3rd grade · Math · Unit 6 of 14
Measuring
Length, mass and capacity
What your child practices
Measuring with centimeters and meters, grams and kilograms, milliliters and liters: choosing sensible units, estimating, comparing and solving measurement problems.
Alabama Course of Study content standard: 3.19 · estimating and measuring liquid volumes and masses in liters, grams and kilograms
How we explain it
Children can open this short lesson before they practice.
- Length: millimeters, centimeters, meters and kilometers.
- Mass: grams (g) and kilograms (kg).
- Capacity: milliliters (mL) and liters (L). Pick a unit that fits.
Example: Which unit fits the mass of an apple? An apple is light. Light things are measured in grams. Answer: Grams (g)
Measuring in Alabama
In the Alabama Course of Study, this is unit 6 of 14 in 3rd grade Math, after Patterns & Equations and before Time.
Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.
Sample questions
A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.
Question 1
About how tall is a classroom door?
🚪- 2 m
- 2 cm
- 20 m
2 m
Hint: A door is a bit taller than a grown-up, but much shorter than a house: about 2 m.
Question 2
About how heavy is a child's bicycle?
🚲- 10 g
- 10 kg
- 100 kg
10 kg
Hint: A child's bike is heavy, but a grown-up can lift it easily: about 10 kg.
Question 3
Which is heavier: 1 kg or 1200 g?
- They are the same
- 1 kg
- 1200 g
1200 g
Hint: Change to the same unit: 1 kg = 1000 g, so 1 kg = 1000 g. Now compare 1000 g with 1200 g.
Question 4
Which unit would you use to measure how much a bathtub holds?
🛁- liters
- centimeters
- milliliters
liters
Hint: Milliliters are for small amounts, like a spoonful. Liters are for big amounts, like a bucket of water. 1 liter is 1000 milliliters.
Question 5
Which unit would you use to measure the mass of a feather?
🪶- grams
- kilograms
- milliliters
grams
Hint: Grams are for light things, like a paper clip. Kilograms are for heavy things, like a bag of potatoes. 1 kilogram is 1000 grams.
Question 6
How long is the pencil?
✏️0123456789101112131415cmanswer boxcm
12 cm
Hint: The pencil starts at 0. Read the number at its end: 12 cm.