Teaching ideas

•   Getting started (Getting started sheet 10)
  This link displays the Getting started on page 170 to use as a class discussion. You could extend this discussion and ask students why kilometres AND metres AND centimetres AND millimetres are all needed to measure length. You could ask questions like ‘Can you measure a stamp using metres? What is a better unit to use? Why? And so on.

• Discussion
  Use the discussion on page 174 as a class discussion. You could divide the class into groups and then ask each group to report their findings to the class.

• Abbreviations
  Divide the class into groups. Ask questions about the abbreviations for units such as “What does km stand for?” or “What is the abbreviation for litres?” The first person to answer takes a point for their group.

Teacher notes

• Point out that units of mass, capacity and length are related to physical objects whereas time is not.
• It is important that students know the approximate size of all metric and time units. This is best consolidated by students working with familiar items in their world, associating them with lengths, masses, capacities and time.
• Make sure students know the abbreviations for the metric units.
• Students should know that 1 tonne is 1000 kg. This could be introduced into the discussion on page 174, by saying that 1000 g is called 1 kg so 1000 kg has to have a specific name.