My Place in Space
by Robin and Sally Hirst. Illustrated by Roland Harvey and Joe Levine (Orchard Books, 1990 ISBN 0-531-08459-0). Picture Book. Grades PreK+.
This is a sample chapter from Picturing Math by Carol Otis Hurst and Rebecca Otis (Order from Amazon.com. SRA/McGraw-Hill, 1996. ISBN 0-02-687367-2)
Summary
Henry and Rosie tell the city bus driver that they want him to take them home. When he teases them that maybe they don't know the address of where they live, Henry rises to the occasion and tells the driver precisely where he lives: 12 Main Street, Gumbridge, Australia, Southern Hemisphere, Earth, solar system, solar neighborhood, Orion Arm, Milky Way Galaxy, local group of galaxies, Virgo Supercluster, the universe. During Henry's description, we also get a brief description of each part of the address. The result is a clear picture of our "place in space" as well as a glimpse at the amazing distances involved.
Math Activities
Grades 1-2
Measurement and Time
Chart the time it takes light to travel the various distances mentioned in the book.
K-Grade 2
Data Gathering, Analyzing, & Measurement
Graph distances to the places in the book using the speed of light as your unit. How will you approach the problem of the vast differences in the figures?
Grades 1-2
Numeration & Measurement
List the number and the unit of measure for each place described in the book. Take time to reflect on the numbers, what they mean, and how they are written.
K-Grade 2
Data Gathering & Analyzing
Graph the sizes of places mentioned in the book.
Grades 1-2
Geometry & Spatial Sense
What would you include as your address on Earth, assuming your address in the universe is the same as Henry's? What could you add besides the street, town, and country?
Grades 1-2
Spatial Sense
Create complex addresses for the locations of other things, such as a tree, an animal, a building, or your room at school.
Grade 2
Measurement & Computation
Traveling at 60 miles an hour, how long would it take to get from where you are to the center of Australia? To the center of the Southern Hemisphere? To the center of the Earth? To the center of the solar system? To the center of the galaxy?
Grade 2
Measurement & Computation
If you were to build a scale model of your place in space, what size would you make the Earth? Using this figure, calculate the size of the solar system, galaxies, and so on, according to the same scale.
Grades 1-2
Attributes & Classification
Obtain facts and pictures of many galaxies. Categorize the galaxies according to attributes. One resource with pictures of galaxies is Seymour Simon's Galaxies (Morrow, 1988. ISBN 0-688-08004-9).
Grades 1-2
Attributes & Classification
Classify a selection of stars by their attributes and find out what the classifications tell astronomers about a star.
Grades 1-2
Measurement & Computation
Discuss light years and other units of measure and then create some of your own. How fast does sound travel? How fast does a person run? How fast does a car travel? A bird? A cheetah? Convert some familiar distances to these units of measurement.
Grades 1-2
Numeration
This book goes well with How Much Is a Million? by David Schwartz because of the central role of very large numbers. (See the print version of Picturing Math page 58.)
To order Picturing Math call 1-800-843-8855 or order from Amazon.com. Item no. 0-02-687367-2.
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