metric matching and free problem solving

The other day I shared the Metric Matching activity that I used to help students work on their metric conversions (free activity found in that blog post).

We worked on this for a second day, using decimals in the meter category more often than we did with the first set of numbers the other day (these more challenging numbers are on the second page of the activity). It did take students longer to place the numbers appropriately this time, because they wanted to put all of the whole numbers in the meter category. It was fun to watch them try to figure out how many cm and mm these would be equal to, decide the numbers didn't work in the categories, and then rearrange them. It was also very difficult to be quiet and give help only if really necessary! However, some groups did need some redirection, and a little questioning, like, "If 4 meters is equal to 400 cm, can 4 meters also be equal to 0.4 cm?" was helpful.

As groups finished up with their matching, I gave them problem solving to work on together. This problem solving required students to complete metric conversions to reach their solutions. This is the first time these classes have worked on problem solving together, and the students did well explaining their thinking to one another and using the resources in the room to help them.

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​Download FREE problem solving!
(3 different prob solving pages, with answer keys) 

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