How do you teach a 3rd grader to convert measurement units?

Question

I tutor a 3rd grader and she is beginning to study the conversion of measurements.
The only 5 she is learning are:
12 Inches = 1 Foot
3 Feet = 1 Yard
36 Inches = 1 Yard
5280 Feet = 1 Mile
1760 Yards = 1 Mile

These are example problems from her worksheets that she needs to do:
[write > < or =]
3 Ft ____ 6 In
9 Yd ____ 1 Mi

I think an easier way to figure the problems out is to convert them into the same measurement. (example: 3 Ft____6In into
36 In ___6In)
How could I explain to her how to do that? She obviously needs Math help if I'm tutoring her so I need an easy explanation, if possible.
Thank you to whoever is willing to help,
Steph

Answer 1

The problems you use as examples are vastly different and are only attempting to give her a general feeling of relative size. Start there and work down to unit conversion. I would take a ruler, a skein of yarn, and a roll of tape (either masking or scotch-type). First have her cut a few pieces of yarn that are one inch long. Use the tape to label them (tape a small piece of paper to the string if you are using Scotch tape). Then cut a few feet. Then one or two yards. Help her get the feel of each distance by laying down and stretching, running, hopping and using her fingers to really feel what an inch is and what a foot is and what a yard is. To illustrate a mile, have her imaging the distance from her house to a Gas station that is about a mile away.
Once she can tell you which is bigger without looking, help her with the relationship between inches and feet using a ruler. Again, help her FEEL that there are twelve inches in a foot. Use three foot-long strings or three rulers to get the feel of a yard and understand the conversion. Most of us memorize conversions with a cheat sheet etc so don't be afraid to make her one (I still have conversion charts from college and I have a degree in Biology). Teach her to use multiplication to convert them if she needs to but with the examples you gave us, she will know and feel that one is much bigger than the other and won't need to convert them just yet.
Hope that helps

Answer 2

I feel for you on this one. A third grader's readiness level is not even up to these conversions and that's one of the reasons that it's hard for them to get a grasp for this. We are now so test driven with NCLB that every year we expect more progress and expect every child to be proficient which is unbelievable. If a third grader can get and understand the first 3 you have listed I believe that would be what they can handle. They will be able to memorize some of the other information but it will be soon gone after the testing because it doesn't mean anything to them right now. Good luck!

Answer 3

hey i tutored a 3rd grader once too

go outside and show her how big an inch is, then a foot, then a yard, then a mile. it worked for me