Resource 3: Pupil instructions for weighing activity
Teacher resource for planning or adapting to use with pupils
- Put the object to be weighed, e.g. a milk tin, in the left scale pan of the balance. Place one bean in the other scale pan. Which is heavier?
- Add more beans, one at a time, in the right scale pan until the two sides balance. How many beans do you need for this?
- Repeat, using bottle tops instead of beans.
- Repeat 1. and 2. for each of the objects to be weighed.
- Record your observations in the form of the table below.
- Find out how many bottle tops weigh as much as ten beans.
- Find out how many beans weigh as much as ten bottle tops.

Resource 2: Pupil instructions for estimating and comparing weights