Twice My Size

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Purpose

This is an activity based on the picture book Twice My Size. 
This book may no longer be available for purchase.

Achievement Objectives
GM1-1: Order and compare objects or events by length, area, volume and capacity, weight (mass), turn (angle), temperature, and time by direct comparison and/or counting whole numbers of units.
NA1-6: Create and continue sequential patterns.
Specific Learning Outcomes
  1. Students will be able to explain the idea of doubling in measurement (measure it and then add/count on the same number of units to get the new measurement)
  2. Students will be able to measure an object in non-standard units and find “twice” or “double” by counting.
Description of Mathematics
  1. The meaning of twice is related to the number two and the concept of doubling.
  2. When measuring, twice means adding on the same measurement again. It’s the same as doubling.
Required Resource Materials

Twice My Size by Adrian Mitchell 
This book may no longer be available for purchase.

Activity

Twice makes it bigger!
This activity is based on the picture book: Twice My Size

Author: Adrian Mitchell
Illustrator: Daniel Puddles
Publisher: Igloo (2007); Bloomsbury (1998)
ISBN: 0-7475-4188-4

Summary: 
A ladybird begins this story about a series of friends, each one of whom is twice the size of the friend before. The pattern continues until we get to the sun. She states she is a million times bigger than everyone.

Lesson Sequence:

  1. Prior to reading, warm up with a game of “Double It!” Roll a big fuzzy die and double whatever face turns up. Emphasise how doubling is counting on the same amount again. Try a few doubles beyond 6 with the hundreds board. Double 10, double 20, double 50.
  2. Share the book with your students. Encourage them to anticipate that the next friend will be “double the size” and make the connections between the words twice, two, and double.
    What does the Sun mean when she says everyone is a “million times smaller than me”?
    Is anything bigger than the sun?
  3. After reading, draw a picture of a ladybird that is the same length and height, about the dimensions of the face of a unifix cube. The ladybird will be your unit.

    Explain how the class is going to make the characters of the story. But you need to know how big each character is. Use a version of the table below (depending on how big you want to go) to fill in the doubling pattern of measurements. The measurements can be modeled with unifix blocks called “ladybirds”. “Rulers” can be made out of connected unifix blocks, eg this ruler is 10 ladybirds, or 100 ladybirds.
    For example, to draw the butterfly, you need a square piece of paper 2 ladybirds long and 2 ladybirds high. Ask students to measure the paper they need to create their characters. Depending on your class you may need to have precut squares or students can be assigned different characters. The large ones can be numeracy lessons in themselves as the whole class creates a piece of paper or another area to draw to the big ones.

    AnimalLadybird Units
    (To create square pieces of paper: length x width)
    Ladybird1
    Butterfly2
    Bird4
    Cat8
    Dog16
    Boy32
    Babysitter/Big sister64
    Horse128
    Elephant256
    Whale512
    Sun!!!!

    The elephant and the whale can be drawn on the court in chalk and photographed for the display or book you make. (A senior class can be asked to calculate the size a piece of paper would have to be to draw a picture of the sun.)

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Level One