One litre exactly: litres and millilitres · Concept Studio

The idea

A litre is 1000 millilitres, and a container can be calibrated by pouring in known amounts and marking the level.

What you need

a 1 L measuring jug marked in 100 mL steps and a 250 mL measuring cup
a clear 1.25 L soft-drink bottle with the label removed, a marker and a strip of masking tape
a 60 mL medicine cup, a 20 mL measuring spoon (an Australian tablespoon) and a 5 mL measuring teaspoon
containers to test: a mug, a yoghurt tub, a drink bottle, a small bucket

How to do it

Pour 250 mL of water into the jug four times, reading the level after each pour. Record the levels and the total.
Stick the tape down the bottle. Pour in 100 mL at a time from the jug and mark the tape at each level until 1200 mL have gone in, then add 50 mL and mark that level. Count the marks.
Estimate the capacity of each test container in millilitres, then measure it by filling it and pouring into the jug. Record estimate and measurement.
Find how many 20 mL measures fill the 60 mL cup and how many teaspoons (5 mL) fill the 20 mL measure.
Order the test containers by capacity and say each capacity two ways (for example 1250 mL and 1.25 L).

What you should see

Four pours of 250 mL reach the 250, 500, 750 and 1000 mL lines, filling the litre jug exactly. The bottle takes 12 marks of 100 mL and a half-step of 50 mL, matching the 1250 mL on its label; the marks sit closer together where the bottle is wide and further apart where it narrows, because 100 mL fills less height in a wide part. Three 20 mL measures fill the 60 mL cup and four teaspoons of 5 mL fill the 20 mL measure. Each test container is recorded in millilitres and, where it holds more than a litre, in litres as well, and the estimate and the measurement sit side by side in the table.

What changes

This activity lists no variables to change, measure and keep the same.

Common misconceptions

Each of these ideas is wrong, and the activity is a chance to test it.

A litre is 100 millilitres.
The level in a tall thin bottle rises by the same amount per 100 mL as in a wide jug.

Safety card

Low riskLearners carry it out

Hazards

water spills

Controls

work over a tray; mop spills at once

Note

No chemicals or heat are used, so the NSW Department of Education Chemical Safety in Schools package is not needed; ordinary classroom supervision under the school's usual risk management.

Curriculum references

The NSW syllabus outcomes and Australian Curriculum v9 codes this activity supports. They are references, not a verified or complete curriculum alignment.

Mathematics K-10 Syllabus (2022), NSW Education Standards AuthorityMA2-3DS-02 MAO-WM-01
Australian Curriculum v9AC9M3M02AC9M4M01

Sources

The pages the author read to write this activity.