Weight and volume - Compare capacity - Planning

In this Year 1 lesson plan focused on volume and capacity, primary school students embark on a journey to understand how to compare the capacity of different containers. The lesson utilises a variety of resources including differentiated worksheets, teaching slides, and practical items like cups and spoons as non-standard units of measure. Key vocabulary such as 'capacity', 'compare', 'measure', 'more than', 'less than', and 'equal to' are introduced and reinforced throughout the lesson. Students are encouraged to use these terms along with comparative symbols to articulate their observations and conclusions about the volume of liquids in containers.

The lesson structure includes a recap of previous learning, where children demonstrate their ability to compare capacities using non-standard units. They engage in partner work to foster discussion and articulate reasoning in complete sentences. Practical activities are central to this lesson, with children using non-standard units to measure and compare volumes, learning to record their findings using tally charts. Further activities challenge students to use inequality symbols to compare known volumes. The lesson concludes with a plenary session where students reflect on the skills they have learned and used, such as comparing volumes, and identify any areas they found challenging. Differentiated activities cater to varying levels of understanding, with tasks ranging from identifying containers with the most or least liquid to using inequality symbols to compare capacities, ensuring all students progress towards their learning goals.