Background Knowledge and Text Structure

Explanation

Ok, this time we're simply converting from feet to yards or meters or to inches and that kind of stuff. It's easy if you know what your doing. Here's a table to help you. If you know the measurement in one system, multiply it by a number to find the other system's version.

Information

Inches x 2.54 = Centimeters
Feet x 30.48 = Centimeters
Yards x 0.9144 = Meters
Miles x 1.609 = Kilometers
Pounds x 0.4536 = Kilograms
Centimeters x 0.3937 = Inches
Meters x 1.0936 = Yards
Kilometers x 0.6214 = Miles

Ok, so with your newly found knowledge, do these:

It's a twenty-mile walk to Bob's Bar from Joe's house. How many Kilometers is it?
If Joe wants to go to Ed's house afterward, and that's 700 yards, how many more Meters must poor Joe walk?

Bob fell 20 feet off of his apartment. How many centimeters is this?

Now, within the Metric System:

More Information

Basic unit Meter
X 10 Decameter
X 100 Hectometer
X 1000 Kilometer

So, if you have 50 meters to walk, how many decameters is it? 5. That easy.

How many kilometers do you have to walk if your 2300567 meters from home?

Ok, so now for the standard system.

Even More Information

12 inches (in.) = 1 foot (ft.)
3 feet = 1 yard (yd)
51/2 yards = 1 rod (rd), pole, or perch (161/2 ft.)
40 rods = 1 furlong (fur) = 220 yds = 660 ft.
8 furlongs = 1 statute mile (mi.) = 1,760 yds
= 5,280 ft.
3 land miles = 1 league
5,280 feet = 1 statute or land mile
6,076.11549 feet = 1 international nautical mile

So, if Bob wants to go to Joe's house, and he has to walk 500 yards, you would divide 500 by three to get how many feet that is. If it were feet to yards, you'd multiply by three. So try these:

In the classic book 20,000 leagues under the sea, how many miles did they descend? Feet?

If Joe is 6'2" tall, how many inches tall is he?

Mathematics/Measurement

Standard 4: The student selects and uses appropriate units of measurement to achieve the degree of precision and accuracy required in real-world situations (MA.B.4.3).

Objective 1 : Selects appropriate units of measurement and determines and applies significant digits in a real-world context. (Significant digits should relate to both instrument precision and to the least precise unit of measurement.

Amusement Park Activity

Conversion Clowning: In a theme park, ask engineers and vendors if they ever have to convert within or to another system. Who has the hardest job from your finding?

Brainstorming Fun

Unit squared- Brainstorm other
units of measurement. What are
they for? Who would use them?

Vocabulary

Metric: The measurment system
used in Europe and Asia.

Customary: The measurment
system used in America.

Links

Go to this site and it will show you
how to take tests better with
measurement.