How to Access.

Search: “Metric Program NIST” https://www.nist.gov/pml/owm/metric-si

On the left navigation go to SI Education and Training (There are many good options)

Under SI Education and Training explore the following:

• Education Resources on the Metric System (SI) – A curated

collection of resources to enrich classroom curriculum and

reinforce student learning.

• SI Teacher Kits Available for Educators – Request a free set of

metric education classroom resources. Email: TheSI@nist.gov

(include your name, school, subject, grade level, phone

number, and mailing address).

• Everyday Estimation – Estimation is more than taking a guess.

Approximation skills help interpret the world around us.

Estimation skills are key to sensemaking and checking for

reasonableness of a measurement result.

• SI Units Card Deck – Familiarity with the elements and structure of the SI, including the

relationships between defining constants, base and derived units, and prefixes.

• NIST Metric Trivia Quiz – Test your metric system knowledge with this fun online quiz.

Highlights for Teachers / Professional Development

Use https://www.nist.gov/pml/owm/metric-si; (under Trade and Commerce, Click on “professional

Development and Training”)

Free Webinars

Attend Metric Program technical training and professional development courses. Explore the Calendar of Events to identify currently scheduled sessions, designed for 90-minute (or less).

NIST Summer Institute for Middle School Science Teachers

• Apply for the two-week workshop in July, featuring hands-on activities, lectures, tours, and visits with NIST scientists and engineers in their laboratories. See NIST Website on how to apply, details and deadlines. Applications must be submitted through your school district or private school administration.

(Be sure to explore this)
Use the Education website NIST Educational STEM Registry (NEST-R) to discover Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math educational resources published by NIST. Learn how to Discover NIST Education Resources. Search by free text and using the filtering system to locate the resources that are most applicable to your instructional needs. Happy exploring!

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The Metric System

Written by Dr. Don M. Jordan, Eastern Director of the United States Metric Association,

Professor(R) Center for Science Education, Math specialist College of Arts & Sciences University of South Carolina

Did you know that...?

In establishing the Metric System, never has anything been more grand, simple, & coherent in all its parts that was produced by man.

Metric minimizes the likelihood of error.

Metric does not have the numerous conversion factors of other systems.

Metric has one unit for a quantity.

Metric is legal, logical, and preferred.

Between Six months and two years of elementary arithmetic could be eliminated

with the adoption of Metric System.

How to teach young people what they need to know about Metric!

1. Teach using only the Metric System.

2. Use rulers and measuring tools that have only metric scale units.

3. Teach measurements and physical quantities using materials and examples that students can see and touch.

4. Select, estimate, compare and use appropriate units to measure: length (meter/centimeter); mass (kilogram/gram); volume (liter/milliliter) andtemperature (degree / Celsius).

5. Teach by actively involving the students in measuring activities.

One Key Point to teaching metric to students.

“Never convert between the customary system and the metric system.”

When teaching metric pretend you only know metric. Do not show examples like a meter is about a yard. Instead show that a meter is about the length of a baseball bat or the distance from the floor to the center of a doorknob.

Use the “8-9 Rule”: Teach both systems {customary & metric} separately for eight months of the nine school-month year. Convert between the two systems during ninth month.

Universities and Colleges that educate elementary school teachers should teach the metric system and how to use it. Little time should be given to the Customary System.

Teachers must know how to teach the Metric System and feel confident in doing so.

The change to the metric system is for all people and all disciplines (not just science,engineering, and math).

We in the United States are 50% metric.

We have and use a hybrid measurement System.

Want to become a Certified Metric Specialist (CMS) Contact Don Jordan at djordan@sc.edu

To apply and take the test costs nothing. If you pass there is a fee of $50.00