Measure Up! Capacity Chart

How much does a container hold? Remember relative liquid measures with this capacity chart.

• 1.

  Gather containers of various shapes and sizes for measuring liquid capacity. For example, for U.S. measures, find cup, pint, quart, and gallon containers. Elsewhere, locate containers that measure portions of and whole liters.

• 2.

  Add one or two drops of Crayola® Washable Tempera to a pitcher of water. Experiment with containers to determine how many of one unit of capacity it takes to fill another.

• 3.

  Use Crayola Construction Paper Crayons to make a capacity chart to record your discoveries. Draw the outline of a large jug. Inside the outline draw increasingly smaller containers. Fill in outlines with bright crayon colors.

• 4.

  Work with a partner to practice using your chart, asking questions such as "How many cups are in a gallon?" or "How many milliliters are in a liter?"

Benefits

• Students experiment with various containers to explore standard units of liquid capacity.
• Students create a diagram to illustrate the capacity of each container, reflecting increasingly larger units of measure.
• Children challenge each other to compute comparative liquid measures.

Adaptations

• Create a kitchen conversion guide to post on the refrigerator. Assemble various kitchen measuring utensils. In the U.S., investigate how many teaspoons make a tablespoon, for example, using sand or colored water. Include half, third, and quarter units to
• Use both U.S. system and metric containers to compare and contrast measurements. In what countries is the metric system used? Why has the U.S. delayed adopting this standard for measurement? Research the history on this issue.
• Prepare a conversion chart that shows equivalent U.S. and metric measurements. Which system do you think is easier to use? Why?