Teaching capacity is not a particularly popular maths topic it seems - this has been mentioned a number of times when talking to primary teachers. It could be the water and mess, or that the seemingly simple concept of capacity is just not that easy for children to understand and is tough to teach.
So how can we make capacity more enjoyable to teach and easy to learn?
So how can we make capacity more enjoyable to teach and easy to learn?
Capacity is a practical, hands-on, active bit of maths that lends itself perfectly to problem-solving.
For children to understand the concept they need to play and use jugs, cups, bottles and spoons, but they also need to see the purpose of measuring with them. This is invariably to solve a problem – not necessarily always in a ‘real’ context; sometimes it is just a simple estimate and measure activity.
Based on the ‘keep it simple’ principle, here are a few activities for KS1 that involve a variety of different sized containers and a handful of elastic bands. It may be helpful to colour water with food dye so that pupils can see the levels in containers more easily, with elastic bands stretched round containers to show levels.
For children to understand the concept they need to play and use jugs, cups, bottles and spoons, but they also need to see the purpose of measuring with them. This is invariably to solve a problem – not necessarily always in a ‘real’ context; sometimes it is just a simple estimate and measure activity.
Based on the ‘keep it simple’ principle, here are a few activities for KS1 that involve a variety of different sized containers and a handful of elastic bands. It may be helpful to colour water with food dye so that pupils can see the levels in containers more easily, with elastic bands stretched round containers to show levels.
Elastic band estimating
Explain how to compare the capacity of bottles by pouring from one to the other and discuss using funnels to avoid spillage. Show how elastic bands can be used to record the levels of water. Elastic bands can then be used to estimate where pupils think the water level will be when filling from one bottle to the other.
Explain how to compare the capacity of bottles by pouring from one to the other and discuss using funnels to avoid spillage. Show how elastic bands can be used to record the levels of water. Elastic bands can then be used to estimate where pupils think the water level will be when filling from one bottle to the other.
Comparing bottles
Pupils choose two plastic bottles of different sizes and use an elastic band to mark on the larger bottle where they think the smaller bottle will fill to. They check their estimate and repeat for pairs of different bottles. They then develop this by marking on the larger bottle how much will be left if they fill the smaller bottle.
Pupils choose two plastic bottles of different sizes and use an elastic band to mark on the larger bottle where they think the smaller bottle will fill to. They check their estimate and repeat for pairs of different bottles. They then develop this by marking on the larger bottle how much will be left if they fill the smaller bottle.
Fill to the mark
Put an elastic band somewhere around a litre bottle. Ask pupils to estimate how many cups will be needed to fill to the elastic band level, then check by filling. They then work in groups, putting an elastic band in different positions on litre bottles and repeat the activity. They record by drawing a picture of the bottle and marking each cupful.
Put an elastic band somewhere around a litre bottle. Ask pupils to estimate how many cups will be needed to fill to the elastic band level, then check by filling. They then work in groups, putting an elastic band in different positions on litre bottles and repeat the activity. They record by drawing a picture of the bottle and marking each cupful.
Two jugs
Pour 800ml of water into a transparent jug and mark the level with an elastic band. Pour 300ml of water into another identical transparent jug and mark the level. Using these two containers how could you measure exactly one litre of water? Which other amounts of water could you make exactly?
Prompts: Before measuring one litre, try measuring different amounts with the jugs, recording the results. What if two different jugs were used? What if a third jug was included?
Pour 800ml of water into a transparent jug and mark the level with an elastic band. Pour 300ml of water into another identical transparent jug and mark the level. Using these two containers how could you measure exactly one litre of water? Which other amounts of water could you make exactly?
Prompts: Before measuring one litre, try measuring different amounts with the jugs, recording the results. What if two different jugs were used? What if a third jug was included?
Marking the level
As a follow-up to the ‘Fill to the mark’ activity, pupils mark a strip of paper fixed to a litre bottle to show their estimate for 1 cupful. They check by pouring in a cupful and marking it with an elastic band (or coloured line). They continue marking and pouring until the jug is full and they have a calibrated strip for cupfuls. This can be repeated by filling with 100ml cups or different amounts.
As a follow-up to the ‘Fill to the mark’ activity, pupils mark a strip of paper fixed to a litre bottle to show their estimate for 1 cupful. They check by pouring in a cupful and marking it with an elastic band (or coloured line). They continue marking and pouring until the jug is full and they have a calibrated strip for cupfuls. This can be repeated by filling with 100ml cups or different amounts.
Related articles:
A watery context for teaching measures and money
A useful resource that makes maths real and meaningful.
Maths in context - Pancake Day
Making pancakes and all the measuring that involves
Teaching datahandling creatively using graph stories
Bath time grpah stories for Y5 &Y6
Maths in a weather theme - which month has most rain?
Comparing, ordering and rounding measures.
A watery context for teaching measures and money
A useful resource that makes maths real and meaningful.
Maths in context - Pancake Day
Making pancakes and all the measuring that involves
Teaching datahandling creatively using graph stories
Bath time grpah stories for Y5 &Y6
Maths in a weather theme - which month has most rain?
Comparing, ordering and rounding measures.
Just to help you think about progression, here is an outline to steps in understanding the measurement of capacity.
- Compare capacity of containers
- Order containers by capacity
- Use non-standard units (cups, spoons, bottles…) to measure capacity
- Estimate capacity in non-standard units
- Make approximate measures with graduated strips
- Use metric units (litres, millilitres) to measure – read scales
- Select appropriate measuring containers and read them accurately
- Estimate capacity in metric units
- Know the relationship between metric units of capacity
- Compare imperial units to metric units of capacity
