How much does it hold?

Kindergarten students explore the idea of capacity/volume through using a variety of different sized containers. You can do this at home with pots, pans, cups, bowls, etc. You will need a tool to use as a "standard" form of measurement. For my demonstration I will use a 1/2 cup measuring spoon as my standard measurement.

First, you will need to gather materials. Choose a variety of different sized containers. Above I have gathered two different sized pots, several glasses, and some dishes. The measuring cup will be used to measure the amount (cups) of water each container holds. In class, students used rice instead of water as it would have resulted in a huge mess. When filling measuring cup be sure to fill to the top so that it is full, not empty.

Materials:

• various containers

• standard measuring unit (I used 1/2 cup measuring spoon)

• water

• Recording Sheet or scrap paper

• pencil/crayons

Guiding Questions for this exploration:

1. Which container do you think will hold the most? Why?

2. Which container do you think will hold the least? Why?

3. Are there any containers that you think will hold the same amount? Why?

How to:

1. Gather materials.

2. Ask guiding questions before starting.

3. Choose a container, use standard measuring unit to pour water into the container.

4. Record the amount and draw the container used on the Recording Sheet.

5. Repeat Steps 3 and 4.

6. Discuss with student what they observed. Ask guiding questions again, notice if thoughts have changed regarding which container holds the most, etc.

Kindergarten Standards:

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.MD.A.2

Directly compare two objects with a measurable attribute in common, to see which object has "more of"/"less of" the attribute, and describe the difference.For example, directly compare the heights of two children and describe one child as taller/shorter.