| The Ball, the Stick, the Plane, and the Feather by David Drew • InfoActive series |
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A young reader's introduction to estimation and measurement; how a scale diagram works; how a bar chart works; and how to conduct a flight experiment.
Grades K-2 8 pp + cover 175 x 240 mm • 7 x 9.5 inches Buy the book (USA only) (yards) Two editions: metric (metres) and US measurements (yards). |
| Visual texts in this book
Bar charts • Scale diagrams |
Sample pages from the book The ebook includes three versions, showing either yards or metres or meters
This book is a simple introduction to bar charts. It is also a simple introduction to flight (science) and measurement (math). After you share the book with the children they will want to try the experiment for themselves, so make sure you have this equipment ready first:
You might also like to try some of the other items seen on page 8:
Reading the book
If you are using the print version of the book from Pearson, the measurements are in yards. If you are using the ebook, you can choose between two editions, in yards or in metres.
Show the cover and discuss what is happening. Point out the measuring tape and ask the children how far the girl has thrown the ball.
Ask the children to predict how far we might be able to throw the other items on the cover: the stick, the toy plane, and the feather. On a chart make a note of the children's predictions. You can compare these predictions with the results after the book is read.
Turn to pages 2-3. We see the same scene as on the cover. But now we also see a bar chart (page 3) that records the result. Make this clear by matching the number 3 on the chart and the number 3 on the measuring tape on page 2.
Tell the children that the boy who is watching will have a throw next. What will he throw? (He has a plane.)
You can, by the way, draw attention to the fact that each item is a different color. The ball is red, the plane is yellow. This will be helpful when we see how the bar chart is drawn.
Now turn to pages 4-5. Instead of a measuring tape, we see three metre sticks (or yardsticks, if you have the US edition).
Point out that the yellow plane is recorded on the bar chart with a yellow line.
Notice that another girl has appeared on the scene. She has nothing to throw, but there is something in the picture she might try: can the children find it? (It's the green stick in the foreground.)
And so on . . .
On pages 8-9 we see the blue feather being thrown and its result recorded in blue on the bar chart. You can use this result as an opportunity to discuss what zero means.
"Try it yourselves"
Now the children will want to try the experiment, for which you will probably need to go outside. Before you do so, you can use the book as a guide showing how to throw. Notice that on page 8 the boy is standing with his toe on the zero line. Compare the other pages: the thrower always stands in this position. Discuss why: we are trying to measure the throws accurately and fairly.
So that everyone can participate, you could divide the children into groups of four or six. Everyone in the group has the chance to throw each item, and the best throw can be counted as the group's result. While each child makes the throw, the previous thrower takes the clipboard and records the result on a blank bar chart. We provide a free blank chart for you.
Print out the free bar chart available here.
Buy the book (USA only) (all measurements in yards)