Mass, Capacity, Temperature - Measure mass - Planning

In the second year of primary school, a lesson on measuring mass introduces children to the concept of weight and how to measure it using non-standard units such as cubes or bricks. The lesson plan includes differentiated worksheets, teaching slides, balances, and various objects for weighing, aiming to familiarize students with key vocabulary such as 'weight', 'mass', 'scale', 'balance', and comparative terms like 'heavier than' and 'lighter than'. The children begin by revisiting previous learning, understanding that a balance level indicates equal mass and grappling with the challenge of achieving exact balance with non-standard units. Through partner work and practical activities, they explore how to determine the mass of an object by incrementally adding cubes until the balances are level, recording their findings and making statements about the mass equivalence in cubes.

The lesson progresses with hands-on activities where children weigh different objects using cubes, noting the number required for each and comparing the effectiveness of various non-standard units. They are encouraged to think critically about which objects make better units of measure and why. To deepen understanding, they engage in reasoning and problem-solving exercises, discussing true or false statements and explaining their reasoning. The lesson addresses common misconceptions, such as the belief that larger objects are always heavier. As the lesson concludes, children reflect on what they've learned, the skills they've used and found challenging, and what they will remember for the future. Differentiated sheets cater to varying levels of understanding, from working towards the expected level to achieving greater depth, with the complexity of reasoning questions and the number of options to choose from increasing accordingly.