1. Measures, Shape and Data Explore container capacities
Objectives
Day 1
Understand capacity Compare capacities, by direct comparison.
Day 2
Estimate, measure and compare capacities, using cups Use a uniform, non-standard unit to measure capacity.
Day 3
Estimate, measure, compare capacities, using cups Use a uniform, non-standard unit to measure capacity.
Before teaching, be aware that:
On Day 1 you will need various containers, food dye, washing up bowl.
On Day 2 you will need various containers, plastic cup, water, washing up bowl, funnel.
On Day 3 you will need various containers, sand, funnel, labels.
Year 1

2. Measures, Shape and Data Explore container capacities
Starters
Day 1
Say the number that is 1 more (simmering skills)
Day 2
Write the number that is 1 more (simmering skills)
Day 3
Counting in 10s (simmering skills)
Choose starters that suit your class by dragging and dropping the relevant slide or slides below to the start of the teaching for each day.
Year 1

3. Measures, Shape and Data
Explore container capacities
Starter
Say the number that is 1 more
Simmering skills – to use this starter, drag this slide to the start of Day 1
Sit children in a large circle and give one child a beanbag. Ask them to say a number as they throw the beanbag to another child. The child who catches the beanbag says the number 1 more than the first number. They then throw the beanbag to another child and repeat until all children have had a go. If children are confident, introduce another beanbag!
Year 1

4. Measures, Shape and Data
Explore container capacities
Starter
Write the number that is 1 more
Simmering skills – to use this starter, drag this slide to the start of Day 2
Enlarge a 100 square and place in the middle of a circle. Throw a counter or a small beanbag onto the square. Read out the number it lands on, e.g. 54, then everyone writes down the number that is 1 more than that number, i.e. 55. Repeat with children throwing the counter/beanbag onto the square. Check answers together.
Year 1

5. Measures, Shape and Data Explore container capacities
Starter
Counting in 10s
Simmering skills – to use this starter, drag this slide to the start of Day 3
Roll a dice on the floor. We are going to count on in 10s from that number e.g. 6, 16, 26, 36 etc. Show a 100 square to support children to count on. Repeat by rolling another number.
Year 1

6. Measures, Shape and Data Explore container capacities
Objectives
Day 1
Understand capacity Compare capacities, by direct comparison.
Year 1

7. Which container holds most water?
Day 1: Understand capacity; Compare capacities, by direct comparison.
Show two containers with different capacities and of different proportions.
Fill the larger with coloured water and demonstrate pouring water into the smaller, letting the water overflow into a washing up bowl.
Which container holds most water?
Pour the water from the smaller container into the larger one and show how this does not fill the larger container.
Year 1

8. Empty Full Half full Nearly full Nearly empty
Day 1: Understand capacity; Compare capacities, by direct comparison.
Discuss how much water is in the larger container.
Empty
Full
Is it empty, full, half full, nearly full or nearly empty?
Half full
Nearly full
Repeat, comparing capacities of different pairs of containers and using this key vocabulary.
Children can now go on to do differentiated GROUP ACTIVITIES. You can find Hamilton’s group activities in this unit’s TEACHING AND GROUP ACTIVITIES download.
Activity 1 Independent or with TA or T: Match children in mixed-attainment pairs (for reading).
Children match the following labels to pictures of fluids in containers: Empty, nearly empty, half full, nearly full, full on the ‘Empty and full’ sheet (see resources).
Practical Activity 2 in groups with TA or T:
WT: Compare capacities of pairs of containers.
ARE: Compare capacities of 3 containers.
GD: Compare and order 4 containers by capacity.
Nearly empty
Year 1

9. Year 1 The Practice Sheet on this slide is suitable for most children.
Differentiated PRACTICE WORKSHEETS are available on Hamilton’s website in this unit’s PROCEDURAL FLUENCY box.
WT: Capacity Sheet 1, support children with instructions.
ARE: Capacity Sheet 1.
GD: Capacity Sheet 2.
Year 1

10. Measures, Shape and Data Explore container capacities
Objectives
Day 2
Estimate, measure and compare capacities, using cups Use a uniform, non-standard unit to measure capacity.
Year 1

11. How many cups do you think we might need?
Day 2: Estimate, measure and compare capacities, using cups; Use a uniform, non-standard unit to measure capacity.
Take children’s suggestions, then ask a child to fill the cup and pour into the container over a washing up bowl (use a funnel to help).
Show children a container and a plastic cup. Explain that we’re going to fill this container with cups of water.
Talk to your partner.
How many cups do you think we might need?
Less than 5? More than 5? More than 10?
Repeat until the container is full, counting together the number of cups needed. Label the container.
Year 1

12. Day 2: Estimate, measure and compare capacities, using cups; Use a uniform, non-standard unit to measure capacity.
Show children a different container. Discuss whether this will hold more or less cups of water and how could we find out.
Ask a different child to find out using the cups. Count the cups of water as they are poured in.
Repeat for two other containers and discuss which of these four containers holds most and the least.
Today would be a great day to use a problem-solving investigation – Fill the bucket – as the group activity, which you can find in this unit’s IN-DEPTH INVESTIGATION box on Hamilton’s website.
Alternatively, children can now go on to do differentiated GROUP ACTIVITIES. You can find Hamilton’s group activities in this unit’s TEACHING AND GROUP ACTIVITIES download.
Activity 1 Independent or with TA or T:
Children match capacities (in cupfuls) to containers of different proportions on the ‘Comparing capacities’ sheet (see resources).
Practical Activity 2 in groups with TA or T:
WT: Compare capacities of pairs of containers.
ARE: Compare capacities of 3 containers.
GD: Compare and order 4 containers by capacity.
Place the containers in order from the least capacity to the greatest capacity. Discuss how it is easy to compare them now we know how many cups of water each of them holds.
Year 1

13. Year 1 The Practice Sheet on this slide is suitable for most children.
Differentiated PRACTICE WORKSHEETS are available on Hamilton’s website in this unit’s PROCEDURAL FLUENCY box.
WT/ARE/GD: Comparing and ordering capacity Sheet 1 - Give children support with reading questions as necessary.
Year 1

14. Measures, Shape and Data Explore container capacities
Objectives
Day 3
Estimate, measure, compare capacities, using cups Use a uniform, non-standard unit to measure capacity.
Year 1

15. Which container do you think will hold the most? And the least?
Day 3: Estimate, measure, compare capacities, using cups; Use a uniform, non-standard unit to measure capacity.
Talk to your partner.
Which container do you think will hold the most? And the least?
Show children 4 containers of different proportions, including a wide shallow bowl, which holds more than a tall thin vase.
Suggest counting how many cups of sand will fill each container to check the order.
Children estimate the number of cups required to fill each. Less than 3? More than 3? More than 5? More than 10?
Year 1

16. Day 3: Estimate, measure, compare capacities, using cups; Use a uniform, non-standard unit to measure capacity.
Label each container and discuss which holds the most and which the least cups of sand. Did children have them in the right order?
Discuss how it can sometimes be difficult to compare the capacities of different shaped containers without measuring how many cups they each hold.
Children can now go on to do differentiated GROUP ACTIVITIES. You can find Hamilton’s group activities in this unit’s TEACHING AND GROUP ACTIVITIES download.
WT/ARE/GD – rotate these activities:
Activity 1 Independent or with TA or T:
Children sort a selection of containers into 2 groups; those which they think hold more than 1 plastic cup of sand, and those which they think will hold less.
Activity 2 in groups with TA or T:
Compare capacities using sand.
Year 1

17. Year 1 The Practice Sheet on this slide is suitable for most children.
Differentiated PRACTICE WORKSHEETS are available on Hamilton’s website in this unit’s PROCEDURAL FLUENCY box.
WT/ARE/GD: Comparing capacities Sheet 1 - Give children support with reading questions as necessary.
Year 1

18. Measures, Shape and Data Explore container capacities
Well Done! You’ve completed this unit.
Objectives
Day 1
Understand capacity Compare capacities, by direct comparison.
Day 2
Estimate, measure and compare capacities, using cups Use a uniform, non-standard unit to measure capacity.
Day 3
Estimate, measure, compare capacities, using cups Use a uniform, non-standard unit to measure capacity.
You can now use the Mastery: Reasoning and Problem-Solving questions to assess children’s success across this unit. Go to the next slide.
Year 1

19. Problem solving and reasoning questions
How many cups full of sand would it take to fill a tray from the maths equipment cupboard?
• Make a good guess
• Write it down
• Use cups to measure and check
Make a cone out of paper.
Estimate how many egg cups of lentils or rice it will hold.
Measure to check your estimate.
How many cups more does your water bottle hold when it is full, than it does when it is half empty?
Year 1

20. Problem solving and reasoning: Answers
How many cups full of sand would it take to fill a tray from the maths equipment cupboard?
• Make a good guess
• Write it down
• Use cups to measure and check
Ask children to justify their estimate; observe how carefully they fill the cup and keep track of how many cups are poured.
Make a cone out of paper. Estimate how many egg cups of lentils or rice it will hold.
Measure to check your estimate. The exact answer will be dependent on the size of the cone and the egg cup but observe how careful children are with their filling of the egg cup and their tracking of the number of egg cups needed to fill the cone.
How many cups more does your water bottle hold when it is full, than it does when it is half empty? The answer will vary according to the capacity of the water bottle and size of the cup but note that it will be twice as many when full as when half empty.
Year 1