Childrens

literature in mathematics- using data facts to create mathematical

discussions in a year 5 classroom
Object by the Numbers - data facts, prompts and mathematical exploration
Book details:
Title: One hundred hungry ants
Author: Elinor J Pinczes
Date: 1999
Suitable for Grade: 5
Brief description and rationale for the image you have selected for your poster
I chose to do an ant for my poster. I selected an ant because the book I chose: One hundred hungry
ants is all about a journey that a group of ants take and ways in which they can get to their
destination fastest. I chose to do the ant fact: ants can carry 20 times their weight as my number
fact, which is my ant by number image.
Picture of front cover of book:

Picture of inside of book:

List of Data Facts from poster:

Data Fact #1: Ants can lift 20 times their own body weight.

Data Fact #2: An ant brain has about 250,000 brain cells. A human brain has 10,000 million. So a
colony of 40,000 ants has collectively the same size brain as a human.

Data Fact #3: The average life expectancy of an ant is about 40-60 days.

Data Fact #4: Ants have two stomachs, one for them and one to feed others.

Data Fact #5: The ant has two eyes; each eye is made of many smaller eyes.

Data Fact #6: The queen ant lives up to 10-20 years.

Selected Data Facts for further exploration
Data Fact #1: The queen ant lives up to 10-20 years.

Prompts to develop childrens mathematical thinking:
1. If the queen ant lays 500 eggs a year what can she be expected to lay in her maximum
lifetime?
2. How many years would it take her to lay 2500?
A childs anticipated responses to the prompts:
Prompt 1 - Anticipated response:
Well her maximum lifetime was 20 years, so that would mean we would need to times 500 by 20
which equals 10,000, wow thats a lot of eggs.
Prompt 2 - Anticipated response:
Well if she laid 500 eggs each year then we need to work out how many times 500 fits into 2500,
which equals 5 years. Imagine having that many brothers and sisters!
Mathematics explored in the prompts:
These prompts explore childrens ability to solve worded problems by creating a number equation to
represent the prompt. These prompt responses demonstrate the childrens ability to use mental and
written strategies to solve division and multiplication problems.

AusVELS connection and code:

Year 5: Use equivalent number sentences involving multiplication and division to find unknown
quantities (ACMNA121)
Year 5: Use efficient mental and written strategies and apply appropriate digital technologies to
solve problems (ACMNA291)
Year 5: Solve problems involving multiplication of large numbers by one- or two-digit numbers using
efficient mental, written strategies and appropriate digital technologies (ACMNA100)

Data Fact #2: Ants can lift 20 times their own body weight.
Prompts to develop childrens mathematical thinking:
1. If an imaginary giant ant weighed 55 kilos, how much would it be able to lift?
2. What would an ant need to weigh to be able to lift an object weighing 880 kilos?
A childs anticipated responses to the prompts:
Prompt 1 - Anticipated response:
If an ant can lift 20 times what it weighs then this ant would be able to lift 20 times 55 kilos. The ant
would be able to lift 1100 kilos. That is one really strong ant!
Prompt 2 - Anticipated response:
If an ant can lift 20 times what it weighs then this ant would weigh 880 divided by 20. This would
make the ant 44 kilos.
Mathematics explored in the prompts:
These prompts explore childrens ability to solve worded problems using multiplication and division
through mental and written strategies.
AusVELS connection and code:
Year 5: Use equivalent number sentences involving multiplication and division to find unknown
quantities (ACMNA121)
Year 5: Use efficient mental and written strategies and apply appropriate digital technologies to
solve problems (ACMNA291)
Year 5: Solve problems involving multiplication of large numbers by one- or two-digit numbers using
efficient mental, written strategies and appropriate digital technologies (ACMNA100)


Data Fact #3: The average life expectancy of an ant is about 40-60 days.

Prompts to develop childrens mathematical thinking:
1. If an ant lives for 56 days, how many weeks has it lived for?
2. If an ant lives for 40 days, how many hours has it lived for?
A childs anticipated responses to the prompts:
Prompt 1 - Anticipated response:
If an ant has lived for 56 days and there are 7 days in a week, then the ant has lived for 8 weeks,
which means they have lived for less than a school term!
Prompt 2 - Anticipated response:
If an ant has lived for 40 days and there are 24 hours in a day, then the ant would have been alive for
960 hours.
Mathematics explored in the prompts:
These prompts explore childrens ability to turn worded problems into numbered equations that use
division and multiplication. These prompt responses also show the childrens ability to convert days
into hours.
AusVELS connection and code:
Year 5: Compare 12- and 24-hour time systems and convert between them (ACMMG110)

Year 5: Use equivalent number sentences involving multiplication and division to find unknown
quantities (ACMNA121)
Year 5: Use efficient mental and written strategies and apply appropriate digital technologies to
solve problems (ACMNA291)
Year 5: Solve problems involving multiplication of large numbers by one- or two-digit numbers using
efficient mental, written strategies and appropriate digital technologies (ACMNA100)