TITLE OF THE LEARNING EXPERIENCE: Inching Our Way Into The Metric System by Paula Allis

1. LEARNING CONTEXT
MST#3: Students will understand mathematics and become mathematically confident by communicating and reasoning mathematically, by applying mathematics in real-world settings, and by solving problems through the integrated study of number systems, algebra, data analysis, probability, and trigonometry.

• Use numbers in a variety of equivalent forms.
• Develop measurement skills and informally derive and apply formulas in direct measurement activities.
• Explore and produce graphic representations of data using calculators/computers.
• Develop critical judgments for the reasonableness of measurements.

MST#5: Students will apply technological knowledge and skills to design, construct, use, and evaluate products and systems to satisfy human and environment needs.

• Use computer hardware and software to create prototypical designs and models.

The students will express the values of the metric system and learn to convert the values within the areas of capacity, length, and mass. This will interrelate with the 5th grade math textbook Addison-Wesley Mathematics.

2. PROCEDURE
1. The teacher will give a history on the Metric System. Tell the students that a group of French scientists created the Metric System because they wanted an easier way to measure. The Metric System uses the decimal number system and the units increase or decrease by ten. There are only 7 base units in the Metric System where the English System has 20 units.

2. Using the blackboard/overhead the teacher writes the word Length on it. Have the students list the units for length within the English System. Then the teacher will list the Metric System on the board: millimeters, centimeters, decimeters, meters, dekameters, hectometers, kilometers. Do same procedure for mass and capacity also.

3. Ask the students if they see a pattern on the metric system and list the prefixes on a new transparency/blackboard. Discuss that these are the seven main units of the Metric System. Discuss the order of the prefixes and how much each is compared to the unit. Explain that each unit goes up by tens. Also explain the three measuring units: meter is length, gram is mass, and liter is capacity. Use the meter stick, weights, and liter cup to show how much each unit is.

4. Day 2: Review and list the prefixes and their amounts. Next, go over examples of what measurement you should use when measuring certain items and objects. Do samples within the book (pages 152-153, top of page 156 problems 1-4, 11-14, top of page 162, top of page 164). Also used 6-1/PS-5, 6-1/RS-5.

5. Ask the student various questions about how many millimeters are in centimeters, how many kilograms are in a gram, etc. Ask questions like this so that the students can get use to how much each unit is worth and get comfortable with the Metric System.

6. Day 3-9: Explain to the class that today they will be converting the values within length, mass, and capacity. Give the example: 12mm=_____cm. Explain that the first step in changing values is knowing how many places to move the decimal. Introduce this chart to the class: Milli- (.001); centi- (.01); Deci- (.1); Unit m, g, l (1.0); deka- (10.0); hecto- (100.0); kilo- (1000.0)

Explain the chart: the chart moves the decimal one place for each unit. Milli is the smallest unit and kilo is the biggest. The units are increasing the multiples of ten. Explain that to go from milligrams to centigrams you move the decimal one place value. Continue explaining and having the students explain how many places you would move the decimal using various units (i.e.: cent to unit, kilo to deci, etc.)

7. The second step in converting values is to know and remember the order of the units. They need to know that milli is the smallest unit and that it will take more millimeters to measure the width of the table than centimeters. Write and explain to the student that the smaller unit will ALWAYS have a bigger number. Give the students a few examples: give them two units and have them tell which is the bigger or smaller unit and which will have the bigger/smaller number.

8. **Note you can also teach them SLL (when going from Small units to Large units move the decimal Left) and LSR (when going from Large units to Small units move the decimal to the Right).

9. Now go back and look at the first example you gave the students 12mm=_____cm. Review with the students the two steps to solving this. the first is to know how many places to move the decimal point. Step two is to know which unit is the smallest and remember that that unit needs a bigger number; this will help you to know which direction to move the decimal point or use SLL and LSR.

10. In the example 12mm=_____cm. Looking at the above chart, ask how many places do we move the decimal. To go from mm to cm is one place. So we will move the decimal one place.

11. Now to decide if we move the decimal to the left or right, ask students if cm is a bigger or a smaller unit. Since cm is a bigger unit than mm. The number in front of cm has to be smaller than the mm unit. so move the decimal point to the left to make the number smaller. Move the decimal point to the right to make the number smaller. Mover the decimal point to the right to make the number bigger. Do a few examples together using pages in the math textbook (pages 152-157, 158-159, 162-165; also use 6-2/PS-5, 6-2/RS-5, 6-3/PS-5, 6-2/RS-5, 6-3/RS-5, 6-2/PS-5, 6-5/PS-5, 6-6/PS-5, 6-6/RS-5, 6-7/PS-5).

12. Allow the students to do the problem on the spreadsheet (called met) and they can check their answers. Students can make their own review page for their classmates.

13. Day 10: Review with assigning page 161 (do numbers 1-7), page 174 (do numbers 1-5).

14. Day 12: As an assessment do page 175 (do numbers 1-8, 11-14, 18).

3. INSTRUCTIONAL/ENVIRONMENTAL MODIFICATIONS
The Resource Room teacher will work on the assignments with the students identified. She will also have the Met Spreadsheet so the students can get more reinforcements. When working on the spreadsheet the students will be allowed to work independently or in groups.

4. TIME REQUIRED
- Planning: 30 minutes a day

- Implementation: 12 days

- Assessment: 1 hour