Title of the Book: Inch by Inch

Author- Leo Lionni

Illustrator- Leo Lionni

Recommended Grade Level Pre-K-2nd Grade

Common Core Standards Addressed:

Describe and compare measurable attributes.

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.MD.A.1
Describe measurable attributes of objects, such as length or weight. Describe several measurable attributes of a single object.

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.MD.A.2
Directly compare two objects with a measurable attribute in common, to see which object has "more of"/"less of" the attribute, and describe the difference. For example, directly compare the heights of two children and describe one child as taller/shorter.

Measure lengths indirectly and by iterating length units.

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.1.MD.A.1
Order three objects by length; compare the lengths of two objects indirectly by using a third object.

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.1.MD.A.2
Express the length of an object as a whole number of length units, by laying multiple copies of a shorter object (the length unit) end to end; understand that the length measurement of an object is the number of same-size length units that span it with no gaps or overlaps. Limit to contexts where the object being measured is spanned by a whole number of length units with no gaps or overlaps.

Measure and estimate lengths in standard units.

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.MD.A.1
Measure the length of an object by selecting and using appropriate tools such as rulers, yardsticks, meter sticks, and measuring tapes.

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.MD.A.2
Measure the length of an object twice, using length units of different lengths for the two measurements; describe how the two measurements relate to the size of the unit chosen.

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.MD.A.3
Estimate lengths using units of inches, feet, centimeters, and meters.

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.MD.A.4
Measure to determine how much longer one object is than another, expressing the length difference in terms of a standard length unit.

Summary: In order to prevent himself being eaten, a clever inchworm measures the various parts of the birds who wish to be measured. He has a problem, however, when the nightingale demands that he measure her song or be eaten for breakfast.

Rating

(4)The story Inch by Inch has a theme of measurements. This book is very simple, easy read, and has wonderful textured illustrations. The measurement of an inch was played by none other than a little inchworm who not only teaches of the length of an inch, but also the things you’re able to measure in inches. Some kids at early stages of understanding measurements may get inches, feet, meters, and so on, confused. This book teaches that an inch is used with smaller objects, such as a bird’s tail as used in the book as well as a bird’s beak, and a flamingo’s neck. For 2nd grade I would include one or two more literature books along with Inch by Inch to focus on measurement.

Classroom Ideas/Lesson Ideas

This book can be used to introduce the Pre K and Kindergarten students to using nonstandard measurement tools. A really fun way to bring "Inch by Inch" to life inside of the classroom would be to do a lesson of non-standard units of measurement. Show the students how big an inch is, and have them compare the size of an inch to an everyday object. For instance, a paper clip could be about the length of an inch. Hand out paperclips to each student and have them measure objects inside of the classroom in paperclips. When they have completed measuring objects around the classroom, have them compare the results with a partner. In the book the inch worm is about to measure animals and with rules the 1^st and 2^nd grade students could then identify objects around the classroom including themselves and estimate how many inches it would take to match the length using standard units. Students may begin to learn about the different tools used for measurement, compare the lengths of two or more objects, and make estimates of the lengths of larger objects using standard units of measurements.