Formal Units for Measuring - Progression Points

Measurement

0.5

• use of descriptive terms such as longer, taller and heavier to compare length and mass of pairs of familiar objects

1.0 Standard

At Level 1, students compare length, area, capacity and mass of familiar objects using descriptive terms such as longer, taller, larger, holds more and heavier. They make measurements using informal units such as paces for length, handprints for area, glasses for capacity, and bricks for weight.

1.25

• informal measurement of length by making, describing and comparing personal units

1.5

• use of uniform units for length; for example, cm as a unit for measuring length
• informal measurement of area and mass by making, describing and comparing personal units  

1.75

• informal measurement of capacity by making, describing and comparing personal units

2.0 Standard

At Level 2, students make, describe and compare measurements of length, area, volume, mass and time using informal units. They recognise the differences between non-uniform measures, such as hand-spans, to measure length, and uniform measures, such as icy-pole sticks. They judge relative capacity of familiar objects and containers by eye and make informal comparisons of weight by hefting. They describe temperature using qualitative terms (for example, cold, warm, hot). Students use formal units such as hour and minute for time, litre for capacity and the standard units of metres, kilograms and seconds.

2.25

• use of formal units of measurement; for example, metres to measure length, and hour, minute and second for time
• application of estimations using personal units, such as pace length and arm span, and comparison with measures using formal units, such as metres and centimetres
• use of ruler and tape measure (linear scale) and trundle wheel (circular scale) to validate estimates of length

2.5

• estimation and measurement of mass, volume and capacity of common objects; for example, kilogram of flour, litre of soft drink

2.75

• calculation of area through multiplication of the length of a rectangle by its width
• understanding of the distinction between discrete and continuous scales

3.0 Standard

At Level 3, students estimate and measure length, area, volume, capacity, mass and time using appropriate instruments. They recognise and use different units of measurement including informal (for example, paces), formal (for example, centimetres) and standard metric measures (for example, metre) in appropriate contexts. They read linear scales (for example, tape measures) and circular scales (for example, bathroom scales) in measurement contexts.

3.25

• estimation and measurement of perimeter of polygons

• conversion between metric measurements for length; for example, 0.27m = 27cm

• estimation and measurement of angles in degrees to the nearest 10°

3.5

• estimation and measurement of surface area; for example, use of square metres, and area of land; for example, use of hectares
• awareness of the accuracy of measurement required and the appropriate tools and units

3.75

• conversion between metric units; for example, L to mL, and understanding of the significance of thousands and thousandths in the metric system

4.0 Standard

At Level 4, students use metric units to estimate and measure length, perimeter, area, surface area, mass, volume, capacity time and temperature. They measure angles in degrees. They measure as accurately as needed for the purpose of the activity. They convert between metric units of length, capacity and time (for example, L–mL, sec–min).

Number

2.75

• use of place value (as the idea that ‘ten of these is one of those’) to determine the size and order of decimals to hundredths
• use of algorithms for the addition and subtraction of numbers to two decimal places
• representation of multiplication as a rectangular array and as the area of a rectangle

Number

3.0 Standard

At Level 3, students use place value (as the idea that ‘ten of these is one of those’) to determine the size and order of whole numbers to tens of thousands, and decimals to hundredths. They round numbers up and down to the nearest unit, ten, hundred, or thousand.