SAM'S SNEAKER SQUARES
Author: Nat Gabriel
Illustrator: Ron Fritz
Number of pages: 31
Publisher: Kane Press (USA) First published in: 2002 Format: Picturebook Is the mathematical focus explicit in the story? Yes Is this story part of a mathematics story series? Yes (Math Matters) Preview and/or purchase this book on the Amazon websites: UK, USA, AUS, IND, CAN Synopsis by the author/publisher
When Sam comes up with sneaker squares, he uses them to measure the area of the lawns he mows for his neighbors. Will his calculations help him earn enough money to buy the bike of his dreams? This title teaches about measuring area. |
“"Let's say this rug is Mrs. Green's lawn," I said to myself. I started walking down the long side of the rug. It took six steps to get across. Then I turned and started walking down the short side of the rug. Three steps. Six steps across and three steps down."”
Official review by MathsThroughStories.org:
In Nat Gabriel’s ‘Sam’s Sneaker Squares’ (2002), Sam has been mowing Mr. Hill’s lawn and Mrs. Green’s to earn some money to buy himself a new bike. Sam gets paid the same to mow both lawns, and yet it takes him much longer to finish mowing Mr. Hill’s lawn. This prompts Sam to figure out how to measure the surface area of both lawns so he can decide whether to charge Mr. Hill more. Thanks to his muddy sneakers and a little help from his brother, Sam soon figures out that he can measure the surface area of the lawns by counting the number of steps he takes along the width and the length of the rectangular lawns, then divide the lawns into equal squares with each side of each square being about the same length as Sam’s sneakers, hence the sneaker squares. By counting the sneaker squares of both lawns, Sam figures out that while Mrs. Green’s lawn is about 200 sneaker squares big, Mr. Hill’s is 160 sneaker squares bigger. With this new information, Sam can now persuade Mr. Hill to pay him more for his work. This story provides a great meaningful real-world context to help young children see why knowing how to work out surface areas can be very useful. We can also see a wide range of practical learning activities that teachers and parents can do with their children after finish reading the story, for example, we can imagine children being encouraged to use Sam’s strategy to measure the surface area of their classroom, gym and playground. Children’s learning can be extended further through mathematical investigations, for example, by figuring out if measuring the width and length using their footsteps will give them the same dimensions when comparing to an adult’s footsteps. Given its use of square grids, the story can also be used to teach multiplication in terms of arrays. All in all, we highly recommend ‘Sam’s Sneaker Squares’ to introduce to young children (aged 7+ years old) the concept of finding surface area of rectangular shapes; non-standard measurement units and even multiplication (arrays).
Recommended age range:
7+ years old
Relevant mathematics topics:
Area & Perimeter; Length & Distance; Multiplication
Possible teaching activities:
At MathsThroughStories.org, we believe that stories can be meaningfully incorporated in mathematics teaching in different ways. Thus, we are inviting you to share your experience of how you have used this story in your mathematics lesson with other members of the community. By sharing your experience with us, you will be added to our team of On-line Contributors here, where you can also find our submission guideline.
In Nat Gabriel’s ‘Sam’s Sneaker Squares’ (2002), Sam has been mowing Mr. Hill’s lawn and Mrs. Green’s to earn some money to buy himself a new bike. Sam gets paid the same to mow both lawns, and yet it takes him much longer to finish mowing Mr. Hill’s lawn. This prompts Sam to figure out how to measure the surface area of both lawns so he can decide whether to charge Mr. Hill more. Thanks to his muddy sneakers and a little help from his brother, Sam soon figures out that he can measure the surface area of the lawns by counting the number of steps he takes along the width and the length of the rectangular lawns, then divide the lawns into equal squares with each side of each square being about the same length as Sam’s sneakers, hence the sneaker squares. By counting the sneaker squares of both lawns, Sam figures out that while Mrs. Green’s lawn is about 200 sneaker squares big, Mr. Hill’s is 160 sneaker squares bigger. With this new information, Sam can now persuade Mr. Hill to pay him more for his work. This story provides a great meaningful real-world context to help young children see why knowing how to work out surface areas can be very useful. We can also see a wide range of practical learning activities that teachers and parents can do with their children after finish reading the story, for example, we can imagine children being encouraged to use Sam’s strategy to measure the surface area of their classroom, gym and playground. Children’s learning can be extended further through mathematical investigations, for example, by figuring out if measuring the width and length using their footsteps will give them the same dimensions when comparing to an adult’s footsteps. Given its use of square grids, the story can also be used to teach multiplication in terms of arrays. All in all, we highly recommend ‘Sam’s Sneaker Squares’ to introduce to young children (aged 7+ years old) the concept of finding surface area of rectangular shapes; non-standard measurement units and even multiplication (arrays).
Recommended age range:
7+ years old
Relevant mathematics topics:
Area & Perimeter; Length & Distance; Multiplication
Possible teaching activities:
At MathsThroughStories.org, we believe that stories can be meaningfully incorporated in mathematics teaching in different ways. Thus, we are inviting you to share your experience of how you have used this story in your mathematics lesson with other members of the community. By sharing your experience with us, you will be added to our team of On-line Contributors here, where you can also find our submission guideline.