Inch By Inch - posted by Caitlin King

Title: Inch By Inch
Author: Leo Lionni
Illustrator: Leo Lionni
Recommended Grade Level: K-1


Common Core Mathematics Standard: 
(Kindergarten)

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.

Classify objects and count the number of objects in each category.

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.MD.B.3
Classify objects into given categories; count the numbers of objects in each category and sort the categories by count.1

Summary:
This book is about a wise inchworm. He measures all different types of birds, so they will not eat him. He is then put the the ultimate test of measuring the song of a nightingale or being eaten for breakfast.

Rating: *****
 This is a beautifully illustrated book that grabs your attention from the very beginning. the colors that are used are real and make you feel as if you are actually being exposed to nature. It is also a great introduction for children to learn about measuring and measurements.

Classroom Idea:
I would introduce my students to the word measurement and see if they could tell me what it means to them. I think a great way to further explore this idea is to have the children break off into pairs and take turns measuring each other, but instead of using a ruler we would use popsicle sticks. They will find out how many popsicle sticks tall/long they are. This will also help the children with orientation, on how and where they should start measuring.