Pamela Allen’s Who Sank the Boat? is a delightful children’s book of five animal friends who decide to take a boat ride, but instead of moving forward for a pleasant ride, the boat starts sinking! With engaging illustrations and playful, rhythmic text, the story introduces children to simple concepts of weight and balance. As each animal steps into the boat, the suspense builds, making it an exciting read that encourages young readers to think about what will happen next.
Link to the Australian Curriculum:
Who Sank the Boat? aligns with several key learning areas for Foundation Year:
- Science (ACSSU005): The story explores how objects move depends on a variety of factors, particularly weight and balance. As each animal gets into the boat, students can observe how the increasing weight affects the boat’s movement—causing it to sink deeper into the water rather than moving forward. This provides an opportunity to discuss how the weight of each animal influences the boat’s stability, introducing forces in a fun and relatable way.
- Mathematics (ACMMG006): The concept of capacity is introduced as the animals climb into the boat. 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. Students can compare which animals are heavier and how that affects the boat’s ability to stay afloat, making this a practical example of capacity in action.
Through this story, children can build a foundational understanding of both physical science and mathematical concepts in a relatable, engaging way.
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