Illustrative Mathematics Unit 6.3, Lesson 2: Anchoring Units of Measurement


Learning Targets:

  • I can name common objects that are about as long as 1 inch, foot, yard, mile, millimeter, centimeter, meter, or kilometer.
  • I can name common objects that weigh about 1 ounce, pound, ton, gram, or kilogram, or that hold about 1 cup, quart, gallon, milliliter, or liter.
  • When I read or hear a unit of measurement, I know whether it is used to measure length, weight, or volume.



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Illustrative Math
Grade 6

Lesson 2: Anchoring Units of Measurement

Let’s see how big different things are.

Illustrative Math Unit 6.3, Lesson 2 (printable worksheets)

Lesson 2 Summary

The following diagram shows some examples of approximation for units of measurement.
Approximate Units of Measurement

Lesson 2.1 Estimating Volume

Estimate the volume of the tiny salt shaker.




2.2 Cutting String

Your teacher will assign you one of the following lengths: 1 centimeter, 1 foot, 1 inch, 1 meter, or 1 yard.

Estimate and cut a piece of string as close to your assigned length as you can without using a measurement tool.

2.3 - Card Sort: Measurements

Your teacher will give you some cards with the names of different units of measurement and other cards with pictures of objects.

  1. Sort the units of measurement into groups based on the attribute they measure. Pause here so your teacher can review your groups.
  2. Match each picture card that has “L” in the top right corner with the closest unit to the length of the object.
  3. Match each picture card that has “V” in the top right corner with the closest unit to the volume of the object.
  4. Match each picture card that has “WM” in the top right corner with the closest unit to the weight or mass of the object.

Your teacher will assign you a new group to discuss how you matched the objects. If you disagree, work to reach an agreement.

Lesson 2 Practice Problems

  1. Select the unit from the list that you would use to measure each object.
  2. When this pet hamster is placed on a digital scale, the scale reads 1.5.
    What could be the units?
  3. Circle the larger unit of measure. Then, determine if the unit measures distance, volume, or weight (mass).
    a. meter or kilometer
    b. yard or foot
    c. cup or quart
    d. pound or ounce
    e. liter or milliliter
    f. gram or kilogram
  4. Elena mixes 5 cups of apple juice with 2 cups of sparkling water to make sparkling apple juice. For a party, she wants to make 35 cups of sparkling apple juice. How much of each ingredient should Elena use? Explain or show your reasoning.
  5. Lin bought 3 hats for $22.50. At this rate, how many hats could she buy with $60.00? If you get stuck, try using a table.
  6. Light travels about 180 million kilometers in 10 minutes. How far does it travel in 1 minute? How far does it travel in 1 second? Show your reasoning.


The Open Up Resources math curriculum is free to download from the Open Up Resources website and is also available from Illustrative Mathematics.

Try the free Mathway calculator and problem solver below to practice various math topics. Try the given examples, or type in your own problem and check your answer with the step-by-step explanations.
Mathway Calculator Widget



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