(9780143501992)
Written & illustrated by Pamela Allen
Published by Penguin Books
Theme/topic: Mass
Suggested learning area: ACMMG006 (Mathematics – Foundation), ACSSU005 (Science – Foundation),
The story provides a hands-on opportunity to examine how objects move depends on a variety of factors, particularly weight and balance, as young learners consider what causes the boat to sink (ACSSU005 – Foundation Year, Science). Children can explore how the boat’s ability to hold more animals decreases as the boat gets heavier, helping them understand the idea of capacity and how adding more weight fills or overloads a container (ACMMG006 – Foundation Year, Mathematics). Through this story, children can build a foundational understanding of both physical science and mathematical concepts in a relatable, engaging way.
• comparing objects directly, by placing one object against another to determine which is longer or by pouring from one container into the other to see which one holds more
• using suitable language associated with measurement attributes, such as ‘tall’ and ‘taller’, ‘heavy’ and ‘heavier’, ‘holds more’ and ‘holds less’
• exploring how the size and shape of traditional instructive toys used by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples influence their movement (OI.5)
• observing the way different shaped objects such as balls, blocks and tubes move
• comparing the way different sized, but similar shaped, objects such as tennis balls, golf balls, marbles and basketballs roll and bounce
• observing how the movement of different living things depends on their size and shape
Who sank the boat? Was it the cow or the donkey or the sheep with her knitting? Surely it wasn’t the tiny little mouse?
Winner of the 1983 Australian Picture Book of the Year Award, this wonderfully illustrated book is designed for sharing aloud and will make children giggle as they guess which animal spoilt a day’s rowing by sinking the boat.
