3 Consolidating knowledge
To help students really get to grips with mathematical concepts it is good practice to think carefully about including consolidation activities in your lessons. Such activities give the students more opportunity for practising their thinking. Good consolidation activities can also ask students to use their newly acquired knowledge from a different perspective. The next activity aims to do this by making the students think about subtle changes, and then by asking them to construct their own questions.
Activity 3: Consolidation activity – sometimes, always, never true
In preparation for this activity ask each student to bring one bottle or container from home. In class, ask them to randomly exchange their containers with some other student. Alternatively, bring in a variety of bottles yourself and put them where all the students can see them.
Part 1: Evaluating statements
Ask your students which of the following statements are sometimes true, always true or never true? Why?
- a.The volume of the shampoo bottle is 150 ml.
- b.The capacity of the shampoo bottle is 150 ml.
- c.The volume of shampoo in the bottle is 150 ml.
- d.The capacity of shampoo in the bottle is 150 ml.
- e.The volume of shampoo that a bottle can hold is 150 ml.
Part 2: Constructing questions of their own
- Looking at the container the students have been given (or they can see displayed), ask the students to write in a random order:
- two correct statements – one using the term ‘volume’ and the other using the term ‘capacity’
- two incorrect statements – one using the term ‘volume’ and the other using the term ‘capacity’.
- Ask the students to exchange their statements with the question:
Which of the following statements are sometimes true, always true or never true? Why?
 Pause for thought
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2 Thinking about capacity and volume and their units of measurement