Measurement Mania: Games and Activities That Make Math Easy and Fun

by Lynette Long

Overview

Don't Just Learn Measurement.Master It!

Brimming with fun and educational games and activities, the Magical Math series provides everything you need to know to become a master of mathematics! In each of these books, Lynette Long uses her own unique style to help you truly understand mathematical concepts as you play with everyday objects such as playing cards, dice, coins, and paper and pencil.

Inside Measurement Mania, you'll learn to take the mystery out of mea-surement! Once you've mastered the basic forms of measurement—length, volume, weight, temperature, and time—you'll learn how to measure the length of an ant in millimeters, the height of a telephone pole in feet, the volume of a bathtub in ounces, the weight of one spaghetti noodle in grams, and the temperature inside a refrigerator in Celsius.You'll discover how to tell time with a candle, create optical illusions, and measure the tallest tree in your neighborhood without climbing an inch!

So why wait? Jump right in and find out how easy it is to become a mathematics master!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780471369806
Publisher:	Wiley
Publication date:	02/01/2001
Series:	Magical Math Series , #4
Pages:	128
Product dimensions:	7.52(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.25(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

LYNETTE LONG has an M.S. in mathematics and a Ph.D. in psychology. She has taught math and was a professor of education, specializing in mathematics education. She is the author of several children's math books, including Dazzling Division and Marvelous Multiplication, both published by Wiley.

Read an Excerpt

CHAPTER ONE
THE MAGIC OF MEASUREMENT

Think for a minute of all the things in the world that you can measure:

• the distance to school
• your height
• the volume of liquid in a glass of soda
• your dog's weight
• the temperature outside
• the time it took you to read this list!

In this book you are going to learn about five different forms of measurement--length, volume, weight, temperature, and time--and two different systems of measurement, the English system and the metric system.

Length, such as distance and height, is measured in the English units of inches, feet, yards, and miles, and primarily in the metric units of millimeters, centimeters, meters, and kilometers. Volume is measured in the English units of ounces, cups, quarts, and gallons, and primarily in the metric units of milliliters, liters, and kiloliters. Weight is measured in the English units of ounces, pounds, and tons, and primarily in the metric units of milligrams, grams, kilograms, and metric tons. Temperature is measured in the English units of degrees Fahrenheit and in the metric units of degrees Celsius. Time is measured in seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years, decades, centuries, and millennia.

In this book you'll learn to master all the different types and systems of measurement. Try some of the fun activities and soon you'll know how to measure the length of an ant in millimeters, the height of a tree in feet, the volume of your bathtub in ounces, the weight of a spaghetti noodle in grams, and the temperature in your refrigerator in degrees Celsius. How long will it take you to master all the different units of measurement? Will it be seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years, or decades? Get started and find out.

Table of Contents

THE MAGIC OF MEASUREMENT.

MEASURING LENGTH AND DISTANCE IN ENGLISH AND METRIC UNITS.

Feet First!

Hands Up.

Body Parts.

Jump Start.

A Simple Ruler.

A Tall Order.

The Magnificent Mile.

Area Mosaic.

Optical Illusions.

Room Redocorating.

Conversion Cards.

Metric Measuring Tape.

Little Dolls, Real People.

Neighborhood Distances.

Kilometer Vacations.

Dancing Decimal Points.

Metric-English Frenzy.

MEASURING VOLUME IN ENGLISH AND METRIC UNITS.

Spoons Abound.

Measuring Cup.

When Is a Cup Not a Cup?

A Square Cup.

It's a Party.

Volume Addition.

Measuring Milliliters.

Create a Liter Cube.

The Price Is Right.

MEASURING WEIGHT IN ENGLISH AND METRIC UNITS.

Outer Space.

One Ounce.

One Pound.

Estimating Weights.

Guess and Weigh.

One Ton.

Grams and Milligrams.

MEASURING TEMPERATURE IN DEGREES FAHRENHEIT AND CELSIUS.

Water, Water Everywhere.

What's the Temperature?

MEASURING TIME.

Ten Times!

Candle Hour Power.

Create a Sundial.

Clock Search.

All Over the United States.

Measurement Master Certificate.

Index.

Editorial Reviews

Gr 3-6-Comprehensive hands-on introductions to their subjects. Each book consists of 40 activities, all of which include lists of the required materials, clear and complete procedures, and a black-and-white illustration. As the chapters progress, the activities and concepts become more complex and each one concludes with brain stretchers (related ideas to explore). In Fractions, the activities range from coloring pizzas on paper plates and cutting them out to cutting a sandwich into four equal parts six different ways. In Measurement, the activities range from using hands and feet to measure distance to making a sundial. Some of the projects are time consuming or require a solid background in mathematics. For example, in Measurement, readers are instructed to make a 12-inch by 12-inch grid with markers to create 144 boxes. Then they are directed to cut pieces of different colored paper into 144 1-inch squares. Students continue to create a mosaic and then determine the fractions/percentages of each color. While this is a useful project, many readers may be overwhelmed by all of the work. Nevertheless, these books provide valuable activities and games to help children learn about the concepts.-Maren Ostergard, Bellevue Regional Library, WA Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

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