Lesson 8 PK•4
NYS COMMON CORE MATHEMATICS CURRICULUM
Lesson 8
Objective: Compare weight using heavier than, lighter than, and the same
as with balance scales.
Suggested Lesson Structure
Fluency Practice

Application Problem

Concept Development

Student Debrief

Total Time
(3 minutes)
(3 minutes)
(15 minutes)
(4 minutes)
(25 minutes)
Fluency Practice (3 minutes)
 Counting Drumbeats PK.CC.3b
(3 minutes)
Counting Drumbeats (3 minutes)
Materials: (T) Toy drum or coffee can with lid and unsharpened pencil to use as drumstick
Note: This activity extends students’ rote counting to 15 within the context of a familiar fluency activity.
T:
S:
T:
S:
T:
I’m going to play my drum, and I want you to count the beats. So, if I play this (tap the drum once),
that’s 1. If I play this (tap twice), that’s 2. Ready? (Play 2 distinct taps, one immediately after the
other). How many beats did I play?
2 beats!
Very good! Now, listen again. (Play 3 distinct taps, one immediately after the other.) How many
beats did I play?
3 beats!
Let’s continue with beats up to 15.
Because of the higher count, keep the beats evenly timed and rhythmic so that rote counting is easier and
more fluid, even with the higher numbers.
Lesson 8:
Compare weight using heavier than, lighter than, and the same as with
balance scales.
This work is derived from Eureka Math ™ and licensed by Great Minds. ©2015 -Great Minds. eureka math.org
This file derived from GPK-M4-TE-1.3.0-06.2015
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Lesson 8 PK•4
NYS COMMON CORE MATHEMATICS CURRICULUM
Application Problem (3 minutes)
Materials: (T) Music: Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint-Saens (optional) (S) Scarves (or tissues)
Tell students, “Let’s use these scarves to act out heavy and light. Use your imagination! The scarves can be
anything you want them to be! Butterfly wings, a feather, a leaf. Or they can be a giant rock or a huge
watermelon.” Encourage students to be dramatic. “Roll the scarf into a ball, and pretend it’s a rock as you
stagger under the weight of it; throw it to a partner who pretends it’s really heavy when she catches it.”
Alternately, or in addition, encourage students to move to the music to show heavy and light. Children can
be colorful fish as they swim about, light and quick (to Aquarium), or they can move in a heavy, plodding
manner as they listen to Elephant or People with Long Ears from Carnival of the Animals.
Note: Incorporating movement and music helps children internalize concepts. It is also a fun way to
celebrate their learning!
Concept Development (15 minutes)
Part 1: Concept Introduction
Materials: (T) A balance scale, weight chart from Lesson 7, pairs
of objects from Lesson 7, red and green markers
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
MP.5
7.
Review the rebus sentences from Lesson 7 by making
heavier than, lighter than, and about the same weight as
statements about the objects students informally
weighed with their hands.
Say, “Today, we are going to use a balance scale (show it) to weigh the objects that we compared
yesterday with our hands. Our chart will help us to remember which objects we thought were
heavier than, lighter than, or about the same weight as each other.”
Start with the first items from the chart. The teacher puts the quarter and dollar bill in in her hands.
Say, “Yesterday, we thought the dollar bill was lighter than the quarter.” Raise the hand with the
dollar bill, and lower the hand with the quarter as students do the same.
Ask, “What do you think will happen when I put them on the balance scale?” Pause to discuss. Place
both items on the balance scale, noticing how it is similar to the seesaw.
Exclaim, “Look! The balance scale lowers on the side of the heavier object! That means the quarter
is heavier than the dollar bill.”
Students turn to a partner and repeat comparison statements: “The quarter is heavier than the
dollar bill. The balance scale is lower on that side. The dollar bill is lighter than the quarter. The
balance scale is higher on that side.” Repeat with different pairs of objects.
Continue checking all the items from the chart (Steps 3─5). Circle the correct informal weight
comparisons in green on the chart. Cross out and rewrite the incorrect weight comparisons in red
on the chart. When the balance scale proves one of the comparisons wrong, discuss how tools help
increase precision.
Lesson 8:
Compare weight using heavier than, lighter than, and the same as with
balance scales.
This work is derived from Eureka Math ™ and licensed by Great Minds. ©2015 -Great Minds. eureka math.org
This file derived from GPK-M4-TE-1.3.0-06.2015
50
This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
Lesson 8 PK•4
NYS COMMON CORE MATHEMATICS CURRICULUM
Part 2: Practice
Materials: (S) 4 balance scales, objects to compare weight (the same objects from the chart with a few more
objects added), Problem Set, crayons
Note: Prepare tables with objects and balance scales (as many
as possible).
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
NOTES ON
Say, “It’s your turn to practice weighing objects on the
MULTIPLE MEANS
balance scale and to decide which objects are heavier
OF ENGAGEMENT:
than, lighter than, or about the same weight as each
Encouraging students to make
other.”
predictions and to test their hypothesis
sparks interest and motivation. As an
Monitor group work to facilitate taking turns; hence,
extension, ask students to find two
more balance scales make for more hands-on practice.
objects in the classroom and make a
After students have had time to notice what happens
prediction about their weights using a
to the balance scale when something is heavier than,
comparison statement. Then, invite
lighter than, or about the same weight as, distribute
students to test their hypothesis by
the Problem Set.
using the balance scale.
Say, “Choose a pair of objects that you weighed. Draw
where they belong on the balance.”
As students are working, circulate and ask students to make heavier than, lighter than, or about the
same weight as statements about their drawing. Then ask, for example, “How does the balance
show you that _________ is lighter than __________?”
Student Debrief (4 minutes)
Lesson Objective: Compare weight using heavier than,
lighter than, and the same as with balance scales.
The Student Debrief is intended to invite reflection and
active processing of the total lesson experience. It is also
an opportunity for informal assessment. Consider taking
anecdotal notes or using a simple checklist to note each
child’s progress toward meeting the lesson objective.
As students complete the Practice portion of the Concept
Development, listen for misconceptions or
misunderstandings that can be addressed in the Debrief.
Any combination of the questions below may be used to
help students express ideas, make connections, and use
new vocabulary (balance scale, weigh).

How did you weigh the objects today? How is a
seesaw like a balance scale?
Lesson 8:
Compare weight using heavier than, lighter than, and the same as with
balance scales.
This work is derived from Eureka Math ™ and licensed by Great Minds. ©2015 -Great Minds. eureka math.org
This file derived from GPK-M4-TE-1.3.0-06.2015
51
This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
Lesson 8 PK•4
NYS COMMON CORE MATHEMATICS CURRICULUM



What animals do you think of as being light? What
animals do you think of as being heavy? Can you think
of a heavy animal that is really fast? Really slow? Can
you think of a light animal that is really fast? Really
slow?
Use the words heavier than/lighter than to tell your
partner about the pictures you drew on your Problem
Set.
What happens on a balance scale when two things are
about the same weight?
Lesson 8:
CENTER CONNECTION:
Set up a few balance scales and a tub
of pennies on a table. Let students use
the like units (pennies) to explore
comparison of weight. Comparing like
units supports number comparison in
the second half of this module.
Compare weight using heavier than, lighter than, and the same as with
balance scales.
This work is derived from Eureka Math ™ and licensed by Great Minds. ©2015 -Great Minds. eureka math.org
This file derived from GPK-M4-TE-1.3.0-06.2015
52
This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
NYS COMMON CORE MATHEMATICS CURRICULUM
Name
Lesson 8 Problem Set PK•4
Date
Lesson 8:
Compare weight using heavier than, lighter than, and the same as with
balance scales.
This work is derived from Eureka Math ™ and licensed by Great Minds. ©2015 -Great Minds. eureka math.org
This file derived from GPK-M4-TE-1.3.0-06.2015
53
This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.