Converting Units - Millimetres and Millilitres - Planning

In the Year 5 summer term lesson on converting measurements, students are introduced to the concepts of millimetres and millilitres, learning to convert these units to metres and litres, respectively. The lesson utilises practical resources such as rulers, metre sticks, jugs, and bottles to help children visualise and understand the conversion process. A key part of the lesson is understanding the prefix 'milli', which signifies one thousandth, therefore establishing that there are 1,000 millimetres in a metre and 1,000 millilitres in a litre. Through a series of engaging activities, including partner discussions and independent work, students practice converting units by multiplying or dividing by 1,000, reinforcing their learning with the mantra "Say it with me!" to remember the correct operations for each conversion.

Further into the lesson, children are challenged with reasoning tasks where they sort true or false statements based on their conversions. They also engage in activities that involve comparing quantities using inequality symbols, ensuring they understand which unit to convert and why it doesn't matter as the answer will remain the same. The lesson is structured to cater to different levels of understanding, with worksheets designed for those working towards expected levels, at expected levels, and at greater depth. Key questions prompt students to think critically about when and where different units are used, and the lesson addresses common misconceptions such as representing millimetres as metres and millilitres as litres using decimals, finding fractions of quantities, and accurately adding measurements together.