Metric Units Lesson Plans and Lesson Ideas

Metric Units

Converting metric units is as easy as sipping chocolate milk…unless you’re King Henry, that is! In this BrainPOP movie, Tim and Moby demonstrate how easy it is to convert centimeters to dekameters or kilograms to milligrams. Whether you’re dealing with length, mass, or volume, you’ll learn that each quantity is measured with one base unit. You’ll see how a range of new units can be created by adding prefixes to these units, and discover why the decimal point is key to converting between them. And you’ll find out exactly what King Henry, chocolate milk, and a nifty mnemonic have to do with it all!

Virtual Labs Lesson Plan: Testing for Corn Mold

In this lesson plan which is adaptable for grades 6-12, students are placed on food safety patrol.They must the use UV light in the online interactive to detect mold on corn, then test to see if it contains a toxin that could make people sick. This lesson plan is aligned to Common Core State Standards. See more »

Metric vs. Customary Units Lesson Plan: Which Should You Use?

In this lesson plan, which is adaptable for grades 3-8, students use BrainPOP resources to explore the differences between metric and customary units of measurement. Students will investigate the reasons why two systems exist and why a universal system could be both beneficial and problematic. They will also explain how to select an appropriate system of measurement when solving real world problems. This lesson plan is aligned to Common Core State Standards. See more »

Science Fair Lesson Plan: Planning Projects with BrainPOP and BrainPOP Jr.

In this lesson plan, which is adaptable for grades K-12, students use BrainPOP and/or BrainPOP Jr. resources to learn about planning projects when they create a science fair exhibit. They will select their topic, explore the criteria for planning, and design a compelling and realistic experiment based on their topic. This lesson plan is aligned to Common Core State Standards. See more »

Math Skills Lesson Plan: It’s All Fun and Games

In this lesson plan which is adaptable for grades 3-12, students work collaboratively to research selected math skills. Students then create, play, and assess a math game that is designed to apply and reinforce their selected math concept. This lesson plan is aligned to Common Core State Standards. See more »

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BrainPOP & the Common Core »

Metric Units Common Core State Standards Alignments

Grade: 02

CCSS.Math.Content.2.MD.A.1

Measure the length of an object by selecting and using appropriate tools such as rulers, yardsticks, meter sticks, and measuring tapes.

Grade: 02

CCSS.Math.Content.2.MD.A.3

Estimate lengths using units of inches, feet, centimeters, and meters.

Grade: 02

CCSS.Math.Content.2.MD.A.2

Measure the length of an object twice, using length units of different lengths for the two measurements; describe how the two measurements relate to the size of the unit chosen.

Grade: 03

CCSS.Math.Content.3.MD.C.6

Measure areas by counting unit squares (square cm, square m, square in, square ft, and improvised units).

Grade: 04

CCSS.Math.Content.4.MD.A.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. Within a single system of measurement, express measurements in a larger unit in terms of a smaller unit. Record measurement equivalents in a two-column table. For example, know that 1 ft is 12 times as long as 1 in. Express the length of a 4 ft snake as 48 in. Generate a conversion table for feet and inches listing the number pairs (1, 12), (2, 24), (3, 36), ...

Grade: 04

CCSS.Math.Content.4.MD.A.2

Use the four operations to solve word problems involving distances, intervals of time, liquid volumes, masses of objects, and money, including problems involving simple fractions or decimals, and problems that require expressing measurements given in a larger unit in terms of a smaller unit. Represent measurement quantities using diagrams such as number line diagrams that feature a measurement scale.

Grade: 05

CCSS.Math.Content.5.MD.A.1

Convert among different-sized standard measurement units within a given measurement system (e.g., convert 5 cm to 0.05 m), and use these conversions in solving multi-step, real world problems.

Grade: 06

CCSS.Math.Content.6.RP.A.3d

Use ratio reasoning to convert measurement units; manipulate and transform units appropriately when multiplying or dividing quantities.

Grade: 06

CCSS.Math.Content.6.SP.B.5b

Describing the nature of the attribute under investigation, including how it was measured and its units of measurement.

Grade: 08

CCSS.Math.Content.8.EE.A.4

Perform operations with numbers expressed in scientific notation, including problems where both decimal and scientific notation are used. Use scientific notation and choose units of appropriate size for measurements of very large or very small quantities (e.g., use millimeters per year for seafloor spreading). Interpret scientific notation that has been generated by technology

Grade: 09, 10, 11, 12

CCSS.Math.Content.HSN-Q.A.1

Use units as a way to understand problems and to guide the solution of multi-step problems; choose and interpret units consistently in formulas; choose and interpret the scale and the origin in graphs and data displays.

Lesson Ideas

Metric Units

Virtual Labs Lesson Plan: Testing for Corn Mold

Metric vs. Customary Units Lesson Plan: Which Should You Use?

Science Fair Lesson Plan: Planning Projects with BrainPOP and BrainPOP Jr.

Math Skills Lesson Plan: It’s All Fun and Games

Recent Metric Units Quizzes

Metrics

Metrics and Measurement (copy)

Matter Temp & Metric Units

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Academic Standards

Metric Units Common Core State Standards Alignments