Product Description

Just as hola and bonjour express "hello" in different ways, fractions, decimals, and percents describe the same quantities in different ways. While it may sound simple, this basic math concept often baffles children. The straightforward text and photographic examples from everyday life in Piece=Part=Portion are a terrific boon to elementary school math students everywhere.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #175864 in Books
• Published on: 2003-08
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 29 pages

From School Library Journal
Grade 3-5-The striking photography in this book will not only whet an occasional appetite, but also satisfy the need for a visual treatment of the topic. Opposite three written representations of the same portion-a fraction, a decimal, and a percent-Thaler contributes clear, close-up illustrations. The large photographs framed in bands of bold color draw the eye from the matching numeral equivalents. While the examples include the tried-and-true pieces of pie and pizza and quarter of a dollar, Gifford relates more unusual divisions of a whole to illustrate other fractions: 1/7 of a week and 1/11 of a soccer team offer a fresh look at other portions. This simple text, paired with large vibrant art, provides a startlingly clear mathematical perspective.
Mary Elam, Forman Elementary School, Plano, TX
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Gr. 3-5. Notable for its clean design, this brightly illustrated book introduces the idea that fractions, decimals, and percents are different ways of saying the same thing. An introduction is followed by a picture of a single gym shoe and the explanatory words, "1/2 of a pair of shoes," ".50," and "50%." The next 14 double-page spreads follow the same pattern: a large, sharply defined photo and large-print text that defines the picture in terms of its subject along with three ways of expressing it numerically. But while "1/10 of your toes" (smartly illustrated with a big toe poking through the hole in a sock) is ".10" or "10%," some of the decimal numbers and percentages are rounded-off approximations: "1/7 of a week" is not exactly" .14" or "14%" of a week. If that's close enough for a teacher's purposes, then this attractive book will fit the bill. However, those who value the precision of mathematics will be disappointed that Gifford chose to use inexact equivalencies without at least mentioning the useful concepts of rounding and approximation. This is, nevertheless, a promising first book for Gifford, an elementary-school teacher, and another striking visual interpretation from Thaler, the photographer who illustrated George Levenson's Pumpkin Circle (2002). Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

From the Publisher
* A clear explanation of an important math concept.
* Photographs will appeal to visual learners.

Customer Reviews

Teacher Review
This is a great resource for teachers to use to introduce the fractions, decimals, and percents to their classes. It really can be used in any early elementary grade. It has mostly photos with hardly any written parts but it is a very useful resource!

Best math book
Scott gifford is a wonderful teacher. Knowing him personly (my 5th and 6th grade teacher) I would like to say this is one of his creative ides. it started out as just a book to help us in math. now children all over the world can enjoy scott gifford!