Convert This! Script

Warm Up: Daily Conversion Challenge (5 minutes)

Teacher: "Good morning, everyone! Let's get our brains warmed up today with a quick challenge. Take a look at the Warm Up: Daily Conversion Challenge on your desk. I'll give you about 3 minutes to complete it, and then we'll go over it together. Think about how you might change one unit into another."

(Allow students to work. Circulate and observe.)

Teacher: "Alright, let's see what you came up with! For the first one, 'How many minutes are in 2 hours?' Who can share their answer and tell us how they figured it out?"

(Call on students, guide them to explain their reasoning, connect to prior knowledge of hours and minutes.)

Teacher: "Excellent! Today, we're going to dive deeper into this idea of changing one unit to another. It's called unit conversion, and it's super useful!"

Introduction to Conversions (5 minutes)

Teacher: "Open up your notebooks or get ready to focus on the screen. We're starting our Slide Deck: Convert This! now!"

(Display Slide 1: Convert This! Making Sense of Units)

Teacher: "So, what exactly is unit conversion? It's simply taking a measurement in one unit and expressing it in another unit, without actually changing the amount. For example, if I say I'm 5 feet tall, that's the same height as saying I'm 60 inches tall. The height hasn't changed, just the way we're describing it!"

(Display Slide 2: Our Goal Today)

Teacher: "Our goal today is to understand what conversion means, learn how to use something called ratio reasoning and conversion factors to switch between units, and then use these skills to solve problems!"

(Display Slide 3: Why Convert? Real-World Connections!)

Teacher: "Why do we even need to do this? Think about everyday life! Who's ever tried to bake something and the recipe gives you measurements in cups, but your measuring spoons are only in tablespoons? Or maybe you're building something and you have measurements in feet, but your ruler is in inches? Conversions help us out in these situations! They're also super important in science and many other areas."

The Magic of Conversion Factors (10 minutes)

(Display Slide 4: The Magic of Conversion Factors)

Teacher: "The secret ingredient to conversions is something called a conversion factor. Don't let the big words scare you! A conversion factor is just a fancy way of saying a ratio that equals one. It tells us how many of one unit are in another unit.

Look at the example on the slide: 1 foot = 12 inches. This is a fact, right? We all know that! Because 1 foot and 12 inches are the same amount, we can write it as a fraction, or a ratio: $\frac{12 \text{ inches}}{1 \text{ foot}}$ or $\frac{1 \text{ foot}}{12 \text{ inches}}$. Both of these fractions are equal to 1, because the top and bottom represent the same distance! We use these fractions to convert."

(Display Slide 5: Let's Practice! (Example 1))

Teacher: "Let's try our first example together. How many inches are in 3 feet?"

"Step 1: We always start with what we know. We know we have 3 feet."

"Step 2: Now we need to choose our conversion factor. We know 1 foot equals 12 inches. We want to cancel out the 'feet' unit and be left with 'inches'. So, which conversion factor should we use: $\frac{12 \text{ inches}}{1 \text{ foot}}$ or $\frac{1 \text{ foot}}{12 \text{ inches}}$? Think about it... we want feet to be on the bottom so it cancels out with the feet we started with on the top."

(Pause for student response. Guide them to select the correct factor.)

Teacher: "That's right! We'll use $\frac{12 \text{ inches}}{1 \text{ foot}}$."

"Step 3: Now we multiply: $3 \text{ feet} \times \frac{12 \text{ inches}}{1 \text{ foot}}$. See how the 'feet' unit is on the top and the bottom? They cancel each other out! What are we left with? $3 \times 12 \text{ inches}$, which equals 36 inches! So, 3 feet is 36 inches."

(Display Slide 6: Let's Practice! (Example 2))

Teacher: "Let's try another one. How many minutes are in 2 hours? Who can tell me the conversion factor for hours and minutes?"

(Pause for student response: 1 hour = 60 minutes.)

Teacher: "Excellent! So our conversion factors are $\frac{60 \text{ minutes}}{1 \text{ hour}}$ and $\frac{1 \text{ hour}}{60 \text{ minutes}}$. Which one should we use if we want to convert 2 hours into minutes?"

(Pause for student response. Guide them to select the correct factor.)

Teacher: "Yes, $\frac{60 \text{ minutes}}{1 \text{ hour}}$. Now, let's multiply: $2 \text{ hours} \times \frac{60 \text{ minutes}}{1 \text{ hour}}$. The 'hours' cancel out, and we're left with $2 \times 60 \text{ minutes}$, which is 120 minutes!"

Independent Practice: Worksheet (5 minutes)

(Display Slide 7: Your Turn! Independent Practice)

Teacher: "You've seen a couple of examples. Now it's your turn to be a conversion detective! I'm handing out the Worksheet: Conversion Practice. You'll have about 5 minutes to work on these problems independently. Remember the steps we just went over: start with what you know, choose the right conversion factor, and multiply to cancel units. If you get stuck, try to remember our examples, or raise your hand and I'll come around to help."

(Distribute worksheets. Circulate to provide individual support.)

Cool Down: Exit Ticket (5 minutes)

(Display Slide 8: Wrap-Up: You're a Conversion Champion!)

Teacher: "Alright, everyone, time is just about up for our conversion practice. To help me see what you've learned today, please complete this quick Cool Down: Exit Ticket Conversions. This will help me understand what we might need to review or practice more next time. Do your best, and remember to show your work if there's space!"

(Collect exit tickets.)

Teacher: "Great job today, Unit Conversion Champions! You've learned how to convert between different units using ratios and conversion factors. Keep an eye out for how you can use these skills in your everyday life, and I'll see you all next time!"

Warm Up: Daily Conversion Challenge

Instructions: Try to solve these quick conversion problems. Show your work if you can!

1. How many seconds are in 3 minutes?
   
   
   
   

2. If you have 4 quarters, how many dollars do you have?
   
   
   
   

3. A recipe calls for 2 cups of milk. If 1 cup is equal to 8 fluid ounces, how many fluid ounces of milk do you need?
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Worksheet: Conversion Practice

Instructions: For each problem, show your work by writing down the starting amount, the conversion factor, and the final answer. Remember to cancel out your units!

1. How many centimeters are in 5 meters? (Hint: 1 meter = 100 centimeters)
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

2. You have a jug that holds 4 liters of water. How many milliliters is that? (Hint: 1 liter = 1000 milliliters)
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

3. A sloth moves at about 0.24 kilometers per hour. If you wanted to know how many meters it moves in an hour, what would you do? How many meters is that? (Hint: 1 kilometer = 1000 meters)
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

4. A baby elephant weighs about 200 pounds. How many ounces is that? (Hint: 1 pound = 16 ounces)
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

5. Your favorite song is 3 minutes long. If you listen to it 5 times in a row, how many seconds have you listened to music? (Hint: 1 minute = 60 seconds)
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Answer Key: Conversion Practice

Instructions: Review the step-by-step solutions for each conversion problem.

1. How many centimeters are in 5 meters? (Hint: 1 meter = 100 centimeters)

   • Thought Process: We start with 5 meters and want to convert to centimeters. The conversion factor is 1 meter = 100 centimeters. To cancel out meters, we'll use the ratio $\frac{100 \text{ centimeters}}{1 \text{ meter}}$.
   • Work: $5 \text{ meters} \times \frac{100 \text{ centimeters}}{1 \text{ meter}} = 5 \times 100 \text{ centimeters} = 500 \text{ centimeters}$
   • Answer: 500 centimeters

2. You have a jug that holds 4 liters of water. How many milliliters is that? (Hint: 1 liter = 1000 milliliters)

   • Thought Process: We start with 4 liters and want to convert to milliliters. The conversion factor is 1 liter = 1000 milliliters. To cancel out liters, we'll use the ratio $\frac{1000 \text{ milliliters}}{1 \text{ liter}}$.
   • Work: $4 \text{ liters} \times \frac{1000 \text{ milliliters}}{1 \text{ liter}} = 4 \times 1000 \text{ milliliters} = 4000 \text{ milliliters}$
   • Answer: 4000 milliliters

3. A sloth moves at about 0.24 kilometers per hour. If you wanted to know how many meters it moves in an hour, what would you do? How many meters is that? (Hint: 1 kilometer = 1000 meters)

   • Thought Process: We start with 0.24 kilometers and want to convert to meters. The conversion factor is 1 kilometer = 1000 meters. To cancel out kilometers, we'll use the ratio $\frac{1000 \text{ meters}}{1 \text{ kilometer}}$.
   • Work: $0.24 \text{ kilometers} \times \frac{1000 \text{ meters}}{1 \text{ kilometer}} = 0.24 \times 1000 \text{ meters} = 240 \text{ meters}$
   • Answer: 240 meters

4. A baby elephant weighs about 200 pounds. How many ounces is that? (Hint: 1 pound = 16 ounces)

   • Thought Process: We start with 200 pounds and want to convert to ounces. The conversion factor is 1 pound = 16 ounces. To cancel out pounds, we'll use the ratio $\frac{16 \text{ ounces}}{1 \text{ pound}}$.
   • Work: $200 \text{ pounds} \times \frac{16 \text{ ounces}}{1 \text{ pound}} = 200 \times 16 \text{ ounces} = 3200 \text{ ounces}$
   • Answer: 3200 ounces

5. Your favorite song is 3 minutes long. If you listen to it 5 times in a row, how many seconds have you listened to music? (Hint: 1 minute = 60 seconds)

   • Thought Process: First, find the total minutes listened: 3 minutes/song * 5 songs = 15 minutes. Then, convert 15 minutes to seconds. The conversion factor is 1 minute = 60 seconds. To cancel out minutes, we'll use the ratio $\frac{60 \text{ seconds}}{1 \text{ minute}}$.
   • Work: $15 \text{ minutes} \times \frac{60 \text{ seconds}}{1 \text{ minute}} = 15 \times 60 \text{ seconds} = 900 \text{ seconds}$
   • Answer: 900 seconds

Cool Down: Exit Ticket Conversions

Instructions: Answer the following questions to show what you learned about conversions today.

1. A snail crawls 120 inches. How many feet did the snail crawl? (Show your work! Hint: 1 foot = 12 inches)
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

2. You have a ribbon that is 2 feet long. How many inches long is the ribbon? (Show your work!)