On the Smartboard, draw two objects that differ in size and shape. Create enough small, movable circles to fill the objects. Ask pupils to predict which object will hold more of the circles. Allow pupils to take turns coming to the Smartboard and dragging circles into the objects until they are full. Count the number of circles it took to fill each object with the pupils and have them check whether their predictions were correct.
Create a PowerPoint presentation with two pictures of the same object side by side on each slide. On each slide, one picture of the object should be bigger than the other. Allow pupils to come to the Smartboard and circle which of the two objects holds more. Switch the placement of the bigger object on the screen for each slide so students do not always circle the one on the right or the one on the left.
Create a table on the Smartboard. Label one side of the table "less" and the other side "more." Next to the table place pictures of containers. Make sure each container has a match that is bigger or smaller than it is. Students must find the match for the container, then drag each container to the appropriate place on the column, showing whether it holds less or more than its counterpart.
Teachers with a SMART Response or other clicker system can create a short quiz on a pupils' ability to compare capacity. Place a picture of an object on the Smartboard and next to it provide two or three pictures of other objects. Ask pupils to choose which holds more, using the clicker system.
Give each pupil a small container and a dropper of water. There should be some variation among containers between pupils. For example, a few pupils could have a bottle cap, a few could have a plastic cup and a few could have a small bowl. On the Smartboard, create a container listing all of the containers that pupils have with a column next to each one to record data. Ask pupils to place drops of water in their container until it is full, helping them to count how many drops it takes. Then let pupils come up to the board and help them record the number of drops it took to fill each container. When the activity is over, the class can analyze the data on the Smartboard to see which container holds the most and which holds the least.