Converting Metric Measurement

in Word Problems
Fourth Grade, Fifth Grade Math

by Maggie Knutson August 4, 2017

Students will learn to convert metric units by applying concepts in word problems. Exercises and worksheets
incorporate length (meters), and optional practice offers more instructions on mass (grams) and volume (liters).

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to solve multi-step word problems that require converting metric units (involving whole
numbers and decimals).

Materials and preparation Key terms

Rulers with metric units to millimeters base ten

Class set of Preparing to Convert Metric metric system
Measurement Using Deconstruction convert
Class set of Metric Length Measurement: Word
Problems
Class set of Metric Mass and Volume
Measurement in Word Problems (optional)

Attachments

Preparing to Convert Metric Measurement Using Deconstruction (PDF)

Metric Length Measurement: Word Problems (PDF)
Metric Mass and Volume Measurement in Word Problems (PDF)

Introduction (5 minutes)

Pass out metric rulers, one per student.

Direct students to examine their rulers and note the size of the different units.
Prompt students to share with a partner the names for any units they know (like centimeters and
millimeters) and examples of items they could measure with those units.
Pose the following question to your class: "How might you measure something using the metric system
that is longer than a ruler, like their desk, the height of the door, or the distance to the grocery store?"
EL

Beginning

Allow students to use their home language (L1) or new language (L2) in their discussions throughout the
whole lesson, whether their speaking in partners or to the whole group.
Provide vocabulary cards with visuals if possible for the following words: "measurement," "nearest,"
"conversion," "centimeter," "meter," and "metric." Give them definitions in their L1 and L2.
Take notes of the ideas and metric units shared by students on the board with either a word web or
another graphic organizer.

Intermediate

Get more lesson plans at https://www.education.com/lesson-plans/

 Write the academic language they can use throughout the lesson on the board as you introduce the
language (e.g., "I would use meters to meaure ____.") and vocabulary terms (e.g., "centimeters," "metric,"
"meters," "millimeters," etc.).
Provide sentence stems to help students communicate their ideas, such as, "The length of the pen in
meters is... A pattern I noticed is..."

Explicit Instruction/Teacher modeling (10 minutes)

Direct students to think about our money system and how the units are related. Draw a chart on the
board, from right to left with the headings: "100 dollars," "10 dollars," "1 dollar," "one dime," and "one
penny" across the top. Under each heading, in the first row, draw and name the coin or bill used for each.
Then start a new row and write the value of a dollar (1 penny = .01 dollar; 1 dime = .10 dollar; etc.).
Note how each value is related to the ones to the right and left of it. Point out that it is 1/10 of the value
to the left and 10 times the value of the one to its right. Define this kind of a system as a base ten
system.
Explain that the metric system is also a base ten system, just like our money system. Rather than the
unit being a dollar, the metric system uses meters, grams, or liters.
EL

Beginning

Give students vocabulary cards and allow them to draw visuals for the new terms. Provide them
reference materials in their L1 to look up new terms.
Display a visual of our money system, such as fake bills or real ones for reference.

Intermediate

Ask students to restate the meaning of the base ten system and relate the term to other ideas they've
explored in mathematics (e.g., power of 10, etc.).

Guided Practice (20 minutes)

Distribute a copy of the Preparing to Convert Metric Measurement Using Deconstruction worksheet to
each student. Review the chart at the top of the page. This sheet will help students think about the
different metric units and how they are related.
Have students work in pairs or small groups to collaborate on Part A. Encourage your class to discuss and
explore, and use rulers to assist them.
Review answers to Part A and discuss as needed.
Now, go over the example in Part B and model how the measurement is converted from centimeters to
meters using deconstruction (they look like number bonds).
Instruct students to use the model as a guide and try number 3 on their own.
Review and discuss.
EL

Beginning

Have students work with sympathetic partners that can understand their L1. Encourage them to use the
vocabulary cards for assistance in their discussions and when they're asking clarifying questions.
Have them explain how to convert from centimeters to meters after completing the problem in partners.

Intermediate

Have ELs repeat the steps needed to convert centimeters to meters in their L1 or L2 to a partner.
Ask students to share how they can use the table provided to help them with their conversions.
Explicitly provide the connection between deconstruction and number bonds through a visual example to
review the vocabulary term.

Get more lesson plans at https://www.education.com/lesson-plans/

Independent working time (20 minutes)

Give students about 15 minutes to work through example number 4.

Review and discuss the solution. Ask students if they have discovered any other ways to convert metric
units. Do they have any shortcuts?
Show students the method of moving the decimal using the chart on the page. Locate the original units
and the units the value is to be converted into on the grid. Note how many units you move from one to
the other, and in which direction. This tells you how far to move the decimal and in what direction.
Distribute the Metric Length Measurement: Word Problems worksheet for students to independently
practice converting measurements.
EL

Beginning

Check your students' ability to make conversions between metric units before asking them to complete
the word problems.
Read the word problems aloud to the students and ask them to tell you what the problem is asking
without using any numbers. Then have them write the numbers and what they represent after you read
through the problem again.

Intermediate

Encourage students to continue to use their vocabulary cards when utilizing key terms in their
conversations.
Provide language examples students can use when they are sharing their ideas.
"I thought it was helpful to..."
"One thing that is challlenging about converting between measurements is..."
"Another way to convert between metric units is..."

Related books and/or media

VIDEO: A Beginner's Guide to the Metric System by MooMoo Math and Science
VIDEO: Metric System Conversions Song by NUMBEROCK Math Songs
Find interactive books for each child's level.

Differentiation

Support:

View the short instructional videos in the list of supplemental media at the end of this lesson.
Do some of the Metric Length Measurement problems as a class or small group before independent
practice, modeling the movement of the decimal.

Enrichment:

Have students research to determine what units in the metric system are smaller and larger than the
units discussed in class (micro, nano, pico, mega, giga, tera, etc.).
Have students convert other metric measurements like mass and volume in the Metric Mass and Volume
Measurement in Word Problems practice sheet.

Assessment (5 minutes)

Write a metric conversion problem on the board. Have students solve it and write their solution on a
scratch paper at their seat. Then you can quickly circulate to check answers. Students who get it wrong
should be encouraged to try again. Students who get it right should create a problem of their own and
trade with a friend.
EL

Get more lesson plans at https://www.education.com/lesson-plans/

Beginning

Pull aside a small teacher-led group and guide them through the assessment by asking probing
questions.
Ask students to explain how they measured the item and converted it to decimal and fraction form.
Make sure students understand the context of some of the cultural terms in the word problems, such as
"triathalon" and "leggings."

Intermediate

Have them share their answers aloud to a partner after they have completed the assessment. Provide the
following sentence stems for their sharing:
"My answer is..."
"I got that answer because I..."
"I think my answer is right because..."

Review and closing (10 minutes)

Discuss the "Questions for Discussion" at the end of the Preparing to Convert Metric Measurement Using
Deconstruction worksheet.
EL

Beginning

Allow students to share their explanations with their partners before sharing with the whole class.
Give students sentence stems to help them share their measurement and conversion to the whole class:
"I chose to measure the ____. It measures ____. To convert it to meters, I..."

Intermediate

Provide sentence stems to help them share their ideas about the closing questions:
"I notice..."
"The original measurement is ____ while the conversion is ____."
"A pattern I see..."
"I agree/disagree because..."

Get more lesson plans at https://www.education.com/lesson-plans/

 cm Preparing to Convert Metric Measurement Using Deconstruction
km

Name:_________________________________________ Date:__________________

Preparing to Convert Metric Measurement Using Number Bonds

King Henry Died Unusually Drinking Chocolate Milk

Kilo Hecto Deca Unit Deci Centi Milli
Meter
10 x10 x 10 x 10 x10 x 10 x (length) 10 x 10 x10 x 10 x10 x 10 x

LARGER LARGER LARGER Liter SMALLER SMALLER SMALLER

than a unit than a unit than a unit (liquid volume) than a unit than a unit than a unit
Gram
1 kilo = 1 hecto = 1 deca = (mass/weight) 10 deci = 100 centi = 1000 milli =
1,000 units 100 units 10 units 1 Unit 1unit 1unit 1unit
km = kilometer hm = hectometer dam = decameter m = meter dm = decimeter cm = centimeter mm = millimeter
kL = kiloliter hL = hectoliter daL = decaliter L = liter dL = deciliter cL = centiliter mL = milliliter
kg = kilograms hg = hectogram dag = decagram g = grams dg = decigram cg = centigram mg = milligram

Example 50 kilo 50 hecto 500 deca 5,000 units 50,000 deci 500,000 centi 5,000,000 milli

DIVIDE numbers by 10 if you are getting bigger (same as moving the decimal point 1 space to the left)

MULTIPLY numbers by 10 if you are getting smaller (same as moving the decimal point 1 space to the right)
Copyright © 2016 Education.com LLC All Rights Reserved
Find worksheets, games, lessons & more at education.com/resources
More worksheets at www.education.com/worksheets
 cm Preparing to Convert Metric Measurement Using Deconstruction
km

Name:_________________________________________ Date:__________________

Part A: Thinking About Metric Units

Use a meter stick or the chart above to answer the questions below. The most common units are
in bold.
1.
10 millimeters = _________ centimeters
10 centimeters = ________ decimeters
10 decimeters = _______ meters
10 meters = _______ decameters
10 decameters = ______ hectometer
10 hectometers = _____ kilometers
2.
1 meter = ________ centimeters
1 meter = ________ millimeters
50 cm = _______ meters (this number will be less than 1)
10 cm = _______ meters

Part B: Converting Measurements by Deconstructing

Now, examine the deconstructed number below. The measurement in the top circle has been
converted into meters.

100 cm = 1 cm 350 cm

350cm = 3.5 meters

300 cm 50 cm

1/2 m .5 m

100 cm 100 cm 100 cm

1m 1m 1m

Using the example above as a guide, deconstruct the measurement in the top circle and convert
it to meters.

Copyright © 2016 Education.com LLC All Rights Reserved

Find worksheets, games, lessons &More
more at education.com/resources
worksheets at www.education.com/worksheets
© 2007 - 2019 Education.com
 cm Preparing to Convert Metric Measurement Using Deconstruction
km

Name:_________________________________________ Date:__________________

3. Convert 150 cm to meters using deconstruction method below.

150 cm

___ cm = ___ m ___ cm = ___ m

Add the meters in the bottom circles. 150 cm is equal to ________ meters.

4. Now convert 3,100 mm to meters using deconstruction method below.

3,100 mm

______mm ______mm ______mm ______mm

1,000 mm = _____ cm 1,000 mm = _____ cm 1,000 mm = _____ cm 100 mm = _____ cm

___ cm = ___ m ___ cm = ___ m ___ cm = ___ m ___ cm = ___ m

Add the meters in the bottom circles. 3,100 mm is equal to ________ meters

Questions for Discussion

Compare the original measurement and measurement in meters. What do you notice? Is there a
pattern? How could you use this pattern to convert metric units more easily?

Copyright © 2016 Education.com LLC All Rights Reserved

Find worksheets, games, lessons &More
more at education.com/resources
worksheets at www.education.com/worksheets
© 2007 - 2019 Education.com
 cm
Metric Length Measurement: Word Problems
km

Name:_________________________________________ Date:__________________

Use the metric conversion chart to convert the metric units and solve the word problems below.

Metric Conversion Chart

Kilo - To convert to a smaller unit, move

1000 Hecto - decimal point to the right or multiply
Units 100
Units Deka -
10 Units Basic
Unit Deci -
0.1 Centi -
Units 0.01 Mili -
Units 0.001
To convert to a larger unit, move Units
decimal point to the left or divide

1. Kendrick walked 500 m per day, every Kendrick walked ________ km in one
day for one week. How many kilometers week.
did he walk all together?

2. Drake swam .7 km in his triathlon. How Drake swam ________ meters in the race.
many meters did he swim?

3. Beyoncé danced around the track three Beyoncé danced _____ kilometers.
times. The track was 400 meters. How
many kilometers did she
dance all together?

4. Ed lined up 10 guitar picks across his Ed’s line of guitar picks was ______
desk. Each pick was 12 mm wide. How centimeters long.
many centimeters long was his line of
guitar picks?

5. Selena sang while she rode her bike Selena rode __________________ millimeters.
down a block that was 50 meters long.
How many millimeters did she ride?

Copyright © 2016 Education.com LLC All Rights Reserved

Find worksheets, games, lessons & more at education.com/resources
More worksheets at www.education.com/worksheets
© 2007 - 2019 Education.com
 cm
Metric Mass and Volume Measurement in Word Problems
km

Name:_________________________________________ Date:__________________

Use the metric conversion chart to convert the metric units and solve the word problems below.

Metric Conversion Chart

Kilo - To convert to a smaller unit, move

1000 Hecto - decimal point to the right or multiply
Units 100
Units Deka -
10 Units Basic
Unit Deci -
0.1 Centi -
Units 0.01 Mili -
Units 0.001
To convert to a larger unit, move Units
decimal point to the left or divide

1. Taylor drinks 2 liters of water during Taylor drank _______ milliliters of water.
every concert. How many milliliters did
she drink during two concerts?

2. Sia’s leggings weigh 6 grams. How many Sia’s leggings weigh __________ milligrams.
milligrams do they weigh?

3. Niall poured 2.5 liters of sports drink on Niall poured _________ centiliters of sports
each of his two bandmates’ heads after a drink on his friend’s head.
concert. How many centiliters did he
dump all together?

4. Demi’s bejeweled microphone weighs Demi’s bejeweled microphone

1,500 grams. How many kilograms does it weighs____________ kilograms.
weigh?

Bruno put __________ milliliters of gas in his

5. Bruno put 7 liters of gas in his motorcyle.
motorcyle.
How many milliliters was that?

Copyright © 2016 Education.com LLC All Rights Reserved

More worksheets at www.education.com/worksheets