Parts of the metric system ladder include the prefixes kilo-, hecto-, deka-, deci-, centi- and milli-. The basic unit for weight is the gram, so kilogram is the operative word for 1,000 grams. Hecto- is for 100, deka- is for 10, deci- is one-tenth, centi- is one-hundredth and milli- is one-thousandth. Using these terms, you can create the word for most common weight measurements.
Length measurements in the metric system use the same prefixes. However, the basic unit in this case is meter. You can create a ladder going up and down with the term "meter," going from millimeter (one-thousandth of a meter) to kilometer (1,000 meters). Kilometers are the common measurement for travel while millimeters measure insects and other small objects.
You can also build a ladder with measurements of volume. Again, these measurements are in terms of kilo-, hecto-, deka-, deci-, centi- and milli-. Use liter as the suffix for these terms when measuring volume.
Another way of using the ladder method is to write inequality problems and allow students to solve them. Compare measurements of different units and ask students whether one is greater than, less than or equal to the second. A sample problem is 150 centimeters (blank) 1 meter. The answer is that 150 centimeters is a greater measurement than 1 meter.