Lesson 6

Using Estimation

Est. Class Sessions: 2–3

Extensions

  • The information about our national parks in this lesson guide and in Lesson 1 can be linked with studies of United States geography.
  • McKissack, Patricia. A Million Fish . . . More or Less. Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1996.
    In this story, a young boy catches first three small fish and then a million more. As he tries to bring the fish home, he loses them to the gators, the raccoons, and a hungry cat. When he arrives home, he has just enough fish for supper and a whopping “fish story” to share with his family. This story is appropriate to read aloud during Part 2 of this lesson.
  • Schwartz, David. How Much is a Million? William Morrow and Company, New York, 1993.
    Books such as those in the Great Waldo Search series can be used to practice estimation. Ask students to estimate the number of objects on a given page. To help with their estimations, they can use an index card or small paper rectangle as a template. First, they count the number of objects covered by the template. Then, to obtain an estimate, they can multiply the number of objects covered by the template by the number of times the template will fit on the page.
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