Greater Estimations: A Fun Introduction to Estimating Large Numbers

by Bruce Goldstone

To find out how many rubber duckies are on the cover of this book you could count each one―or you could estimate. An estimate is a good guess. Are there more than ten rubber ducks? Are there fewer than a thousand? Those estimates are not very accurate. A great estimate is close to the real number. Filled with fun, creative examples, this companion to Great Estimations will show you how to train your eyes and your mind to make really great estimations about length, volume, area, and much more. This title has Common Core connections.

Genres: Mathematics, Picture Books, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

First published August 5, 2008

About the author

Bruce Goldstone is the author of several books, including 100 Ways to Celebrate 100 Days, Great Estimations, Greater Estimations and The Beastly Feast. He has worked in educational publishing for nearly twenty years. Growing up in Ohio, Bruce fell in love with reading and the magic of words, and even back then he knew he wanted to be a writer. Books have always been an important part of his life, from buying used paperbacks to his first job, shelving books as a library page. He now lives in New York City with a plethora of pets including one dog, three parakeets, and an aquarium.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/bruceg...

Reviews

[Stephanie Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Note: I haven't read Great Estimations, so I can't compare that book to this one.

Bruce Goldstone has the secret sauce when it comes to teaching math to kids via books. He makes it fun, uses as simple language as possible while still teaching correct terminology, uses excellent visuals, gives several pages to "guided practice" while kids are getting the concept and several more to "independent practice" where kids can take what they've been learning in previous pages and apply. He leaves no doubt that the concepts being taught are useful in the real world, day to day, for both kids and adults. This book, which focuses on how to estimate, has all these elements. I really like how in the beginning of the book, he lets the audience know which strategies he's going to cover. Then he teaches each strategy clearly, and finally gives several pages where kids can choose their own strategies and combine them. He gives hints at the bottom but allows the child freedom to figure things out. I appreciate how in some places he lets kids know the "answer" and in others he just lets them figure things out independently.

I've read many math picture books that serve to introduce, review, or give examples to math concepts. Bruce Goldstone's books actually TEACH them. I'm so glad that I've stumbled across his books.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A math book that teaches how to estimate visually by using different strategies.

[Rayjan Koehler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another good read for kids learning estimations.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

The cover of this book right away presents the mathematical skill to be gleaned from reading Goldstone’s text—a striking photograph depicting dizzying row upon headache-inducing row of bright yellow rubber ducks. Rather than counting each one of the rubber ducks to know how many are on the cover, the text recommends estimating. Pages of Greater Estimations offer color photographs of rubber ducks in varying sizes, popcorn kernels, aerial views of skydivers, bees in a honeycomb, a menagerie of plastic animals, glow-in-the-dark stars, candies, microscopic red blood cells, flies and spiders, blowing dandelion seeds, teddy bears in a quilt, dominoes in a maze, dogs, buildings, concertgoers, and various household objects sure to visually stimulate readers. At the bottom of each photograph is an estimation problem along with a hints box of strategies for eye training, clump counting, and the box and count method. This concept book encourages the reader to develop the practical skill of “coming up with a reasonable number, not an exact answer” when at a job or at home. In an afterword, the author interestingly points out to adult readers that carpenters estimate lengths, cooks estimate volume, and protestors estimate political outcome. Goldstone’s books ties in nicely with the grade two standard for students to “estimate, calculate, and solve problems involving addition and subtraction of two- and three-digit numbers” though older readers will likely enjoy this book too (California Department of Education, 1997).

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This second volume by Goldstone isn't quite as charming and bright as the first. I didn't much like the "funny" speech bubbles of the estimated items, except the elephant saying "Onomatopoeia." I bumped it up an extra point because it includes discussion of how to estimate length, weight, area, and volume, rather than just estimating quantity. I also like that Goldstone isn't afraid to get technical about estimation strategies, including things like the political implications of estimating crowd size accurately. I'll definitely be adding this to our math classroom library (Dewey Decimal number 510).

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a great read to provide students with the concept of estimation. Examples are provided with vivid illustrations of an image that will overwhelm the reader, and it includes strategies on how to go about estimation through the use of blocks or patterns. At the bottom of the page, the author provides a hint box, with different hints on noticing the picture and attempting to estimate correctly.

Literature:
Book is written as an informational piece. Noticing can be a technique taught by the educator to clearly incorporate how to analyze a picture in order to help the reader correctly estimate and understand estimating.

[Karan Johnstone · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about how to estimate objects. It explains three different strategies to estimate. They are eye training, clump counting and box and count. This shows fantastic photos of high interest objects and tells which strategy to use in estimating.
I could use this book in small groups that are having a difficult time in estimating. We could go through each picture and do exactly what the book tells us to do in order to estimate the objects.

[Paige · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think that I need to dedicate more time to estimation..because this book and I did not come up with the same answers.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

definitely a book to revisit with the kids as they grow older. Great for learning about value / estimating numbers / volume / quantity, etc.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Greater Estimations by Bruce Goldstone (2008)

[Allanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting. Made for older kids ... maybe seven+.

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

really great