Suitable for primary aged children, these books introduce the concepts of volume and capacity. From Archimedes’ eureka moment to measuring and converting units, young mathematicians will be inspired to explore and practise this area of maths. Expect plenty of filling and emptying of containers to ensue!
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Mr Archimedes’ Bath
by Pamela Allen
Review: Perennially popular, Mr Achimedes’ Bath is a super introduction to water displacement and volume for young (and even older) readers. Watch as Mr Achimedes works out why his bath always overflows when he and his animal friends get in. A mixture of black and white and colour drawings bring the text to life. Do note that Mr Archimedes’ bare bottom may cause some merriment!
Suggested Reading Age: 3 to 5-year-olds.
Nonfiction Nuggets Teaching Tip: Try It and See: Explore displacement by putting plastic or waterproof toys/objects into a full container of water. What happens to the water? What does that tell us?
Capacity
by Henry Arthur Pluckrose
Review: Henry Arthur Pluckrose introduces capacity in a child-friendly way, enabling them to easily grasp the concept of capacity. Recently updated, this short book features bold photographs that provide clear visuals to support the text. Children learn that solids, liquids and gases all take up space and find out about standard measures. Questions posed throughout the book actively engage the reader. These lead them to realise why it is important for us to know something’s capacity, for example. With plenty of prompts to get readers to try out some measuring for themselves, this is a perfect introduction to capacity.
Suggested Reading Age: 5 to 8-year-olds. In my opinion, this is more suitable for the lower end of this age bracket.
Nonfiction Nuggets Teaching Tip: Let’s Experiment: There is nothing like hands-on experiences to highlight and embed a concept. Gather a range of containers and measure away!
Super Sandcastles: Inspired by the sandcastle at the beginning of the book, invite students to create a sandcastle fort and work out its capacity.
Measuring Volume
by T H Baer
Review: This handy book gives young readers a good general introduction to volume. It clearly explains what volume is and demonstrates different techniques to measure it. Keywords are written in bold, with the definitions located in a glossary at the back. The book begins by introducing imperial units of measurement and subsequently introduces the metric system. The conversion of units of measurement from one system to another is addressed, further extending students’ learning.
Suggested Reading Age: 6 to 8-year-olds. In my opinion, this can also be used with older students learning how to convert units.
Nonfiction Nuggets Teaching Tip: Let’s Compare: Having looked at units of measure for volume, ask students to further explore standard units of measurement. Ask them to identify units of measurement used for mass, for example, in the imperial and metric systems.
Room for Ripley
by Stuart J. Murphy (author), Sylvie Wickstrom (illustrator)
Review: Part of the MathStart series, Room for Ripley introduces children to the concept of capacity in an appealing manner. Carlos is fascinated by a guppy he names Ripley in his local pet store. Intent on buying him and taking him home, Carlos prepares a fish bowl for Ripley. Measuring jugs represent the amount of water required to fill the bowl, so that children can calculate how much water Carlos needs. Written in imperial units, the equivalence between measures is demonstrated, e.g. 4 quarts = 2 half gallons.
Suggested Reading Age: 6 to 10-year-olds. In my opinion, this is more suitable for the younger end of this age bracket.
Nonfiction Nuggets Teaching Tip: Make It Metric: Look at millilitres and litres with the students. Explore the equivalence between the units.
How Much?: Inquire into the volume of water different breeds of fish require in a fish tank. Calculate how much someone would need to put in if there were 3, 4, 5 fish, etc. in the tank.
Pastry School in Paris
by Cindy Neuschwander (Author), Bryan Langdo (Illustrator)
Review: A highly entertaining way to learn about capacity, readers will enjoy following along with Matt and Bibi as they attend a cookery school in Paris. Through the story, children learn about equivalent measures and are sure to want to have a go themselves. Please note, Pastry School In Paris focuses on imperial measurement; some references are made to the metric system. There are some nice tips and suggestions at the end for teaching capacity.
Suggested Age Range: 7 to 11-year-olds.
Nonfiction Nuggets Teaching Tips: A Class/Family Bake Off: Children practise using measurements by cooking a treat of their choice. Ask them to alter the quantities of the ingredients to cater for a different number of people.
Happy Reading!
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