Metric System Study Guide - English Translation

📏

Length (Longitud)

Slides 1-6 of the Digital Learning Guide

Key Vocabulary

longitud

Length

medir

To Measure

unidad

Unit

más largo/más corto

Longer/Shorter

Units of Length

Unit (Spanish)	Unit (English)	Abbreviation	Used For
milímetro	millimeter	mm	Very tiny things (ant, grain of rice)
centímetro	centimeter	cm	Small things (pencil, finger width)
metro	meter	m	Medium things (door height, person)
kilómetro	kilometer	km	Long distances (between cities)

🔄 Length Conversions

1 cm = 10 mm | 1 m = 100 cm | 1 km = 1,000 m

Measuring Tools (Herramientas de medición)

📏

regla

Ruler

📐

cinta métrica

Tape Measure

📍

metro

Meter Stick

📌 What unit for a pencil?

Answer: cm (centimeters)
Pencils are small objects, best measured in centimeters.

📌 What unit for an ant?

Answer: mm (millimeters)
Ants are very tiny, use millimeters.

📌 What unit for a classroom?

Answer: m (meters)
Rooms are measured in meters.

📌 What unit for distance to school?

Answer: km (kilometers)
Long distances use kilometers.

📋 Slide Answers - Length Section

Slide 2 Tools: Ruler (Regla) and Tape Measure (Cinta métrica)

Slide 3 Match units to objects - use the chart above!

Slide 4 1 meter = 100 centimeters, 1 cm = 10 mm

Slides 5-6 Conversions - multiply or divide using the formulas above

🧪

Capacity (Capacidad)

Slides 7-11 of the Digital Learning Guide

Key Vocabulary

capacidad

Capacity

líquido

Liquid

contener

To Hold/Contain

más/menos

More/Less

Units of Capacity

Unit (Spanish)	Unit (English)	Abbreviation	Used For
mililitro	milliliter	mL	Small amounts (medicine, eye drops)
litro	liter	L	Larger amounts (water bottle, milk)

🔄 Capacity Conversion

1 Liter (L) = 1,000 milliliters (mL)

Measuring Tools

🧪

probeta

Graduated Cylinder

🥛

taza de medir

Measuring Cup

🥄

cucharas de medir

Measuring Spoons

🥤 What unit for a water bottle?

Answer: L (liters)
Water bottles typically hold 1-2 liters.

💊 What unit for medicine dose?

Answer: mL (milliliters)
Medicine is measured in small milliliters.

🏊 What unit for a pool?

Answer: L (liters)
Pools hold thousands of liters.

🥄 What unit for a spoonful?

Answer: mL (milliliters)
A teaspoon is about 5 mL.

⚖️ Comparing Capacities

Use < (less than), = (equal), or > (greater than)

500 mL < 1 L

(because 1 L = 1000 mL)

2,000 mL = 2 L

(2 × 1000 = 2000)

3 L > 2,500 mL

(3 L = 3000 mL)

📋 Slide Answers - Capacity Section

Slide 7-8 Match items to mL or L - see examples above!

Slide 9 Conversions: multiply L × 1000 to get mL

Slide 10-11 Compare using <, =, > (convert to same unit first!)

⚖️

Weight/Mass (Peso/Masa)

Slides 12-19 of the Digital Learning Guide

Key Vocabulary

peso / masa

Weight / Mass

pesar

To Weigh

liviano/pesado

Light/Heavy

balanza

Scale

Units of Weight

Unit (Spanish)	Unit (English)	Abbreviation	Used For
gramo	gram	g	Light things (paper clip, grape)
kilogramo	kilogram	kg	Heavy things (person, backpack)

🔄 Weight Conversion

1 kilogram (kg) = 1,000 grams (g)

Measuring Tools

⚖️

balanza

Balance Scale

🔢

báscula digital

Digital Scale

🏋️

báscula de baño

Bathroom Scale

📎 What unit for a paper clip?

Answer: g (grams)
A paper clip weighs about 1 gram.

🍎 What unit for an apple?

Answer: g (grams)
An apple weighs about 150-200 grams.

🎒 What unit for a backpack?

Answer: kg (kilograms)
A full backpack might weigh 3-5 kg.

🐕 What unit for a dog?

Answer: kg (kilograms)
Dogs are measured in kilograms.

📋 Slide Answers - Weight Section

Slide 12-13 Match items to g or kg - light = g, heavy = kg

Slide 14-15 Conversions examples:

• 1 kg 100 g = 1,100 g

• 8 kg = 8,000 g

• 5 kg = 5,000 g

Slide 16-17 Compare using <, =, > (convert to same unit first!)

Slide 18-19 Word problems - identify what you're measuring and choose the right unit

💡 Memory Tips (Trucos para recordar)

Kilo = 1,000 - A kilogram is 1,000 grams, a kilometer is 1,000 meters
Centi = 100 - There are 100 centimeters in 1 meter
Milli = 1,000 tiny parts - 1,000 millimeters in a meter, 1,000 mL in a liter
Think about what you're measuring:
- Can you hold it in your hand? → Use smaller units (g, cm, mL)
- Is it bigger than you? → Use larger units (kg, m, L)
- Is it a distance you'd drive? → Use km

🔄 Conversion Cheat Sheet

To go from BIGGER to SMALLER unit: MULTIPLY by 10, 100, or 1,000
To go from SMALLER to BIGGER unit: DIVIDE by 10, 100, or 1,000
Example: 3 kg → g = 3 × 1,000 = 3,000 g ✓
Example: 500 mL → L = 500 ÷ 1,000 = 0.5 L ✓

📚

Quick Reference Chart

All conversions in one place

Type	Small Unit	Large Unit	Conversion
Length	mm → cm	cm → mm	10 mm = 1 cm
Length	cm → m	m → cm	100 cm = 1 m
Length	m → km	km → m	1,000 m = 1 km
Capacity	mL → L	L → mL	1,000 mL = 1 L
Weight	g → kg	kg → g	1,000 g = 1 kg