Unit 3

Understanding and Applying Measurement to Solve Problems

Unit 3 Overview:

In this unit students will apply their knowledge of measurement to solve measurement problems and convert measurements from a larger unit to a smaller unit. Students will increase their knowledge of capacity units to include cups, pints, quarts and gallons. Fourth graders will gain familiarity of length units to include both metric (km, m & cm) and standard (inches, feet & yards) units. Students will begin to convert measurements using visual aids. Students will expand their knowledge of perimeter and area. They will use various problem solving strategies to find the area of rectangular figures. Fourth graders will apply their knowledge of factors and further explore the relationship between multiplication and area.

  1. Students will understand relative sizes of units within the metric system (mm,cm, m, km; g, kg; ml, l) by developing benchmarks through hands on experiences and visual representations. (MD.A.1)
  2. Students will solve multi-step problems involving measurement and conversion of measurements from a larger unit to a smaller unit using mm, cm, m, km; g, kg; ml, l. (MD.A.1)(MD.A.2)
  3. Students will record measurement equivalents using a two column table (conversion table) to use as a tool for problem solving. (MD.A.1)
  4. Students will apply area and perimeter formulas to solve real world problems. (MD.A.3)
Grade 4 Unit 3 Family Resource

Home Activities

Questions to Ask

  • Create a table to show the equivalencies found between inches, feet, and yards. Discuss at least 3 patterns that are found in the table.
  • Mack estimates the length of his garden to be 30 ft. Ella estimates 10 yds. IF the actual length is 29 ft, which is the better estimate?
  • Ana has 7 cups of water, Eva has 3 pints of water and Ed had 1 quart of water. Ed says he has the greatest amount of water. Is he correct?
  • A new world record was set for a motorcycle jump. The jump was 150 yards. All records are kept in terms of feet. How many feet was the jump?
  • A “pace” is the length of a person’s step. The average pace is 1 yd. How many feet would 11 paces be? How did you find your answer?
  • If a desk is 24 inches long, how many desks would fit into a space that is 6 yards long?
  • Fred has been taking guitar lessons for 100 weeks. Nancy has been taking guitar lessons for 3 years. Compare their times.
  • If the area of a rectangular playground is 60 square meters, what could be the length of sides?
  • What are customary units of length/capacity?
  • What are metric units?
  • How do you use weight and measurement in your life?
  • How can you use multiplication to explain why the area formula works?
  • Why and when do we need to know about perimeter and area?
  • How are linear units different from square units?


Resources

Websites/Games

  • Sal’s Sub Shop - Interactive game - Measuring metric and standard units with a ruler
  • Artie Ounces Soda Jerk - Interactive game - Metric and Standard Units of Capacity
  • Toy Store - Quiz with 10 word problems relating to purchasing items at a toy store.
  • Zoo Designer - Interactive website calculating area and perimeter
  • Geoboard- The Geoboard is a tool for exploring a variety of mathematical topics introduced in the elementary and middle grades. Learners stretch bands around pegs to form line segments and polygons and make discoveries about perimeter, area, angles, congruence, fractions, and more.

Other Resources

  • Math Slide Multiplication - Multiplication & Division Facts is a multiplayer game helping children to learn and recall multiplication and division number facts.
  • SushiMonster - (App) Meet Sushi Monster! Scholastic’s new game to practice, reinforce, and extend math fact fluency is completely engaging and appropriately challenging.
  • 10 Monkeys Multiplication- (Android App) Free the trapped monkeys by using your multiplication skills! Bo's ten monkey friends are in trouble – they are trapped and need your help. To free all the monkeys you need determination to master times tables from 2 to 10. Think you can do it? We know you can, and we promise you will have lots of fun while doing so!

Math Words

These are vocabulary words that students will be exposed to throughout the unit.



  • benchmark measurement
  • capacity
  • centimeter
  • conversion
  • distance
  • gram
  • kilogram
  • kilometer
  • liter
  • mass
  • meter
  • milliliter
  • millimeter
  • weight



  • area
  • formula
  • composite figure
  • partitioning
  • perimeter
  • polygon
  • square units
  • unknown