Skill: Compare capacities directly
Explanation and Free Practice Resources
Capacity is the amount a container can hold, and direct comparison establishes whether one container holds more, less, or the same amount as another by matching their contents without relying on the containers’ height, width, or shape. This reasoning includes recognizing that differently shaped containers may have equal capacity and provides a foundation for measuring capacity with standard units.
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Detailed Explanation: Compare capacities directly
Capacity tells how much a container can hold. To compare capacities directly, pour the contents of one full container into the other. Do not decide by looking at which container is taller, wider, or a different shape.
Example: Which holds more: a short, wide bowl or a tall, thin bottle?
- Fill the bowl all the way to the top.
- Pour the water from the bowl into the empty bottle.
- The bottle becomes full, but some water is still left in the bowl.
- The bowl held more water because it filled the bottle and still had water left.
So, the bowl has a greater capacity than the bottle. The bottle is taller, but height alone does not tell us which container holds more.
Learn by doing: Compare capacities directly
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Practice:
Measurement - Compare Capacity - Holds More or Less
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Download/Modify Free Grade 2 'Compare capacities directly' Worksheet
Print this free 'Compare capacities directly' worksheet to practice this skill away from the computer. Click 'Modify' to easily customize this worksheet to your exact needs.
This Worksheet Includes:
- Measurement - Compare Capacity - Holds More or Less
- Measurement - Compare Capacity - Which Holds More or Less
- Measurement - Compare Capacity - Order by Capacity
- Measurement - Compare Capacity - Pictures Holds More or Less
Units Teaching This Skill
These adaptive units introduce, teach, or reinforce this skill (Compare capacities directly) through scaffolded problems that grow in difficulty as concepts are understood.