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Math problem set Grade 5 Math

Thornbury Booster Pump: A Grade 5 Metric Conversion Set

Grade 5 students convert between milliliters and liters and between centimeters and meters in multi-step problems at a fictional water pump station.

Objectives

  1. Students will convert between milliliters and liters and between centimeters and meters.
  2. Students will use a metric conversion inside a larger multi-step problem.

Vocabulary

Key words: milliliter, liter, centimeter, meter

Teacher overview

The Thornbury Booster Pump Station is a fictional station that pushes water to homes on a hill. Workers there measure water in liters and milliliters and measure pipe and hose lengths in meters and centimeters. This set has students convert between these units and then use the converted value in a larger problem. Chaining a conversion into a bigger calculation is exactly the kind of multi-step measurement work the grade 5 standard asks for, and it is the same habit that later helps operators read instrument dials in more than one unit. A common student error is moving the decimal the wrong way, so remind students that 1,000 milliliters make 1 liter and 100 centimeters make 1 meter. Encourage students to ask whether their answer should get larger or smaller before they move the decimal, because that quick check catches most reversed conversions.

Thornbury Booster Pump: A Grade 5 Metric Conversion Set — Grade 5 Math
Name: ____________________________ Date: ______________

Problems

Use these two facts: 1,000 milliliters (mL) equal 1 liter (L), and 100 centimeters (cm) equal 1 meter (m).

  1. A test jug holds 2,500 mL of water. How many liters is that?
  2. A hose is 350 cm long. How many meters is that?
  3. A worker fills 4 jugs, each holding 2,500 mL. What is the total in liters?
  4. Two hoses measure 350 cm and 275 cm. What is their total length in meters?
  5. A storage tank holds 8 L. How many milliliters is that?
  6. The pump moves 500 mL of water each turn. After 6 turns, how many liters have moved?
  7. A pipe is 4.2 m long. How many centimeters is that?
  8. Explain in one or two sentences why 2,500 mL is the same amount as 2.5 L.

From Water for Schools (waterforschools.org). This material is in the public domain (CC0) and may be copied, edited, and shared freely.

Answer Key
  1. Answer: 2.5 L. 2,500 mL divided by 1,000 = 2.5 L.
  2. Answer: 3.5 m. 350 cm divided by 100 = 3.5 m.
  3. Answer: 10 L. 4 x 2,500 = 10,000 mL, and 10,000 divided by 1,000 = 10 L.
  4. Answer: 6.25 m. 350 + 275 = 625 cm, and 625 divided by 100 = 6.25 m.
  5. Answer: 8,000 mL. 8 L x 1,000 = 8,000 mL.
  6. Answer: 3 L. 6 x 500 = 3,000 mL, and 3,000 divided by 1,000 = 3 L.
  7. Answer: 420 cm. 4.2 m x 100 = 420 cm.
  8. Answer: 2,500 mL equals 2.5 L because every 1,000 mL make 1 L, so 2,000 mL is 2 L and the extra 500 mL is 0.5 L.

Differentiation

Support

Give students a conversion strip that shows 1,000 mL = 1 L and 100 cm = 1 m with an arrow for each direction. Work problem 1 together, then let students try problem 2 on their own.

Extension

Ask students to convert a mixed measurement, such as 3 L and 250 mL, into a single number of milliliters, and explain each step of their work.

ELL supports

Pair "milliliter," "liter," "centimeter," and "meter" with everyday objects, such as a 1-liter bottle for a liter. Provide a sentence frame for problem 8: "2,500 mL equals 2.5 L because ___."