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K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

Milk it for all it's worth

Students will cooperatively discover the equivalent measures of capacity. In addition, students will be given a unit price of milk and will be asked to calculate the price of other units of capacity based on the price given. They will then use this information to determine the most economical buy.

A lesson plan for grade 3 Mathematics

By ann dawson

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Learning outcomes

Students will:

  • understand units of capacities.
  • discover equivalent units i.e. 2 cups = 1 pint.
  • convert units of capacity.
  • determine the most economical unit of milk to purchase.

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

1 hour

Materials/resources

Technology resources

Calculator for each group

Pre-activities

Using student’s prior knowledge, discuss measures of capacity.

Survey class to see what unit of capacity their family usually purchases when buying milk. Why?

Activities

  1. Divide students into cooperative groups.
  2. Give each group one of each of the following unit containers: cup, pint, quart, and gallon. Have students estimate equivalent units prior to “hands-on” activity.
  3. Students use water to discover the equivalent measures i.e. 4 quarts = 1 gallon. Students record their equivalences in their math journal.
  4. As a class, discuss how one could calculate the price of other units given the unit price of one particular unit.
  5. Hand out the worksheet “Milk It for All It’s Worth.” Go over the example at the top of the worksheet.
  6. Give each group a calculator. Have students go back to their cooperative groups to complete the converting worksheet.
  7. As a group, students will choose which unit of capacity would be the most economical unit to buy and support their answer based on the worksheet calculations.
  8. Close by asking students to summarize the capacity equivalences and discuss how today’s lesson might help them in the future.

Assessment

Assess:

  • accuracy of equivalent capacity units in cooperative group activity.
  • worksheet accuracy in unit price of milk.
  • student’s written response to “most economical buy.”

Supplemental information

Comments

Lesson could be extended to the comparison of different milk brand prices.
Graphs, by hand or computer, could be used to illustrate price comparisons.

North Carolina curriculum alignment

Mathematics (2004)

Grade 3

  • Goal 1: Number and Operations - The learner will model, identify, and compute with whole numbers through 9,999.
    • Objective 1.06: Develop flexibility in solving problems by selecting strategies and using mental computation, estimation, calculators or computers, and paper and pencil.
  • Goal 2: Measurement - The learner will recognize and use standard units of metric and customary measurement.
    • Objective 2.02: Estimate and measure using appropriate units.
      • Capacity (cups, pints, quarts, gallons, liters).
      • Length (miles, kilometers).
      • Mass (ounces, pounds, grams, kilograms).
      • Temperature (Fahrenheit, Celsius).

  • Common Core State Standards

    • Mathematics (2010)

      • Grade 3

        • Measurement & Data
          • 3.MD.2Measure and estimate liquid volumes and masses of objects using standard units of grams (g), kilograms (kg), and liters (l).1 Add, subtract, multiply, or divide to solve one-step word problems involving masses or volumes that are given in the same units,...