Mass and Weight

1 ton = 2,000 pounds1 pound = 16 ounces

Length

1 mile = 1,760 yards1 mile = 5,280 feet

1 yard = 3 feet1 foot = 12 inches

Capacity and Volume

1 gallon = 4 quarts1 gallon = 128 fluid ounces

1 quart = 2 pints1 pint = 2 cups

1 cup = 8 fluid ounces

Customary Measurements

Length: U.S. Customary

The measurement of length uses different units. In the United States, we measure length in inches, feet, and yards. These are called U.S. Customary units. We use different units of measurements. The activity on the next page will help you learn about the units that these tools use for measuring.

tape measure

yardstick

ruler

In the United States, we use these tools to measure length.

There are many times when we want to measure something. We can measure to find:

Capacity tells how much liquid a container will hold.

Length

Capacity

WeightWeight tells how heavy something is.

Length tells how long something is.Length

Weight

Capacity

Ways to Measure

Customary Units

These are the units of measurement we use in the United States.

There are 3 ways we measure things.

1) linear (how long something is)

2) capacity (how much liquid something will hold)

3) weight (how heavy something is)

Length

Pu

ll 1 foot = 12 inches1 yard = 3 feet1 mile = 5,280 feet

1) linear (how long something is)

·inches (in)·feet (ft)·yards (yd)·miles (mi)

1 ft = 12 in

1 mi = 1,780 yd

1 mi = 5,280 ft

1 yd = 3 ft

Inch

Foot

Yard

Mile

These are the units used to measure length.

Inch

Foot

Yard

2) capacity (how much liquid something will hold)

·fluid ounces (fl oz)·cup (c)·pint (pt)·quart (qt)·gallon (gal)

1 c = 8 fl oz

1 gal = 4 qts

1 qt = 2 pt

1 pt = 2 c

Capacity

Pu

ll 1 cup = 8 fluid ounces1 pint = 2 cups1 quart = 2 pints1 gallon = 4 quarts

Capacity: U.S.

Your robot should similar to the one shown here. Use the robot to help you answer the questions. Write the answers below.

How many pints are in two quarts? How many gallons will eight quarts make? How many cups do you need to fill a quart? How many cups are in a ½ gallon? How many cups are in one pint?

4

2

4

8

2

answer

answer

answer

answer

answer

Instru

ctio

ns

Let's build a robot to help us remember how the units of capacity work together. Drag the gallon to the middle of the screen. One gallon equals four quarts. Drag the four quarts to make two legs and two arms. (The four quarts should be the top part of the arms and legs.) Two pints equals one quart. Eight quarts equals one gallon. Drag the eight pints to extend the arms and legs. (Show two pints below each of the four quarts. Do not mix with cups.) Two cups equals one pint. Sixteen cups equals one gallon. Drag the sixteen cups to extend the arms and legs even further. (Show two cups below each pint. Do not intersperse with other units of capacity.) Finally, draw a head on top of the robot.

Capacity: U.S. Customary

2) capacity (how much liquid something will hold)

·fluid ounces (fl oz)·cup (c)·pint (pt)·quart (qt)·gallon (gal)

1 c = 8 fl oz

1 gal = 4 qts

1 qt = 2 pt

1 pt = 2 c

Capacity

Pu

ll 1 cup = 8 fluid ounces1 pint = 2 cups1 quart = 2 pints1 gallon = 4 quarts

Capacity: U.S.

Your robot should similar to the one shown here. Use the robot to help you answer the questions. Write the answers below.

How many pints are in two quarts? How many gallons will eight quarts make? How many cups do you need to fill a quart? How many cups are in a ½ gallon? How many cups are in one pint?

4

2

4

8

2

answer

answer

answer

answer

answer

Instru

ctio

ns

Let's build a robot to help us remember how the units of capacity work together. Drag the gallon to the middle of the screen. One gallon equals four quarts. Drag the four quarts to make two legs and two arms. (The four quarts should be the top part of the arms and legs.) Two pints equals one quart. Eight quarts equals one gallon. Drag the eight pints to extend the arms and legs. (Show two pints below each of the four quarts. Do not mix with cups.) Two cups equals one pint. Sixteen cups equals one gallon. Drag the sixteen cups to extend the arms and legs even further. (Show two cups below each pint. Do not intersperse with other units of capacity.) Finally, draw a head on top of the robot.

Capacity: U.S. Customary

fluid ounces

quart

pint

cup

Which capacity unit would you use to measure ....

·the water in a bathtub

·a coffee mug

·a water bottle on your desk

·a rain drop

·a swimming pool

·a large jug of milk

gallon

drag the correct measurement

If an object weighs less than a pound, its weight can be measured in ounces. Place each object on the scale. Guess if its weight is shown in pounds or ounces.

Weight: U.S. Customary

Weight

Pu

ll

1 pound = 16 ounces1 ton = 2,000 pounds

3) weight (how heavy something is)

·ounce (oz)·pound (lb)·Ton (T)

1 lb = 16 oz

1 T = 2,000 lb

1 T = 32,000 oz

ounce (oz)

Ton (T)

pound (lb)

Which weight unit would you use to measure ....

·your weight

·a school bus

·a feather

·a dime

·your desk

·an elephant

·your pencil

drag the correct measurement

Weight

Which weighs more? Have students rotate the scales so that the heaviest side is lower.

2 33 2

Your friend bought a cage for her guinea pig. Your friend wants to know the perimeter of the top of the cage. Let's measure it to find out how big it is! Look at the cage from the top.

Perimeter

Perimeter is the total distance around the outside of a polygon, or shape.

To find the perimeter, add the length of each side. Write the answer.

The two longest sides are each 3 feet long. The two shortest sides are each 2 feet long. Drag the 3’s to the two longest sides.Drag the 2’s to the two shortest sides.

2 + 2 + 3 + 3 = ________ feet

Area

Have two students draw six equal squares and assemble them into a rectangle. This rectangle represents the area of the cage.

Instru

ctio

ns

We can also find the area of the bottom part of the cage.

Area is the amount of surface a shape covers. It is measured by the number of square units inside of the figure.

In this case, we are finding the area of a rectangle that is two feet long and three feet wide. The area of a rectangle is equal to its length multiplied by its width.

length

width

= area

x

An ounce (oz.), a pound (lb.), and a ton (T.) are U.S. Customary units used to measure weight. 16 ounces (oz.) = 1 pound (lb.) 2000 pounds (lb.) = 1 ton (T.)

A slice of bread weighs about one ounce. Sixteen slices weighs about one pound. 2,000 loaves of bread would weigh about 1 ton!Touch the bread.

Drag the correct word to complete the sentence.

Weight: U.S. Customary

Measurements

gallon1 kilogram

6 feet2

grams

yardsmillimeter16

Have two students compete to tap the correct answer for each question. Nine correct answers will reveal the new pet your friend is getting!