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Afterschool Lesson Plan Database

Lesson Plan

This lesson was excerpted from the Afterschool Training Toolkit under the promising practice: Finding Math

Description:

This sample lesson is one example of how you can implement the Finding Math practice. In this activity, students use measuring cups to compare and estimate volume as they make a healthy snack.

Learning Goals:

• Compare and order measuring cups according to volume
• Use tools to measure
• Make comparisons and estimates among different measurements

Materials:

• A set of measuring cups for each small group
• 50 small marshmallows for each small group
• A cup of orange juice for each student
• Frozen yogurt — enough for each student to have a scoop
• Spoons
• Plastic cups
• Paper and pens/pencils
• Bags for supplies

Preparation:

• Assemble supply bags with needed materials for each student.
• Be prepared to review the meaning of the word "prediction," which means to make a reasonable guess about something that hasn't happened yet. You may want to model strategies for forming predictions with marshmallows for younger students.

What to Do:

• Divide students into groups of four or five, based on who will work well together. Give each student a bag of supplies, and each small group a set of measuring cups.
• Ask children to line up measuring cups from smallest to largest.
• Ask students to predict which cup will hold the most. Try to get students to articulate that the big cup will hold more than the smaller cups, and that the amount each cup holds is called volume.
• Ask students how they found their answers, and how they know which one holds more.
• Next, pour orange juice into the one-cup measuring cups, and have students pour the orange juice from the measuring cup into their plastic cups.
• Ask students to observe any similarities or differences in the juice in each container. What did they notice as they poured the juice? Younger students may think that there are different amounts, based on how the juice fills each container. Ask them how they know. It may help them to clarify the volume by pouring the juice back into the measuring cup to test their predictions.
• Add a scoop of frozen yogurt into each of the plastic cups with juice.
• Next, ask students to predict how many marshmallows will fit into half-cup measuring cups, write down their predictions, and then describe how they made their predictions.
• Have students test their predictions using the marshmallows and then discuss their answers. Answers will vary depending on how the cup was packed. Finally, students can add marshmallows to their juice and yogurt and eat it!

Teaching Tips:

Evaluate (Outcomes to look for):

Much of the assessment for this lesson comes from listening to and watching the children. Listen for use of vocabulary, facility with ordering measuring cups, understanding of conservation of matter, and estimation skills and strategies.

• Student participation and engagement
• Using measuring tools productively
• An understanding of different measurements and how to measure
• Answers that reflect an understanding of size and volume
• Answers that reflect an understanding of comparison and prediction, as well as strategies to make and test predictions

Standards:
Click this link to see additional learning goals, grade-level benchmarks, and standards covered in this lesson.