Product Description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #107627 in Books
• Published on: 2006-08-22
• Released on: 2006-08-22
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 32 pages

From School Library Journal
Grade 1-4–Goldstone adds another winner to the growing canon of titles that make learning math concepts both fun and interesting. Combining clear, concise language with colorful photos of countable objects, he introduces estimation, beginning with eye-training exercises to recognize groupings of 10s, 100s, and 1000s. Readers are encouraged to move the book around so they can see the items from varying perspectives. The next few spreads explain how to base an estimate on quantified groups: left-hand pages show clusters of an object (10 cherries, 100 cherries) while right-hand pages present an unidentified amount of the same thing (About how many cherries are in a quart?). The author then shows youngsters how to make reasonable estimates when looking at large quantities using clump counting and box counting. The real standout here is the crisp photography of objects and animals, including everything from google eyes to a penguin colony, set against stark white backgrounds that make them almost seem to leap off the page. This well-designed book will add zing to many a math lesson and attract browsers as well.–Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Estimating techniques introduced in Stuart J. Murphy's MathStart titles Betcha! (1997) and Coyotes All Around (2003) are kicked up a notch here thanks to jaw-dropping color photos. Laying out a mixed assemblage of toys, pipe cleaners, marbles, peanuts, and other small items, Goldstone helps viewers train themselves to estimate the size of groups of about 10 things on sight, then goes on to present similar, often fetchingly arranged, materials by hundreds and (!) thousands. He also describes "clump counting" and "box and count" methods, offering pages chock-full of plastic bugs ("It isn't gross--it's a gross."), dog and cat stamps, a penguin colony, tiny rice grains, a bowl of jellybeans, and more. Including hints for each exercise, and frequent reminders that the goal is a "reasonable estimate," not an exact number, this book lends itself equally well to skill building and to casual reading. John Peters
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
“A model of how to do it right.”
—New York Times Book Review
 
“A must-have resource for school libraries.”
—Kirkus Reviews
 
“Goldstone adds another winner to the growing canon of titles that make learning math concepts both fun and interesting.”
—School Library Journal
 
“With jaw-dropping color photos . . . this book lends itself equally well to skill building and to casual reading.”
—Booklist

Customer Reviews

Book Review: Great Estimations
A couple weeks back we held the annual book fair at two of the elementary schools I work at. One of the ways the book fair organizers hyped the kids into a froth was through a little game called "guess how many marshmallows are in the the jar". The student who guessed the number closest to the actual number of marshmallows won the whole jar of `em. I'm guessing most of you have taken part in something similar in your day. The problem? Half of the guesses were for one hundred, the other were for one million. For kids, it seems, there is not a whole lot in between. In Great Estimations, the author breaks down how to make a killing at "guess how many marshmallows are in the jar". How I wish this book had been around in my younger days - the hot chocolate would be flowing like water, with plenty of those little puffs of sugar spilling out of the top. The book uses a variety of objects, from people to pennies all in the name of teaching the reader how to make an accurate estimate.
While I don't foresee many repeat readings, there is a lot to like in Great Estimations.

Great for Mini-Math Junkies
Inspired my kids to estimate all over the place, and the full-color photos have major kid-appeal (including plastic bugs and tiny doll shoes). My three-year-old calls it the Jelly Bean Book.

A must for the math section of any kid's bookcase or any teacher's classroom.

In My Estimation
This book uses mathematical facts and excellent pictures to help children and adults alike understand and practice estimation skills.