The metric system is built on tens, so changing units is just moving a decimal point, once you know which way to move it.
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By the end of this lesson your student should be able to name the basic metric units, read a prefix as a place value, and change between units of length, mass and capacity by multiplying or dividing by 10, 100 or 1,000.
🚨 Multiplying when the unit gets larger. Going from meters to kilometers makes the number smaller, because it takes fewer big units to cover the same distance.
Counting the places wrong. Kilo to base is three places, and base to centi is two, so it helps to write the chart out and put a finger on both units.
Have the student write the seven prefixes in a row, kilo to milli, and slide a finger from one to the other. The number of steps is the number of zeros, and the direction tells you whether to multiply or divide.
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Before You Start
The words this lesson uses. Tap a card to see what it means, then come back to them whenever a question uses one.
Part One
Questions about the story you just read. Pick your answer straight off, or press Find it in the story if you would rather hunt for the sentence first.
Part Two
The word cards are at the top of this page. Look back at them as often as you need, then answer.