3rd grade reading scales and measuring containers worksheets
Reading scales and measuring containers worksheets for 3rd grade print 6 problems per page. Read the instruments and choose sensible measurements for the objects. Check the unit and the value of each scale interval.
Free printable PDF worksheet, aligned to Common Core 3.MD.A.2.
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The kind of problems you'll get
Read the instruments and choose sensible measurements for the objects.
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A scale increases by 100 grams per interval. What do three intervals above zero show?
Answer: 300 grams.
Most problems on this sheet sit beside a picture, model or diagram, so this is the worked example the sheet itself prints. The answer key on page two prints the answer under every problem.
Every print pulls a fresh set of problems at this level, so a make-up test or a second sibling never gets the same sheet.
What's on each sheet
- Reading scales and measuring containers. Read the instruments and choose sensible measurements for the objects. 6 problems per page.
Every version prints on US Letter or A4, with its answer key after the problems.
This sheet is one of the versions on the 3rd grade liquid volume and mass page, with its own difficulty choices and its own answer key.
How to teach this
On a scale reading, have your student say the two marked numbers on either side of the pointer and then count the ticks between them. That one habit removes most errors. For the estimates, build a few anchors at home: a liter bottle of water, a kilogram bag of sugar or rice, a gram from a paper clip. Everything on the sheet is compared against anchors like these. The drawings are schematic, so the reading comes from the printed scale and never from the size of the picture. For the word problems, ask what unit the answer needs before any arithmetic.
Watch for: Students read the number nearest the pointer instead of counting ticks from the last marked number. Find what one tick is worth first. Students choose grams for anything they can lift. A liter of water weighs about a kilogram; a chair weighs several. Grams are for things like a pencil or a slice of bread. Students add when the problem says each and multiply when it says altogether. Read the question twice and say what is being asked before computing.
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Aligned to Common Core 3.MD.A.2. Reviewed by the One more sheet team. Content version 241, updated September 2026.
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