Goldilocks and the three bears – Early Stage 1

A thinking mathematically targeted teaching opportunity focussed on comparing the volume of containers.

Adapted fom NZ Maths Three bears

Syllabus

Syllabus outcomes and content descriptors from Mathematics K–10 Syllabus (2022) © NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) for and on behalf of the Crown in right of the State of New South Wales, 2024.

Outcomes

  • MAO-WM-01
  • MAE-3DS-02

Collect resources

You will need:

  • different sized cups or glasses​
  • one type of filling material such as beans, rice, pasta or sand​
  • a tray or plate​
  • something to write on
  • something to write with.

Goldilocks and the three bears – Early Stage 1

Watch the Goldilocks and the three bears Early Stage 1 video (5:48).

Investigate and compare how much different cups can hold.

[Text over a navy-blue background: Goldilocks and the three bears (Early Stage 1). From NZ Maths. Small font text in the upper left-hand corner reads: NSW Department of Education. In the lower left-hand corner is the white waratah of the NSW Government logo.]

Speaker

Goldilocks and the three bears, early stage one from New Zealand Maths.

[A title on a white background reads: You will need…
Bullet points below read:

  • some different shaped cups or glasses
  • one type of filling material such as beans, rice, pasta or sand
  • a tray or plate
  • something to write on
  • something to write with.

Underneath the text is a row of image tiles showing:

  • 2 different shaped cups and a glass
  • different sacks of beans
  • a white plate
  • a woman holding a piece of paper
  • coloured pencils.]

Speaker

You will need some different shaped cups or glasses, one type of filling material such as beans or rice or pasta or sand, a tray or plate, something to write on, and something to write with.

[Text over a navy-blue background: Let’s investigate!]

Speaker

Let's investigate.

[A wooden tabletop from above, with a navy-blue background.

The speaker holds out a green cup with label: Baby Bear’s Cup. She puts it on the right-hand side of the table. She places 3 glass cups of different sizes and shapes on the table. Then she brings a tray of beans to the table. She lift’s Baby Bear’s Cup and places a round white tray underneath it.]

Speaker

Hi, mathematicians. Goldilocks is coming to the three bears' house for breakfast today. She needs a cup that can hold exactly the same amount as Baby Bear's cup. Here's Baby Bear's cup. Here are some other cups.

Let's work out which of these cups can hold the same amount as Baby Bear's cup for Goldilocks. I'm going to fill Baby Bear's cup to the brim with these beans. I'll just put a tray under Baby Bear's cup to catch any loose beans.

[The speaker fills Baby Bear’s cup with beans. She picks up the smallest glass cup and places it onto the tray, next to Baby Bear’s cup. She moves the tray closer to her while moving the other cups up the table and above the tray. She pours the beans from Baby Bear’s cup into the small cup. She fills the glass and stops pouring. Beans are left in Baby Bear’s cup. She puts Baby Bear’s cup down on the tray and takes the tray away.]

Speaker

Let's see if this cup holds the same as Baby Bear's cup. I'm going to pour the beans from Baby Bear's cup into this cup. Oh, look, this cup is full to the brim with beans. But there are beans left here in Baby Bear's cup. So, this cup can hold less beans than Baby Bear's cup.

[The speaker places a piece of paper with the now empty small cup on top of it, on the table. Text appears on the paper: This cup can hold less beans than Baby Bear's cup.]

Speaker

This cup can hold less beans than Baby Bear's cup.

[She moves the paper and the cup to the top left-hand corner of the table. She brings back the tray with Baby Bear’s cup filled with beans. She picks up the largest cup and places it next to Baby Bear’s cup on the tray. She pours the beans from Baby Bear’s cup into the large cup. She empties Baby Bear’s cup but the beans do not reach the top of the cup. She takes the tray away.

The speaker places on the table a piece of paper with the large now empty cup on it. She writes on the paper: This cup can hold more beans than Baby Bear's cup. She moves the paper and cup to the top right-hand corner of the table.

She brings back the tray with Baby Bear’s cup filled with beans.]

Speaker

I have filled Baby Bear's cup to the brim with these beans again.

[She picks up the medium cup and places it next to Baby Bear’s cup on the tray.]

Speaker

Let's see if this cup can hold the same amount as Baby Bear's cup. I'm going to pour the beans from Baby Bear's cup into this cup.

[She pours the beans from Baby Bear’s cup into the medium cup. She empties Baby Bear’s cup and the beans reach the top of the cup.]

Speaker

Oh, look, there are no beans left in Baby Bear's cup, and this cup is exactly full to the brim. It can hold the same amount as Baby Bear's cup.

[She places Baby Bear’s cup in between the small and large cups on the table. She empties the medium cup and places it underneath Baby Bear’s cup, with a paper underneath. She writes on the paper: This cup holds the same amount of beans as Baby Bear's cup.]

Speaker

This cup holds the same amount of beans as Baby Bear's cup.

[She moves the cup directly below Baby Bear’s cup.]

Speaker

That means we can use this cup for Goldilocks when she comes to breakfast this morning.

[A title on a white background reads: Over to you, mathematicians…
Bullet points below read:

  • Find some cups or glasses of different shapes.
  • Choose one cup to be Baby Bear's cup.
  • Use filling material like sand or pasta to find another cup that can hold the same amount as Baby Bear's cup.
  • Can you find a cup for Goldilocks which can hold exactly the same amount as Baby Bear's cup?

Next to the bullet points is an image of Baby Bear’s cup and the medium cup with the handwritten note.]

Speaker

Over to you, mathematicians. Find some cups or glasses of different shapes. Choose one cup to be Baby Bear's cup. Use filling material like sand or pasta to find another cup that can hold the same amount as Baby Bear's cup. Can you find a cup for Goldilocks which can hold exactly the same amount as Baby Bear's cup?

[Text over a navy-blue background: Over to you!]

Speaker

Over to you.

[Text over a navy-blue background: What's some of the mathematics?

Speaker

What's some of the mathematics?

[A title on a white background reads: What's some of the mathematics?
Bullet points below read:

  • We can compare to find out which container holds more, holds less, or holds the same.
  • Containers of different shapes may hold the same amount.

Below the text is an image of the table with Baby Bear’s cup, all the other cups and the pieces of paper saying how much each cup can hold.

Speaker

We can compare to find out which container holds more, holds less, or holds the same. Containers of different shapes may hold the same amount.

[Over a grey background, the red waratah of the NSW Government logo appears amongst red, white and blue circles. Text: Copyright State of New South Wales (Department of Education), 2021.] 

[End of transcript]

Instructions

  • Find some cups or glasses you think are of different sizes.​
  • Choose one cup to be Baby Bear’s cup.​
  • Use filling material like sand or pasta to find out which other cup can hold the same amount as Baby Bear’s.
  • Can you find a cup for Goldilocks which can hold the same amount as Baby Bear’s?​
3 different size glasses and one baby bear cup 3 different size glasses and one baby bear cup
Image: Which cup should Goldilocks choose?

Category:

  • Early Stage 1
  • Mathematics (2022)
  • Three-dimensional spatial structure

Business Unit:

  • Curriculum and Reform
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