How much might a newborn baby weigh: 3 kilograms, 30 kilograms or 300 kilograms? Maybe you’re unsure of that metric answer, but if you said 3 kilograms, you’re right. 3kg equals approximately 6.6 pounds; 30kg, about 66 pounds; 300 kg, about 660 pounds. If you missed it, don’t feel bad – although America intended to join the rest of the world and completely convert to metric measures (long the standard measurement system of science and engineering), we still juggle two measurement systems, confusing children and adults as well.
Annual Celebration
The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) started “National Metric Week” in 1976, a year after the Metric Conversion Act was signed, designating the preferred system of weights and measures for U.S. trade and commerce the international system of units (SI), the metric system. The NCTM encourages elementary and secondary teachers to emphasize the simplicity and importance of metrics. If you teach, you no doubt develop metric awareness year-round, but you can celebrate metrics annually during the week in which October 10th falls. The 10th day of the 10th month was chosen as National Metric Week to emphasize the number 10, since the metric system is based on units of 10. The 35th annual National Metric Week is Oct. 9 through Oct. 15, 2011.
Hands-On Activities
Hands-on experiences are vital if a student is to understand measurement. You can talk all you want about kilograms and grams, but kids don’t understand them until they have them in their hands and use them for weighing. They have no idea how small a millimeter really is until they measure the thickness of a paper clip. They know they buy liters of soda, but may not even realize liter stands for the amount of liquid in the soda bottle. Students must be engaged in metric measurement activities that spark their curiosity.
Mini-Metric Olympics
If you want to make National Metric Week memorable, I recommend trying AIMS “Mini-Metric Olympics.” My students were never as excited about measurement as they were when they participated in these games: paper plate discus, paper straw javelin throw, cotton ball shot put, right-handed marble grab, left-handed sponge squeeze and “Big Foot was here.” Everything you need to conduct your own Metric Olympics is in these printable 13 pages. Led by team captains, students rotate through activities in six areas. Every student participates in every activity. They estimate beforehand and calculate the difference between their estimates and the actual measures at each center.
Students get a brief history on things related to the Olympics, such as the flame and the symbols. There are medal templates for rewarding winners. Additionally, there is a Mini-Metric Olympics II and a scavenger hunt that can be used as follow-up activities.
Teaching Metric Measures to Elementary and Middle Grade Students
image credit: sxc.hu/kalilo