Temperature and Measurement

Overview

In this 60-minute lesson, learners read thermometer scales, compare temperatures and solve problems involving degrees Celsius. They build on prior work with measurement scales and number lines, using local weather contexts to explain sensible temperature reasoning.

Learning intentions

• WALT read thermometer scales accurately, including intervals between marked values.
• WALT compare and order temperatures using degrees Celsius.
• WALT calculate the change between two temperatures.
• WALT explain why temperatures make sense in different contexts.

Success criteria

• I can read a thermometer and record a temperature in °C.
• I can order temperatures from coolest to warmest and explain my choice.
• I can find the difference between two temperatures.
• I can use the context to explain whether a temperature is sensible.

Curriculum links

• Mathematics and Statistics — Mathsteasers: higher-order thinking questions that challenge learners and deepen understanding.
• Mathsteasers / Alignment: applying challenge questions alongside relevant mathematics content.
• Mathsteasers: additional resources for advanced learners, including reasoning and explanation.
• Measurement and number reasoning: interpreting scales, comparing values and solving contextual problems.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Hook and prediction. Open with the hook and learning intention slides showing a freezer, a sunny outdoor scene and a thermometer; ask, “Which temperature would you expect to be lowest, and why?” Students silently predict, then share with a partner using the words cooler, warmer, lower and higher.

2. 5–15 min · Model reading a scale. Use the thermometer modelling slides and display a large thermometer or digital thermometer. Model locating the numbered marks, counting equal intervals and checking the unit is °C; explicitly read scales such as 10, 12, 14, 16, 18 and 20°C. Students practise reading three displayed thermometers on mini whiteboards and explain how they counted the intervals.

3. 15–25 min · Must Do: order temperatures. Distribute the temperature reasoning worksheet and direct learners to complete the ordering task first. Students order 18°C, 9°C, 12°C and 15°C from coolest to warmest, then compare their answers with a partner; reinforce that the expected sequence begins 9°C, 12°C, 15°C, 18°C. Check understanding by asking, “How do you know 12°C is warmer than 9°C?”

4. 25–40 min · Warm or Cool? local data activity. Open the Warm or Cool? activity slides and provide pairs with prepared local weather readings for places or times familiar to the class. Students sort readings into cooler and warmer groups, place them in order and discuss whether each reading is sensible for its context, such as morning, midday, shade or sunshine. Circulate and ask, “What evidence from the scale supports your answer?” Students record one comparison and one explanation on the worksheet.

5. 40–52 min · Can Do and Try reasoning. Model the change from 14°C to 19°C on a number line and thermometer, counting five one-degree intervals. Students complete the worksheet problem: “The temperature changes from 14°C to 19°C. What is the change?” The answer is 5°C. For the Try question, students explain why a freezer reading is lower than a sunny-day reading, using a sentence such as, “A freezer is designed to keep things very cold, while sunlight warms surfaces and air.” Offer a no-touch option for students who prefer to point to or draw on the thermometer.

6. 52–60 min · Share, assess and exit. Use the discussion and exit slides to revisit the key ideas. Invite two learners to explain different ways to find a temperature change, then ask all learners to complete the final worksheet exit response: order 9°C, 12°C and 18°C, and state the change from 14°C to 19°C. Collect responses as learners leave.

Resources

• the temperature reasoning slide deck
• the temperature reasoning worksheet
• Large demonstration thermometers with clear visual scales
• Digital thermometer display or projected thermometer images
• Mini whiteboards and pens
• Prepared local weather readings in degrees Celsius
• Number lines and pencils
• Optional non-contact thermometer for demonstration only

Assessment

• Check mini-whiteboard readings during explicit teaching, looking for accurate interval counting and correct use of °C.
• Listen during pair discussions for comparison language and explanations grounded in the scale or context.
• Use the exit response to identify whether learners can order temperatures and calculate a 5°C change. Reteach with a number line or enlarged scale for learners who count intervals inaccurately.

Differentiation

• Provide large or digital thermometers, high-contrast visual scales and partially labelled number lines for learners who need visual or motor support.
• Allow learners to point, draw, use mini whiteboards or explain orally rather than handle a thermometer; provide additional processing time.
• Use sentence starters: “___°C is cooler than ___°C because…”, “The change is…”, and “This is sensible because…”.
• Work with a small teacher-led group using scales marked in 1°C intervals before returning to mixed-interval scales. Extend confident learners by asking them to create a plausible temperature for a new Aotearoa context and justify its position.