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Measurement and Money Problems

A 50-minute Grade 4 lesson on word problems involving distance, time, mass, volume and money, where the first step is always to get everything into the same unit.

Measurement and Money Problems is a free 50-minute Grade 4 maths lesson plan for Common Core standard 4.MD.A.2 — solve measurement and money word problems. It is timed across 5 sections, gives the exact wording to use where the wording carries the mathematics, names 3 misconceptions with the teaching move that addresses each, and ends with an exit ticket and a printable worksheet with its answer key.

Grade:
Grade 4
Length:
50 minutes
Standard:
4.MD.A.2

Grade 4 · Measurement & Data

4.MD.A.2

Use the four operations to solve word problems involving distances, intervals of time, liquid volumes, masses of objects, and money.

Objective

Students will be able to solve multi-step measurement and money problems, converting units where necessary.

Students are successful when they can

  • Converts all quantities to a common unit before calculating.
  • Chooses the right operations for a multi-step problem.
  • States the answer in a sensible unit.

What you need

  • Conversion reference for metric units and time
  • Bar model strips
  • Word problem cards across all five measures
  • The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan

The lesson

Warm-up — same unit first

6 min
  1. Ask which is longer, 1.2 m or 90 cm. Then which is heavier, 2 kg or 1,500 g.
  2. Neither can be answered until both are in one unit, and saying that is the point.

Teach — convert, then calculate

15 min
  1. Read: 'A ribbon is 2 m long. 45 cm is cut off. How much is left?'
  2. Try it as 2 − 45 and let it be absurd. The units were never the same.
  3. Convert: 2 m is 200 cm. 200 − 45 = 155 cm, or 1.55 m.
  4. Say the rule: convert first, calculate second, and choose the unit for the answer last.
  5. Do a time problem: a journey of 1 hour 40 minutes plus 35 minutes. Convert to minutes, add, convert back.
  6. Finish with money: three items at 2.45, and change from 10.00. Two steps and a conversion between pounds and pence if it helps.
“You cannot subtract centimetres from metres any more than you can subtract apples from buses. Get everything into one unit before you touch the numbers.”

Guided practice — convert, model, solve

14 min
  1. Pairs take a problem, write every quantity in a common unit, then draw a bar model.
  2. No calculation until the conversions are written down.
  3. They then state the answer in the unit the question implies, which is not always the one they calculated in.

Independent practice

12 min
  1. Students complete a measurement problems page.
  2. Answers a factor of ten or a hundred out are conversion errors; answers of the wrong shape are structure errors. They need different responses.

Close

3 min
  1. Read a problem mixing kilograms and grams and ask only what the common unit should be.
  2. Choosing the unit before calculating is the habit worth ending on.

What goes wrong, and why

Each of these is a reasoning error rather than carelessness. The fix addresses the reasoning.

Calculates 2 m − 45 cm as 1.55 by subtracting 45 from 200 and then misplacing the decimal.

Why: The conversion was done and the answer was reported in the wrong unit, so the number is right and the label is not.

Fix: Write the unit on every line of working. A subtraction in centimetres produces centimetres, and converting back is a separate deliberate step.

Adds 1 hour 40 minutes and 35 minutes to get 1 hour 75 minutes.

Why: The minutes have been added correctly and the sixty boundary has not been applied, because base ten habits do not carry to time.

Fix: Convert entirely to minutes, add, then convert back. One conversion at each end removes the mixed-unit arithmetic altogether.

Converts in the wrong direction, turning 200 cm into 20,000 m.

Why: The multiplication and division have been chosen by habit rather than by thinking about which unit is bigger.

Fix: Ask whether the answer should be a bigger number or a smaller one before converting. Metres are longer, so there will be fewer of them.

If they are not there yet

  • Work with one measure at a time and conversions between two units only.
  • Provide a conversion table and require the converted quantities to be written down before any calculation.

If they finish early

  • Solve a problem requiring two different conversions.
  • Solve a problem where a fraction of a quantity must be found first.
  • Given the answer and one quantity, work backwards to the missing measurement.

Exit ticket

A jug holds 1.5 litres. 350 ml is poured out. How much is left, in millilitres?

What to look for: 1,150 ml. An answer of 1.15 means the unit was not converted back; an answer near 1,500 means the conversion direction was wrong.

Printable practice for 4.MD.A.2

Free to print and copy, answer key included. Each sheet can generate a fresh set of problems for a retake.

Questions about Measurement and Money Problems

How long does the Measurement and Money Problems lesson take?

50 minutes, split across 5 timed sections: warm-up 6 min, teach 15 min, guided practice 14 min, independent practice 12 min, close 3 min. The minutes are stated per section and add up to the stated length, so the plan can be cut or extended at a section boundary rather than abandoned halfway.

Which standard does Measurement and Money Problems teach?

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.MD.A.2 — 4.MD.A.2, Measurement & Data for Grade 4: “Use the four operations to solve word problems involving distances, intervals of time, liquid volumes, masses of objects, and money.” In plain terms, solve measurement and money word problems.

What do I need to teach this lesson?

Conversion reference for metric units and time, bar model strips, word problem cards across all five measures and the printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan. Everything listed is either ordinary classroom equipment or a free printable from this site — there is nothing to buy and nothing to prepare beyond photocopying.

What mistakes should I expect in this lesson?

Three, each a reasoning error rather than carelessness: calculates 2 m − 45 cm as 1.55 by subtracting 45 from 200 and then misplacing the decimal; adds 1 hour 40 minutes and 35 minutes to get 1 hour 75 minutes and converts in the wrong direction, turning 200 cm into 20,000 m. The plan gives the thinking behind each one and the teaching move that addresses the thinking rather than the symptom.

How do I know whether the lesson worked?

The exit ticket asks: “A jug holds 1.5 litres. 350 ml is poured out. How much is left, in millilitres?.” 1,150 ml. An answer of 1.15 means the unit was not converted back; an answer near 1,500 means the conversion direction was wrong. That tells you whether the class needs a reteach or a thirty-second conversation before you plan tomorrow.

Is there a worksheet to go with Measurement and Money Problems?

Yes — 2 printable 4.MD.A.2 worksheets, linked at the end of the plan and free like the rest of the site. Each one comes with an answer key and 25 versions, so the practice after the lesson can be a different paper on every desk.

Is Measurement and Money Problems free to use?

Yes. The plan, its printables and their answer keys are free to read, print and photocopy for your own class, with no account and no email capture. It was last reviewed on 5 September 2026. Please do not resell it or republish it as your own.

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to 4.MD.A.2 of the Common Core State Standards for mathematics.