G is for Googol, by David M. Schwartz and Marissa Moss, ill. California: Tricycle Press, 1998.

ISBN: 978-1883672584

Annotation: An engaging and entertaining way to interest kids in math facts; the lively illustrations help hold reader interest, and the brief entries are written in a breezy, readable style.

Illustrations: pen and ink and watercolor

Curricular Use: 5^th-7^th grade; Math

4Q/3P

DM 7/5/09

G is for Googol: A Math Alphabet, by David M. Schwartz and Marissa Moss, ill. Berkeley: Tricycle Press, 1998.

ISBN: 1883672589

Math—from cubits to the Fibonacci Sequence to Venn Diagrams—is explained by using a letter of the alphabet to represent each concept. Playful illustrations and exercise ideas make the explanations here accessible to all.

Curricular Connection: All Grades (different lessons for different ages), subject: math

Rating: 5Q/5P

Lesson Plan: Math in Our World

G is For Googol: A Math Alphabet Book by David M. Schwartz.Berkeley: Tricycle Press, 1998.

ISBN: 1-883672-58-9

Grades: 7^th graders for the cubit exercise and 5^th graders for the symmetry one

Time: two class periods of an hour each

Supplies: G is for Googol, cardboard, index cards

Activities: This is a great book with the potential for as many math lessons as there are in the alphabet, or even more since there are two E chapters! Here, though, I’ve focused on just two of my favorite chapters.   

C is for Cubit

1. Read aloud “C is for Cubit,” and afterward, ask each student to come up with his or her own body-based cubit measurement, be it the length of a nose or a finger or the distance from a knee to an ankle.
    
2. Give each of the students a sturdy piece of cardboard, like that from the back of a notebook, and have them fill it up with notches measuring ¼ cubit, ½ cubit, ¾ cubit, 1 cubit, and so on.
    
3. Have them each measure three items in the classroom using their cubit ruler, and on an index card you give to each student, have them record the lengths of their items in cubits, for example: length of the whiteboard=15 cubits.
    
4. Have the students exchange cards with a partner.  
    
5. Now the games begin as the students take out their rulers, and measure each of the three items and then compose an algebra problem to determine how long their classmate’s cubit was, for example 12 inches= 8x (cubits).
    
6. Once all the students have created and solved their algebra problems, have them use their real rulers to measure each others’ original cubits and see how accurate they were!                
    

S is for Symmetry

1. Read aloud this chapter, and afterward ask the students to come up with a class definition of symmetrical. Write this on the board.
    
2. Cut out enough shapes (with similar qualities to those discussed in the book) for every student to have one. Have them fold their shapes and see how many different lines of symmetry they can come up with.
    
3. Discuss the different types of symmetry—bilateral, radial, etc.
    
4. Send the students outside to an area with grass and trees and ask them each to find two examples of different types of symmetry (a flower, a strand of grass, a leaf, etc.) that they can bring back inside and share with the class.
    

Schwartz, D. M. (1998). G is for googol: a math alphabet book. Illustrated by Marissa Moss. Berkeley, CA:  Tricyle Press.