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Lesson 1 of 10
  • Year 3

Estimate in metres and describe a metre in different ways

I can estimate lengths and heights in metres and describe a metre in different ways.

Lesson 1 of 10
New
New
  • Year 3

Estimate in metres and describe a metre in different ways

I can estimate lengths and heights in metres and describe a metre in different ways.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. The length or height of an object can be estimated using the standardised unit of metres.
  2. One hundred, 1 cm lengths are the same as 1 m.
  3. Ten, 10 cm lengths are the same as 100 cm, which is the same as 1 m.

Keywords

  • Estimate - An estimate is a given value, number or quantity that is near to the true amount.

  • Metre - A metre is a standardised unit of measurement. We can abbreviate metre to m.

  • Centimetre - A centimetre is a standardised unit of measurement. We can abbreviate centimetre to cm.

Common misconception

100 cm is bigger than 1 m.

1 m is equal in length or height to 100 cm. 100 cm make up 1 m. They are the same length or height.


To help you plan your year 3 maths lesson on: Estimate in metres and describe a metre in different ways, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Children need a concrete example of a metre and how long and tall 1 m is. Where possible, the suggested activities should be carried out practically.
Teacher tip

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Prior knowledge starter quiz

Download quiz pdf

6 Questions

Q1.
Look at the picture. Which is taller, the elephant or the giraffe?

An image in a quiz
elephant
Correct answer: giraffe

Q2.
Look at the picture. Which is longer, the blue ribbon or the yellow ribbon?

An image in a quiz
Correct answer: blue ribbon
yellow ribbon

Q3.
Match the calculations to their answer.

Correct Answer:2 x 10 =,20

20

Correct Answer:5 x 10 =,50

50

Correct Answer:9 x 10 =,90

90

Correct Answer:4 x 10 =,40

40

Correct Answer:7 x 10,70

70

Q4.
How many tens are there in 60?

Correct Answer: 6, six, Six

Q5.
How many tens are there in 100?

Correct Answer: 10, ten, Ten

Q6.
Look at the picture. Which car has travelled the furthest?

An image in a quiz
The blue car.
Correct answer: The red car.
The green car.

Assessment exit quiz

Download quiz pdf

6 Questions

Q1.
A given value, number or quantity that is near to the true amount is known as

a metre
a centimetre
Correct answer: an estimate

Q2.
Which of these would you use metres to measure the height or length of?

Length of a pen.
Correct answer: Height of a tree.
Height of a toy car.
Length of a banana.

Q3.
How many centimetres are there in one metre?

1
10
Correct answer: 100

Q4.
I have a piece of ribbon that is 70 cm long. Is this ribbon shorter or longer than one metre?

Longer
Correct answer: Shorter

Q5.
How many 10 cm lengths will we get if we cut a 60 cm piece of ribbon up into 10 cm lengths?

Correct Answer: 6, six, Six

Q6.
A whole length of string has been cut into 3 equal pieces and each of those pieces is 10 cm. What length is the whole piece of string?

Correct Answer: 30 cm, 30, Thirty cm, thirty cm, 30 centimetres