Metric

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Metric
By Dawn

I struggle with this every year. It is a scientific requirement to be able to work with the metric system. But when I go to teach it, the students don't have the math background to understand it!

I teach 6th grade,
and like you, I try to teach metric about the 2nd month of school. After all, they are supposed to take all measurements in metric for their labs. When I try to show them that multiplying or dividing by 10 simply means moving a decimal point, their eyes glass over. They have had little or no experience with decimals. In my county, the math teachers teach the metric system and decimals

in the spring to 6th graders. Which leaves me with the question...what, and how, do I teach regarding metric??

This year I have decided to steer clear of the math stuff. They will only learn liter, meter, and gram. They will learn centi, milli, and kilo. I won't have them convert from one prefix to another. They'll learn which unit measures what, and they'll learn how to calculate volume.

I usually take about 5 to 7 days on metric. I combine it with a couple of labs. One is just to practice measuring and following lab procedures (making oobleck), and one involves calculating density of several items. My metric unit leads right into my unit on physical properties of matter (one of which is density).

If anyone else has any ideas about how to teach metric when the math is beyond most of the students, I would LOVE to hear from you!!!