You can do this with weight or capacity.

cornflake girl

I did capacity today, Lower Set Y1/2. I showed various containers. Said I wanted to find out which one two containers held the most rice. One was tall and narrow, other wide and quite shallow.

Me: How could I find out?
Child: put some rice in them and then hold them up in your hands and see which weighs the most.

Hmmmmmmm Rolling Eyes

littlebigfish

uh oh cornflake girl!

I'm doing capacity on Thurs will see what my lot come up with!!

cornflake girl

Loads of lack of understanding of terms more and less as well. There was rice everywhere by the end of the lesson. They had fun though. Do kids not get the containers out in the bath and play pouring from one to another games anymore?

I had the children working in small groups of their own choice. I said to one of the children, choose two containers and he said 'I'll pick Lewis and Connor'! Laughing

queenlit

Could you do how many yoghurt pots of rice will fill this container? Estimate and check.

redredrobin

Leaping to the children's defence here, I can understand their confusion. I would weigh rice if I was cooking, not measure it in a measuring jug.