Estimating weight

Estimating weight

Pencil and paperOnline interactive
Overview
Using this Resource
Connecting to the Curriculum
Marking Student Responses
Further Resources
This task is about weight of objects compared to one kilogram.
Your teacher will give you a bag or container that weighs exactly 1 kilogram.
Lift it up and feel how much it weighs.
Now lift each of the 5 other objects your teacher will give you and feel how much they weigh. 

Question 1Change answer

Write the name of each object in the table below, and then select whether it is 
  • less than 1 kilogram,
  • about the same as 1 kilogram, or
  • more than 1 kilogram.

Object

Less than

1 kilogram

About

1 kilogram

More than

1 kilogram
 
 YesNo YesNo YesNo
 
 YesNo YesNo YesNo
      
 YesNo YesNo YesNo
      
 YesNo YesNo YesNo
      
 YesNo YesNo YesNo
Task administration: 
This task can be completed with pen and paper or online (with NO auto marking).
 
Equipment:
  • A container or bag that weighs exactly 1 kilogram, e.g., bag of flour or sugar; 1 litre of water in a plastic bottle.
  • Five other objects ranging in weight, with some greater than 1 kilogram, some less than 1 kilogram, and some about 1 kilogram, e.g., school chair, school bag, book, school hand bell, sports equipment, pencil case, pair of shoes, rubbish bin.
  • Some prior weighing may be required, especially of items that are "about 1 kilogram". Accept "about 1 kilogram" to mean a weight between 900 g and 1100 g.
  • Let the students lift the weight of the 1 kilogram bag or container.
  • When trialled, students were permitted to lift the 1 kilogram bag once only at the start of the task. To make things less difficult, students could be permitted to lift the bag or container at any time during the task.
  • Have students lift all of the 5 other objects so they can compare their weight to the 1 kilogram weight.
  • Then get the students to complete the table.
Level:
2
Curriculum info: 
Maths, Geometry and Measurement, Measurement
Keywords: 
estimation, weight, mass
Description of task: 
This practical task requires students to lift a 1 kg weight and then estimate whether a range of everyday objects weigh less than, about the same as, or more than 1 kilogram.
Curriculum Links: 
This resource can help to identify students' understanding of estimating and measurement sense of  mass/weight for the Measurement objectives.
Learning Progression Frameworks
This resource can provide evidence of learning associated with
Measurement sense, sets 3-4
within the Mathematics Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Read more about the Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Answers/responses: 

 

  

2 marks (for all 5 correct)
or
1 mark (for 4 correct)

Answers will vary depending on objects chosen.