11 Plus Exams Forum

Hello all -

I have ventured out into the maths and English forums.... Seeing as Tiffin Girls have added Maths and English this year, Im prepping ds3 with both subject as well.... just to be on the safe side.

Ive got the AE tuition maths books - do the kids really need to know cwts (aka hundred-weights?!), tonnes, and furlongs? And facts such as there are 2240 lbs in a tonne?

Its just mindboggling for me right now. How can kids be expected to know all this?

Or do some kids already know all this........?

Thanks.

Yes it looks like they have to know it. I've seen questions about gallons/pints, pounds/ounces to metric in some papers. I don't understand why they have to know it? Obviously they should know how to convert, but to know the exact numbers seems a bit much.

The usual conversions needed are km to miles, lbs to kg, cm to inches ...

NO. AE go a bit OTT on this.

But they need to have an understanding of some units both metric and imperial.

This may be out of date but it is part of KS2.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks2bitesiz ... ead1.shtml" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Funnily enough I was teasing colleagues to day saying it was better in the old days, 240 pennies in a pound.


Most rulers still have inches and cms, so 30cm approx 12 inches = one foot. One stride approx one metre one yard. Home ceiling height approx six feet or two metres. Same with Kg/pounds pints/litres miles/kms use every day examples. Sometimes the question gives you the ratio, so it is more about using ratios and applying them rather than being spooked by funny old fashioned names for units of measure?

Pint of wine please, opps that doesn't sound right!

Long Journey wrote: ................. but to know the exact numbers seems a bit much.

Don't see why not.

Those of us who were in school during the early 1970's had to learn the new metric system, as well as still using the old imperial system. I quite happily switch back and forth between the two

Curious but when I ask people how much they weigh (or their baby weighs) or how tall they are, they tell me in stones, pounds, ounces, feet and inches!

If I say "what is that in kilos / metric etc " they tell me they don't understand metric! These are not crumblies like me but under 30s who can't remember a tanner, a bob and a florin.

All your patients must have done 11plus prep at some point.

Oh brilliant. Thanks for all that input

I don't think we will have a prob converting:

Long Journey wrote:gallons/pints, pounds/ounces

stevew61 wrote:some units both metric and imperial.

Guest55 wrote:usual conversions needed are km to miles, lbs to kg, cm to inches

It was the hundredweights to pounds... agh! that threw me! In fact I always measure myself in stones and pounds and feet and inch. I have a European friend who waved her hand dismissively and said in her native accent 'oh i only work in centimeters'. I did think her quite cosmopolitan!

That's a relief.

Thanks.

mystery wrote:All your patients must have done 11plus prep at some point.

Doubt it

hermanmunster wrote:Curious but when I ask people how much they weigh (or their baby weighs) or how tall they are, they tell me in stones, pounds, ounces, feet and inches!

If I say "what is that in kilos / metric etc " they tell me they don't understand metric! These are not crumblies like me but under 30s who can't remember a tanner, a bob and a florin.

Yes, I find that too ....weighing babies/ children they always look blank when you say little Johnny is 4 kilos etc..they always want to know what it is in pounds , but I suppose that stems from birth when they are told the baby's weight in pounds ....we continue with that by describing our weight as so many stones don't we ? ..look at the diet thread where everyone talks about losing pounds . I would still talk about walking miles too ....the London Marathon is still described as miles isn't it ?