ChalkHour

Year 5 Maths: Converting units lesson pack

A complete, ready-to-teach KS2 lesson on converting units. Below is a real sample of what ChalkHour makes: the full pack adds three levels of worksheet, model answers, a teaching explainer and print-ready PDF and Word files.

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Real sample

Mastering Metric Conversions

This lesson covers the essential skills required for Year 5 pupils to convert between metric units of length, mass, and capacity. It focuses on understanding the powers of 10 required for conversion and moving fluently between larger and smaller units.

Learning objectives

  • Understand and use the multiplicative relationships between metric units of measure.
  • Convert between different units of metric measure (e.g., kilometre and metre; centimetre and metre; centimetre and millimetre; gram and kilogram; litre and millilitre).
  • Apply conversion skills to solve problems involving decimal notation up to three decimal places.

Lesson plan (60 minutes)

  1. Introduction · 10 min

    Mental starter: Rapid recall of multiplying and dividing by 10, 100, and 1000.

  2. Direct Instruction · 15 min

    Teacher-led instruction using the explainer and worked example. Focus on the 'Conversion Ladder'.

  3. Guided Practice · 10 min

    Guided practice: Solving 3-4 problems on mini-whiteboards together.

  4. Independent Practice · 20 min

    Differentiated independent work using the Support, Core, and Stretch worksheets.

  5. Review · 5 min

    Plenary: Multiple-choice quiz and self-marking.

Key vocabulary

Metric System
The standard system of measurement used in the UK (metres, grams, litres).
Kilo-
A prefix meaning one thousand (1,000).
Centi-
A prefix meaning one hundredth (1/100).
Milli-
A prefix meaning one thousandth (1/1,000).
Kilometre (km)
A unit of length equal to 1,000 metres.

Core worksheet (first questions)

  1. Convert 4,500 m into kilometres (km).
  2. Convert 750 ml into litres (L).
  3. A bag of flour weighs 3.2 kg. How many grams is this?
  4. A piece of string is 25 cm long. How many metres is this?

Quiz (sample)

  1. 1. How many metres are in 1 kilometre?

    • A. 10 m
    • B. 100 m
    • C. 1,000 m
    • D. 10,000 m

  2. 2. To convert metres into centimetres, you should...

    • A. Divide by 100
    • B. Multiply by 100
    • C. Multiply by 10
    • D. Divide by 10

  3. 3. What is 5 kg in grams?

    • A. 50 g
    • B. 500 g
    • C. 5,000 g
    • D. 50,000 g

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Support and Stretch worksheets, every answer and model answer, the teaching explainer and common misconceptions, editable and ready to print as PDF or Word.

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