Mathematics / Year 5 / Measurement

Curriculum content descriptions

choose appropriate metric units when measuring the length, mass and capacity of objects; use smaller units or a combination of units to obtain a more accurate measure (AC9M5M01)

Elaborations
  • ordering metric units from the largest unit to the smallest; for example, kilometre, metre, centimetre, millimetre
  • recognising that some units of measurement are better suited to some tasks than others; for example, kilometres are more appropriate than metres to measure the distance between \(2\) towns
  • deciding on the unit required to estimate the amount of paint or carpet for a room or a whole building; justifying the choice of unit in relation to the context and the degree of accuracy required
  • measuring and comparing distances, such as jumps or throws using a metre length of string; for example, then measuring the part metre with centimetres and/or millimetres; explaining which unit of measure is most accurate
  • researching how the base units are derived for the International System of Units (SI), commonly known as the metric system of units, recognising that the metric unit names for the attributes, length and mass are international standards for measurement
General capabilities
  • Critical and creative thinking Critical and Creative Thinking
  • Numeracy Numeracy
ScOT terms

Units of measurement,  Length,  Mass,  Volume (Dimensions)

Online

reSolve: Area and Perimeter

This series of three lessons explores the relationship between area and perimeter using the context of bumper cars at an amusement park. Students design a rectangular floor plan with the largest possible area with a given perimeter. They then explore the perimeter of a bumper car ride that has a set floor area and investigate ...

Video

Working out the areas

Do you know how to work out the area of a square, a rectangle or a triangle? Learn the simple maths formulas needed from this video. What would be the area of a rectangle with a height of 5cm and a length of 3cm?

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What skills are important for programming robots?

Listen as David McKinnon from UNSW describes some of the skills that are useful to have if you want to program robots. David explains an activity that exercises problem solving skills. Why don't you try doing it? Look at a map and find some towns that are close to yours. Use the scale on the map to work out the distances ...

Downloadable

What is the area?

Use this diagnostic task to assess what students know about area and using the area formula.

Interactive

Waste and materials – sustainability action process (Years 3–6)

This resource guides students through an extended school-based or local investigation focussed on waste and materials using the five-step sustainability action process. The resource supports the investigation of a real-world issue or problem. Students develop and implement a chosen sustainability action and then evaluate ...

Interactive

Time tools: 24-hour to the minute: time challenge

Use this tool to match clock times to the time presented on a Master clock. This learning object is one in a series of twelve learning objects.

Online

Time and duration: Year 5 – planning tool

This planning resource for Year 5 is for the topic of Time and duration. Students focus on reading time in 12- and 24-hour time and converting between them. They build on their knowledge of am and pm notation and solve time-related problems.

Interactive

The divider: with or without remainders

Solve divisions such as 147/7 or 157/6 (some have remainders). Use a partitioning tool to help solve randomly generated divisions. Learn strategies to do complex arithmetic in your head. Split a division into parts that are easy to work with, use times tables, then solve the original calculation.

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The Milky Way

What do you know about the Milky Way? Did you know that there are hundreds of billions of stars in it? Before you embark on your stargazing expedition, watch this video to learn how you can use just your hands and a compass to locate stars in the sky! What is the unit of measurement used when you're measuring distances ...

Online

TIMES Module 3: Statistics and Probability: data investigation and interpretation, year 5 - teacher guide

This is a 13-page guide for teachers. In this module, in the context of statistical data investigations, measurement data is introduced and contrasted with categorical data and count data. This module also considers more general examples of count data than the year 4 module.

Online

TIMES Module 3: Measurement and Geometry: time - teacher guide

This is a 20-page guide for teachers containing an introduction to the units of time and how to measure time. Time between events, time lines and timetables are considered. A brief history of the development of these concepts concludes the module.

Interactive

Sustainable transport – sustainability action process (Years 3–6)

This sustainable transport learning resource will guide students through an extended school based investigation. Students will develop and implement a chosen sustainability action and then evaluate and reflect on their success and their learning.

Interactive

Sites2See: Patterns and Algebra

Selected links to a range of interactive online resources for the study of patterns and algebra in Foundation to Year 6 Mathematics.

Interactive

Sites2See – number for primary

Selected links to a range of interactive online resources for the study of number in Foundation to Year 6 Mathematics.

Interactive

Sites2See – measurement for primary

Selected links to a range of interactive and print resources for Measurement topics in K-6 Mathematics.

Interactive

Rainforest: use compass points

Use compass points and a scale to find places on a map. Understand abbreviations such as N, W, SW and E. Follow instructions to find four locations. As you go, look up the meaning of tricky words.

Interactive

Rainforest: make a walking track

Mark the route for a walking track on a map of a rainforest. Choose a section of track based on instructions about distances, compass directions and grid references. Keep adding sections of track to get to the rest house. As you go, look up the meaning of tricky words.

Online

Primary mathematics: games, simulations and modelling

These seven learning activities, which focus on 'games, simulations and modelling' using a variety of tools (software) and devices (hardware), illustrate the ways in which content, pedagogy and technology can be successfully and effectively integrated in order to promote learning. In the activities, teachers use games, ...

Interactive

Playground percentages

Help a town planner to design two site plans for a school. Assign regions on a 10x10 grid for different uses such as a playground, canteen, car park or lawn. Calculate the percentage of the total site used for each region. Use a number line to display fractions and equivalent fractions.

Interactive

Numeracy wrap: The long and the short

In this resource students measure objects of different length in centimetres and millimetres, order lengths from shortest to longest, convert between millimetres, centimetres, metres and kilometres.

Interactive

Numeracy wrap: Round the outside

In this resource students will calculate the perimeter of different shapes, choose the appropriate measuring device, make different shapes from given perimeters

Interactive

Numeracy wrap: Calculating volume

In this resource students find the relationship between, length, width (or breadth), height and volume of rectangular prisms, calculate the volume of rectangular prisms and investigate cubic metres

Online

MoneySmart: Hey! Let's have a big day out!

This is a year 5 mathematics unit of work about costing and budgeting for various types of family outings. The unit is intended to take about 7.5 hours of teaching and learning time, and is recommended for near the end of the school year. It consists of an introduction, five sets of student activities, and teacher notes ...

Video

Mixed Up Maths, Ep 7: Daredevil geometry

What does a daredevil jumps rider need to know about geometry? Find out as we discover angles for take off and for landing. But before we do that sit down for some angles basics! A good place to start is angles of turn through a circle from a 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, all the way to one full turn. See how many each represents as an angle.

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Mixed Up Maths, Ep 4: Late again!

Ever missed an appointment because you misread a timetable? Well it is easily done if you don't know how to read 24 hour time. In this clip, see how to read 24 hour time and find out where it is commonly used. Look at the other time system used -12 hour time. Find out what those letters 'am' and 'pm' really mean! Compare ...

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Mixed Up Maths, Ep 1: Monumental measurement mess ups

Did you know that in Australia we use a metric system for measurement? See if you know the units of measurement for length, mass and volume. Find out what system the United States uses. You guessed it - they don't use the metric system! See how a mix up of these units can cause all kinds of mess ups.

Online

Metric units and using instruments: Year 5 – planning tool

This planning resource for Year 5 is for the topic of Metric units and using instruments. Students choose appropriate metric units measuring the length, mass and capacity of objects.

Downloadable

Measurement: Foundation to Year 9

This comprehensive resource describes the progression of measurement ideas. The resource demonstrates examples of relevant teaching strategies, investigations, activity plans and connected concepts in measurement including teaching and cultural implications.

Online

Measurement and Geometry- Location and transformation

This is a unit of work that uses farming to explore the measurement and geometry concepts of grid references, directional language, area and length. It has a teacher directed task that introduces directional language and grid references and two student work tasks. The work tasks involve designing a farm using a grid and ...

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MathXplosion, Ep 5: Measure a tree without using a ladder

What do you do when you need to measure a length, height or distance but don't have a ruler or some other measuring instrument? You can compute linear measurements with surprising accuracy using indirect measurements, proportions and estimations. Learn a nifty trick to measure a tree from a distance.

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MathXplosion, Ep 3: How many heads tall are you?

What are non-standard measurement units? Did you know we can reliably use objects in the real world, including our own body parts, to measure things? This concept of anthropometry, the ratios of body measurements, was first proposed by Leonardo da Vinci.

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MathXplosion, Ep 39: Area vs perimeter

Want to know the trick to making a really big fort? Using cushions to build a fort, explore the concept of finding the largest area for a fixed perimeter. Surprisingly, there is no direct relationship between the perimeter of a rectangle and its area.

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MathXplosion, Ep 38: How to tell time using a sundial

Find out how to tell the time without a clock! A sundial uses the position of the sun to indicate the time. Typically, a stick (gnomon) casts a shadow upon a plane or surface that has markings, which indicate the time by the position of the shadow. See if you can create a sundial of your own.

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MathXplosion, Ep 31: Heavy vs big

How would you measure and compare the weight of something? Learn why big things aren't necessarily heavy. All you need is something heavy and a lot of something light and you’ll be able to prove that weight is not the same as size.

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MathXplosion, Ep 16: It's an estimate, not a guess!

An approximation is the nearest estimate without having the precise size or measurement of something. See how accurate estimates are made in logical ways using information about many things in our everyday lives.

Online

Making a large wicking bed

Wicking beds are a fantastic invention, allowing crops to be watered more efficiently. Making a large wicking bed does involve a few steps and some preparation, however the benefits of this extra effort are water conservation, improved plant growth and better crops. The design of the wicking bed also provides opportunities ...

Online

Lengths and areas

This is a website designed for teachers and students in year 5, and addresses components of the length and area topic. It is particularly relevant for selecting appropriate metric units of measurement for length, perimeter and area, and calculation of the area of rectangles. There are pages for both teachers and students. ...

Interactive

Laptop wrap: Horology hiccup

A laptop-friendly resource focussed on the concept of time. Features guided technology-based activities.

Downloadable

Kitchen scales

Use this diagnostic task to assess a student's understanding of mass and the graduations on a kitchen scale.

Interactive

Kitchen gardens – sustainability action process (Years 3–6)

This resource guides students through an extended school-based or local investigation focussed on kitchen gardens using the five-step sustainability action process. The resource supports the investigation of a real-world issue or problem. Students develop and implement a chosen sustainability action and then evaluate and ...

Downloadable

Ice cream puddles

Use this diagnostic task to assess understanding of area and comparing the area of two shapes using a relevant approach.

Downloadable

How heavy is this frog/tin?

Use this diagnostic task to assess understanding of mass and units used to measure mass.

Online

Home energy use

Reducing carbon dioxide emissions and sustainable energy use and are two of the major issues facing the world today. This project explores energy use in homes, and compares individual energy use with the class average and calculate and graph CO2 emissions.

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Giant hole: climb through a hole in a sheet of paper

This teaching resource outlines an activity for students to explore the relationship between the area and perimeter of a shape, by using a series of cuts in a piece of paper to create a hole large enough to step through. The resource includes detailed instructions for creating the cuts in the paper, an explanation of how ...

Video

For the Juniors: Drawing a floor plan

How do we know what a house will look like before it is built? Discover how house plans work by looking at the design of a house that Hugo's family is going to build. See how a floor plan shows the room layout. See drawings of what the house will look like from different views.

Downloadable

First steps in mathematics: Measurement – Book 2

A guide to teaching about measurement including indirect measuring, and estimating.

Downloadable

First steps in mathematics: Measurement – Book 1

The content of this book is organised into topics including understanding units, and direct measuring.

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Exploring mysterious shapes

Join QuanQuan and Jenny as they explore some weird and wonderful shapes! While watching this clip, think about the sides, edges, surfaces and volumes of the shapes that are demonstrated. How are these shapes different from regular 2D and 3D forms?

Online

Enlargement transformations

This is a website designed for teachers and students in year 5, and addresses components of the enlargement transformations topic in geometry. It is particularly relevant for the concept of enlarging two-dimensional shapes and also contains material on enlarging drawings using grid paper. There are pages for both teachers ...

Downloadable

Drone safety lesson: How close, how far?

This lesson provides an authentic context to develop skills of estimation and measuring length. It provides an opportunity for students to connect decimal representations to the metric system and convert from centimetres to metres, and metres to kilometres. It also provides a context to investigate and become familiar with ...

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Decimal fractions video

Use this video to explore decimal fractions, how they are represented and how we use them in day-to-day contexts.

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Catalyst: Take the Phi Golden challenge

The golden ratio, Phi: fact or fallacy? What about the Fibonacci sequence? We are told this ratio and its cousin Fibonacci occur everywhere in nature. Let's see which of these claims stacks up when put to the test.

Interactive

Cassowary ecology quiz

Explore facts about the life of cassowaries: physical characteristics; diet; habitat; life cycles; and locations. Interact with graphs to see how much people can help cassowaries. Work through ecology notes and resources. Answer questions as you go; express your answers as fractions. This learning object is one in a series ...

Interactive

Area of a triangle

This is a Geogebra activity used to teach the area of a triangle. Suitable for use with an interactive whiteboard (IWB).

Video

Area of a square and a triangle

Do you know the formula for working out the area of a square? How about a triangle? Watch this short maths video to learn the formulas for both.

Interactive

Area of a parallelogram

This is a Geogebra activity used to teach the area of a parallelogram. Suitable for use with an interactive whiteboard (IWB).

Online

Area and perimeter: Year 5 – planning tool

This planning resource for Year 5 is for the topic of Area and perimeter. Students estimate and measure perimeter in metric units for length and area of quadrilaterals using grid squares and square centimetres. They solve practical problems involving the perimeter and area of regular and irregular shapes.

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Area and perimeter video

Use this video to connect area and perimeter to real world applications to set the context for why we are learning about area and perimeter.

Online

Angles - measurement, construction, estimation

This is a website designed for teachers and students in year 5, and addresses the topic of angles. It contains material on the vocabulary used when dealing with angles, and introduces the measurement and construction of angles using a protractor. There are pages for both teachers and students. The student pages contain ...

Interactive

Angle estimator

This is an interactive resource containing two activities about estimating and measuring angles. In the angle estimation activity, users can select acute, obtuse or reflex angles, or any angle between zero and 360 degrees. In the angle drag activity, one arm of the angle can be dragged to rotate around the vertex, creating ...

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AERO Ochre Maths Year 5 Unit 3 - 2D perimeter and area

This sequence of five lessons teaches students about perimeter and area of shapes, as well as how to calculate them.