How can grams help us compare weights?
2. Weigh selected objects
Note: When students used steel washers or paper clips, every item had a unit weight of 1. Using the of gram weights, students will have not just 1-gram pieces, but also 5-gram, 10-gram, and 20-gram pieces. Some students will be unfamiliar with how to take advantage of this new system. For example, to balance an object that weighs 26 grams, they may use 26 1-gram pieces instead of using a 20-gram piece, a 5-gram piece, and a 1-gram piece.
The student balances his green pom pom with three gram weights.
Provide each student one object from the Materials and Preparation list to weigh. Remind students to check their pan balances to see if they need adjustment and to be sure to handle them carefully.
Each student weighs an object and records the name of the object and its weight in their notebook. Students might try to estimate the weights of objects that are to be weighed.
