Curriculum  /  Math  /  4th Grade  /  Unit 7: Unit Conversions  /  Lesson 7

Unit Conversions

Lesson 7

Math

Unit 7

4th Grade

Lesson 7 of 12

Objective

Express customary capacity measurements in terms of a smaller unit, recording measurement equivalents in a two-column table. Solve one-step word problems that require customary capacity unit conversion.

Common Core Standards

Core Standards

  • 4.MD.A.1 — Know relative sizes of measurement units within one system of units including km, m, cm; kg, g; lb, oz.; l, ml; hr, min, sec. Within a single system of measurement, express measurements in a larger unit in terms of a smaller unit. Record measurement equivalents in a two column table. For example, know that 1 ft is 12 times as long as 1 in. Express the length of a 4 ft snake as 48 in. Generate a conversion table for feet and inches listing the number pairs (1, 12), (2, 24), (3, 36), …
  • 4.MD.A.2 — Use the four operations to solve word problems involving distances, intervals of time, liquid volumes, masses of objects, and money, including problems involving simple fractions or decimals, and problems that require expressing measurements given in a larger unit in terms of a smaller unit. Represent measurement quantities using diagrams such as number line diagrams that feature a measurement scale.

Foundational Standards

  • 4.OA.A.1

Criteria for Success

  1. Establish benchmarks for the customary units of a gallon, quart, pint, cup, and fluid ounce. 
  2. Understand that a gallon is four times more capacious than a quart, a quart is twice as capacious as a pint, a pint is twice as capacious as a cup, and a cup is eight times as capacious as a fluid ounce. 
  3. Use these relationships to convert measurements from a larger customary capacity unit to a smaller unit (MP.7, MP.8).
  4. Use these relationships to convert measurements from mixed customary capacity units to a smaller unit (MP.7, MP.8).
  5. Solve one-step word problems that require customary capacity unit conversions (MP.4).

Tips for Teachers

Lesson Materials

  • 1-quart container (1 per teacher) — There are other options to use in place of this material. See Anchor Task 1 for more information.
  • 1-gallon container (1 per teacher) — There are other options to use in place of this material. See Anchor Task 1 for more information.
  • Water (About 2 gallons per teacher) — See Anchor Task 1 for more information.
  • 1-cup container (1 per teacher) — There are other options to use in place of this material. See Anchor Task 1 for more information.
  • 1-pint container (1 per teacher) — There are other options to use in place of this material. See Anchor Task 1 for more information.
Fishtank Plus

Unlock features to optimize your prep time, plan engaging lessons, and monitor student progress.

Anchor Tasks

25-30 minutes

Problem 1

Use a gallon, quart, pint, and cup container and water to answer the following questions. 

a.   What do you notice about the relationship between the capacity of a gallon and the capacity of a quart?

b.   What do you notice about the relationship between the capacity of a quart and the capacity of a pint?

c.   What do you notice about the relationship between the capacity of a pint and the capacity of a cup?

d.   What do you notice about the relationship between the capacity of a cup and the capacity of a fluid ounce?

Guiding Questions

Create a free account or sign in to access the Guiding Questions for this Anchor Problem.

Student Response

Upgrade to Fishtank Plus to view Sample Response.

Problem 2

Fill in the following conversion tables.

Gallons

(gal)

Quarts

(qt)
1  
2  
3  
6  
 

Quarts

(qt)

Pints

(pt)
1  
2  
4  
7  
 

Pints

(pt)

Cups

(c)
1  
2  
5  
9  
 

Cups

(c)

Fluid ounces

(fl oz)
1  
3  
7  
12  

Guiding Questions

Create a free account or sign in to access the Guiding Questions for this Anchor Problem.

Student Response

Upgrade to Fishtank Plus to view Sample Response.

Problem 3

Joseph is told to dissolve a medicine in 1 pint 4 ounces of water. He has a measuring cup marked in ounces. How many ounces of water should he pour?

Guiding Questions

Create a free account or sign in to access the Guiding Questions for this Anchor Problem.

Student Response

Upgrade to Fishtank Plus to view Sample Response.

Problem 4

Dominica’s mom signs up to bring a gallon of fruit punch to the family potluck. She plans to use the following recipe:

Fruit Punch

Ingredients:

  • 2 (6 ounce) cans frozen orange juice concentrate

  • 2 (6 ounce) cans frozen lemonade concentrate

  • 1 (3 pint) can pineapple juice

  • 3 cups water

  • 1 quart 2 ounces soda

Will this recipe yield a gallon of fruit punch? If not, how much more fruit punch would she need to make? If so, how much more than a gallon will she have?

Guiding Questions

Create a free account or sign in to access the Guiding Questions for this Anchor Problem.

Student Response

Upgrade to Fishtank Plus to view Sample Response.

Problem Set

15-20 minutes

Discussion of Problem Set

  • How did you figure out how many pints are in a gallon in #2(g)? In four gallons in #2(h)? 
  • If someone wanted to find the number of pints or quarts in 150 gallons, would it make sense to use the conversion table to solve? Why is understanding the conversion rule important? 
  • How did you solve #3? Which strategy is most efficient? 
  • How did you figure out how many cups are in a gallon in #6(i?) How many fluid ounces are in a gallon in #6(j)? 
  • When measuring liquid, such as a bottle of drinking water, which customary unit could I use? Which metric unit could I use? 

Target Task

5-10 minutes

Problem 1

Complete the table.

Cups Fluid Ounces
1  
2  
3  

Student Response

Upgrade to Fishtank Plus to view Sample Response.

Problem 2

The Ajith family buys a gallon of orange juice. They drink 2 cups of juice per day. Will the gallon of orange juice be enough to last the Ajith family for a week? Explain how you know. 

Student Response

Upgrade to Fishtank Plus to view Sample Response.

Additional Practice

The Extra Practice Problems can be used as additional practice for homework, during an intervention block, etc. Daily Word Problems and Fluency Activities are aligned to the content of the unit but not necessarily to the lesson objective, therefore feel free to use them anytime during your school day.

Word Problems and Fluency Activities

Word Problems and Fluency Activities

Help students strengthen their application and fluency skills with daily word problem practice and content-aligned fluency activities.

Next

Express time measurements in terms of a smaller unit, recording measurement equivalents in a two-column table. Solve one-step word problems that require time unit conversion.

Lesson 8
icon/arrow/right/large

Lesson Map

A7CB09C2-D12F-4F55-80DB-37298FF0A765

Topic A: Metric Unit Conversion

Topic B: Customary Unit Conversion

Topic C: Fraction and Decimal Unit Conversions

Request a Demo

See all of the features of Fishtank in action and begin the conversation about adoption.

Learn more about Fishtank Learning School Adoption.

Contact Information

School Information

What courses are you interested in?

ELA

Math

Are you interested in onboarding professional learning for your teachers and instructional leaders?

Yes

No

Any other information you would like to provide about your school?

We Handle Materials So You Can Focus on Students

We Handle Materials So You Can Focus on Students

We've got you covered with rigorous, relevant, and adaptable math lesson plans for free