12 tall tale maths

8/12/2019 12 Tall Tale Maths

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TALL TALE MATHby Betsy Franco

Tall Tale Math 2013 by Betsy Franco, Scholastic Teaching Resources


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Scholastic Inc. grants teachers permission to photocopy the reproducible pages from this book for classroom use.

No other part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system,

or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise,

without written permission of the publisher. For information regarding permission, write to

Scholastic Inc., 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012.

Edited by Immacula A. Rhodes

Cover design by Scott Davis

Interior design by Sydney Wright

Interior art by Delana Bettoli, Paulette Bogan, Margeaux Lucas, Mike Moran, and Sydney Wright

ISBN: 978-0-545-33333-7

Copyright 2013 by Betsy Franco

Illustrations 2013 by Scholastic Inc.

All rights reserved.

Printed in the U.S.A..

Published by Scholastic Inc.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 40 19 18 17 16 15 14 13

For my dad, who had a great sense of humor.



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ContentsIntroduction ............................................................................................................................4How to Use This Book .............................................................................................................5

Connections to the Common Core State Standards ..............................................................6

The Tall TalesPaul Bunyan.............................................................................................................................8

Math Concepts: Place value, Rounding

Annie Christmas ....................................................................................................................12

Math Concepts: Algebra, Logical reasoning, Addition, Subtraction

Johnny Appleseed ..................................................................................................................16Math Concepts: Multiplication, Division

John Henry ............................................................................................................................20

Math Concept: Choosing an operation

Stormalong ............................................................................................................................24

Math Concepts: Perimeter, Area, Weight

Pecos Bill ...............................................................................................................................28

Math Concepts: Measurement (standard and metric), Length, Distance

Sal Fink ..................................................................................................................................32Math Concepts: Money word problems

Davy Crockett ........................................................................................................................36

Math Concept: Geometry

Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind .......................................................................................44

Math Concept: Algebra

Old Sally Cato ........................................................................................................................48

Math Concepts: Fractions, Decimals

Mose Humphreys ...................................................................................................................52

Math Concept: Data analysis (finding and using averages)

Slue-Foot Sue ........................................................................................................................56

Math Concept: Data analysis (using graphs)

Answers ..................................................................................................................................61



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4 Tall Tale Math 2013 by Betsy Franco, Scholastic Teaching Resources

In Tall Tale Math, students will discover that problem

solving can be exceptionally engaging. Think about

ittall tales are filled with an abundance of math

possibilities! In the context of rip-roaring tales that are so much

a part of American history, students can practice math problems

designed to help meet the curriculum needs of your class.

Twelve traditional tall tales have been written with distinctive

voices, and each has been creatively used as a springboard to

present problems that reinforce the concepts students need to

know. Among other things, students will discover place value inPaul Bunyans gargantuan menus, multiply and divide to figure

out how far Johnny Appleseed traveled, calculate the cost of

items at Sal Finks dockside sale, and interpret data about giant

jumping fish with Slue-Foot Sue!

. .Problem Solving . .

Following each tall tale is a set of problems to solve that relate

to the details in the tale. Specific math concepts are highlighted

in each unit. The following concepts are included:

Place Value

Rounding

Algebra

Logical Reasoning

Addition and Subtraction

Multiplication and Division

Choosing an Operation

Perimeter and Area

WeightLength and Distance

Money Word Problems

Geometry

Fractions and Decimals

Data Analysis

Introduction

Connections to the

Math Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The activities in this book

correlate with the Mathematics

and English Language Arts

(Reading: Literature) standards

recommended by the

Common Core State Standards

Initiative, a state-led effort to

establish a single set of clear

educational standards whose

aim is to provide students with

a high-quality education. (For

more, see page 6.)


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5Tall Tale Math 2013 by Betsy Franco, Scholastic Teaching Resources

How to Use This Book

You can use the reproducible stories and companion math problem

pages from Tall Tale Mathin a wide variety of ways. Students can

read and answer questions individually, in pairs, in groups, or as a

class. To make the stories and math more vivid, you might have the class act

out the tales. Students can even write their own tall taleseither creating an

original story or adapting a traditional one with their own ideasand make up

problems to go with them!

. .Benefits. .

The combination of literacy and math enhances and enriches studentsmotivation, learning, and retention of concepts. The benefits of using this book

are numerous:

Problem solving can be presented in the context of particularly exciting

and humorous stories.

Students can review and reinforce a wide variety of important math

concepts while improving their reading and fluency skills and learning

about a timeless genre of writing.

Classroom time can be used efficiently by integrating math, reading, and

history concepts into single lessons.

Students can discover that math is everywherefrom the geometric

shapes in Davy Crocketts frontier world to the patterns of Annie

Christmas beads to the weight of big Stormalongs food to the fraction of

peaches picked from crotchety old Sally Catos orchard!

A Word About the Companion Math Activities

Because this book is written for third, fourth, and fifth graders, the math problems

have been designed to follow a progression of difficulty levels. In most cases, the

first page of activities for each tale targets math skills for 3rd and 4th graders;

the second page targets skills for grades 45. Also, a number of the problems

can be solved using different approaches. For example, students might solve the

multiplication problems using either repeated addition or multiplication. Before

assigning the accompanying math pages, you might review the problems and

choose the ones youd like students to do. You can cross out any problem you

want them to skip before you copy the pages for distribution.


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Connections to the Common Core State StandardsThe Common Core State Standards Initiative (CCSSI) has outlined learning expectations in

Mathematics for students at different grade levels. The activities in this book align with the following

standards for students in grades 35. For more information,visitwww.corestandards.org.

Mathematics

Operations & Algebraic Thinking

Grade 3

Represent and solve problems involving

multiplication and division.

3.OA.3, 3.OA.4

Multiply and divide within 100.

3.OA.7

Solve problems involving the four

operations, and identify and explain

patterns in arithmetic.3.OA.8, 3.OA.9

Grade 4

Use the four operations with whole

numbers to solve problems.

4.OA.2, 4.OA.3

Gain familiarity with factors and

multiples.

4.OA.4

Generate and analyze patterns.

4.OA.5

Grade 5Write and interpret numerical

expressions.

5.OA.2

Number and Operations

in Base Ten

Grade 3

Use place value understanding and

properties of operations to perform

multi-digit arithmetic.

3.NBT.1, 3.NBT.2, 3.NBT.3

Grade 4

Generalize place value understandingfor multi-digit whole numbers.

4.NBT.1, 4.NBT.2, 4.NBT.3

Use place value understanding and

properties of operations to perform

multi-digit arithmetic.

4.NBT.4, 4.NBT.5, 4.NBT.6

Grade 5

Understand the place value system.

5.NBT.1, 5.NBT.3a, 5.NBT.4

Perform operations with multi-digit

whole numbers and with decimals to

hundredths.

5.NBT.5, 5.NBT.7

Number and Operations

Fractions

Grade 3

Develop understanding of fractions as

numbers.

3.NF.1, 3.NF.3a, 3.NF.3b

Grade 4

Extend understanding of fraction

equivalence and ordering.

4.NF.2

Build fractions from unit fractions

by applying and extending previous

understandings of operations on whole

numbers.

4.NF.3a, 4.NF.3c, 4NF.3d

Understand decimal notation for

fractions, and compare decimal

fractions.

4.NF.6, 4.NF.7

Grade 5

Use equivalent fractions as a strategy to

add and subtract fractions.

5.NF.1, 5.NF.2

Measurement & Data

Grade 3

Represent and interpret data.

3.MD.3

Geometric measurement: understand

concepts of area and relate area to

multiplication and to addition.

3.MD.6, 3.MD.7a, 3.MD.7b

Geometric measurement: recognize

perimeter as an attribute of plane

figures and distinguish between linear

and area measures.

3.MD.8

Grade 4

Solve problems involving measurement

and conversion of measurements from a

larger unit to a smaller unit.

4.MD.1, 4.MD.2, 4.MD.3

Geometric measurement: understand

concepts of angle and measure angles.

4.MD.5

Grade 5

Convert like measurement units within

a given measurement system.5.MD.1

GeometryGrade 3

Reason with shapes and their attributes.

3.G.1, 3.G.2

Grade 4

Draw and identify lines and angles, and

classify shapes by properties of their

lines and angles.

4.G.2

The stories and activities inthis book also meet the

following CCSSI reading

standards for literature for

students in grades 35.

English Language Arts

Reading: Literature

Key Ideas and Details

RL.3.1, RL.3.2, RL.3.3; RL.4.1, RL.4.2,

RL.4.3; RL. 5.2, RL.5.3

Craft and StructureRL.4.4; RL.5.5

Range of Reading and Complexity

of Text

RL.3.10; RL.4.10; RL.5.10
http://www.corestandards.org/http://www.corestandards.org/http://www.corestandards.org/


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TheTall Tales


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(Continued)

Math Concepts:Place value, Rounding

Paul Bunyan At two weeks old, gigantic Paul Bunyan

took his first steps. He was so big that he set

off earthquakes in Maine. In fact, almost any

move he made caused the earth to shake. So

his parents put his cradle in the ocean to protect

the state.

Hes causing tidal waves now, said the

townsfolk. Sure enough, Pauls hiccups stirred

up the water and made huge waves.

Thats how he ended up in the backwoods ofMinnesota, taking care of himself. For twenty years,

Paul did pretty darn good on his own. But then came

the year of the big blue snow.

On a night that would have made a polar bear shiver,

Paul went out in the freezing cold. All of a sudden, he

heard a moaning sound under a huge snowdrift. Paul

investigated, and to his surprise, he pulled out a blue ox.

Come with me, he said picking up the ox, which

was nearly as big as Paul himself.Paul took care of that ox until he had nursed it back

to health. Babe the Blue Ox, as he called her, licked his face

and followed him everywhere. Thats how Paul made his

first friend. And a big friend she was! By the time Babe

was full grown, the distance between her horns was

42 axe handles long.

One day, Paul discovered that he could cut down a

forest of trees with just a few swipes of his axe. In those

days, people needed wood for their homes, and no one

was thinking about saving trees.Lets you and me take those logs down the river in

Minnesota and get them to a sawmill, Paul said to Babe.


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Math Concepts:Place value, RoundingPaul Bunyan

While they were out and about, the two leveled

Kansas and Iowa, clearing out trees so the farmers there

could raise crops. Since they could walk a mile in onestep, this was only a weeks work for Paul and Babe.

Back in Minnesota, after they had rolled thousands

of logs down the river, Paul said, Its time to get

some help and make some friends, Babe. Lets start a

logging camp.

Hiring lumberjacks to help him was one of the

best decisions Paul ever made. But it was a good thing

he was a problem solver, because clever thinking was

needed to feed and house thousands of men.

Paul built a chow table so long that it took a weekfor a dish to get from one end to the other. He made a

frying pan the size of an ice-skating rink. One hundred

men would strap bacon to their skates to grease it.

And with all those thirsty men around, Paul had

to dig out five big holes to fill with water so everyone

would have enough to drink. Those waterholes are

known as the Great Lakes today.

Pauls problem solving also came in real handy

when the coldest winter of all nearly stopped the workat the camp.

Youve all got to grow your beards long enough

to reach your feet, Paul told his lumberjacks. Then

you can knit your beards into socks to keep your feet

from freezing. Sure enough, his plan worked, and the

logging went on.

Years later, Paul and Babe made their way to

Oregon where they settled down to retire.

If old Paul were still around today, hed most likely

be using his problem-solving skills to grow and increase

the forests . . . with Babes help, of course. For sure, hed

have some mighty good ideas about how to do that!


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10

Name ________________________________________ Date _____________________________


Paul Bunyan1.Each step Paul Bunyan took was 5,280 feet longthats one mile!

The 2 in 5,280 is in the hundreds place. Its value is 200.

Fill in the answers to the following:

The 5 is in the ________________________ place. Its value is _________.



2.One morning, the cook made 10,000 pancakes. Then he made 4,000 more,

then 600, then 50, and finally 7 more.How many pancakes did he make in all? ______________

3.A stew recipe called for 5,026 cups of salt, but the cook didnt see the zero.

How much salt did the cook put in the stew? _______________________

What is the value of 5 in that number? _______________________

This table shows how deepPaul dug out the five waterholes

(shown by the name they go by

today). Use the table to complete

questions 47.

4.Which depth has a 2 in the hundreds place? ____________________

5.Which depth has a 5 in the tens place? ____________________

6.Round the depth of each of these lakes to the nearest 100:

Lake Superior __________________ Lake Huron __________________

7.Put all of the lakes in order from shallowest to deepest.

______________________, ______________________, ______________________,

______________________, ______________________

Waterhole Depth

Lake Superior 1,332 feet

Lake Michigan 925 feet

Lake Huron 751 feet

Lake Erie 210 feet

Lake Ontario 802 feet


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Name ________________________________________ Date _____________________________


Paul Bunyan (Continued) 8.The distance between Babes horns was 42 axe handles, or 1,482.6 feet.

Heres how that number looks in a place-value chart:

What is the value of each of these numbers?

4: ____________________________ 2: ____________________________

6: ____________________________ 8: ____________________________9.Paul Bunyan made a giant fry pan to cook pancakes for his lumberjacks.

The pan measured 2,174.35 feet across! Write that number in the

place-value chart below.

What is the value of each of these numbers?

2: ____________________________ 7: ____________________________

5: ____________________________ 3: ____________________________

10.The food servers wore roller skates so they could get the warm meals to

the workers quickly. One day, Paul used his giant watch to see how long

it took to deliver some of the meals.

Here are the times Order the times from

he clocked: longest to shortest:

5.95 minutes ____________________________

5.59 minutes ____________________________

5.92 minutes ____________________________

5.52 minutes ____________________________

5.99 minutes ____________________________

thousands hundreds tens ones . tenths1 4 8 2 . 6

thousands hundreds tens ones . tenths hundredths

.


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Math Concepts:Algebra, Logical reasoning, Addition, Subtraction

Annie Christmas In her day, Annie Christmas was not hard to pick out of a

crowd. Down in the river docks of New Orleans, she stood out

for her size and strength. Annie was six feet seven inches tall,

weighed 250 pounds, and had beautiful dark skin.

She had swagger, too. She walked with confidence and

had a reputation for making short order of any bullies at the

docks. Annie was stronger than most men, and she didnt let

anyone push her around. In fact, Annie had a necklace of beads

that was thirty feet long by the end of her life to prove it.

Each bead stands for a bully I done whipped in a fight,shed boast. Then shed laugh as loud and long as a foghorn.

For a living, Annie owned a keelboat that she hauled

up and down the Mississippi. It was calledBig Rivers

Daughter, which made sense because she felt like a daughter

of that long river that went from the top of the country to

the bottom.

Her keelboat had a flat deck with a cabin resting in the

middle of it. At the start of a trip, Annie would load barrels

of sugar, flour, and cotton onto her boat.Shes the only one among us who can carry three barrels

of goods at the same time, the dockhands would say. Then

theyd nudge each other as Annie walked by with one barrel

in each hand, one on her head, and her beads swinging back

and forth.(Continued)


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Annie Christmas Math Concept:Algebra, Logical Reasoning, Addition, Subtraction

I hear she can pole her keelboat, fully loaded,

up and down the Mississippi River, both with the

current and against it. But can it be true? said one

amazed dockhand. Turns out it was true. Most boat captains just went

with the current, and once they made it to New Orleans,

their boats were used for lumber. Not Annie, though.

Shed turn her keelboat around and use those big strong

arms of hers to pole right back up the river.

After a while, strong as Annie Christmas became a

saying around the river. She was even given a red feather

for her cap that signaled to everyone that she was no one

to mess with. Annie was stronger than anyone, and shewas the champion fighter in those parts.

Annie added to her reputation while she was on

vacation aboard a fancy steamboat named theNatchez

Belle. Her keelboat was being towed behind the steamboat.

One day, the steamboat was headed straight for the

bowels of a dark storm. Annie Christmas confronted the

captain, Aint you gonna turn back? Dont be a fool. This

here storm looks powerful angry.

Were not turning back, and Im in charge. Not you,

growled the captain. And he drove that boat head-on intothe storm.

Things got worse from there. The waves churned, and

the steamboat lurched in all directions. Annie tried again,

Let me handle the wheel. I can still turn us around, she

called out over the winds roar.

But the captain rebuffed her once again, shouting,

No turning back! So Annie pulled up her keelboat and

helped the frightened passengers on board. Then she

untied her boat and started poling it with all her might.After a while, she knotted the towline around her waist,

jumped into the water, and dragged her keelboat full of

passengers to safety.

That was the day Annie Christmas sealed her

reputation as a true hero.


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14

Name ________________________________________ Date _____________________________


1.Annie used three different shapes of beads for her necklace.She strung her beads in this order:

Which shape would she use for each bead below?

7th bead: ________________ 9th bead: ________________

18th bead: ________________ 23rd bead: ________________

2.Annie took the beads off of her necklace to clean them. She followed the

color pattern below to restring them. Fill in the numbers in her pattern:

__1__ red, __2__ blue, __4__ yellow, __4__ red, __5__ blue, __7__ yellow,

____ red, ____ blue, ____ yellow, ____ red, ____ blue, ____ yellow

3.Imagine that Annie added colored beads to her necklace in this order:

3 red beads, 2 blue beads, 1 yellow bead

How many beads of each color would she have if her necklace had 30 beads?

______ red beads ______ blue beads ______yellow beads

Annie painted a number grid

on the deck of her boat to

use when loading barrels.

Use this grid for questions 46.

4.One day, Annie put a barrel of

flour on every multiple of 3.

Circle each of those numberson the grid. Do you see

a pattern?

5.Another time, she put a barrel

of sugar on every multiple of 6.

Draw an X on each of those

numbers. Do you see a pattern?

Annie Christmas

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40

41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50

51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60

6.Once, she put a barrel of cotton on

every 5th square. Color each of those

numbers red. Do you see a pattern?


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15

Name ________________________________________ Date _____________________________


Annie loaded her boat three barrels at a time. She repeated takingtrips in the order below until the job was done:

Trip 1: 2 barrels of flour and 1 barrel of sugar

Trip 2: 1 barrel each of flour, sugar, and cotton

Trip 3: 1 barrel of sugar and 2 barrels of cotton

7.Which barrels did Annie load on the following trips?

4th: ___________________________________________________

6th: ___________________________________________________

11th: __________________________________________________

8.After 10 trips, how many barrels of each would Annie have loaded?

_____ barrels of flour _____ barrels of sugar _____ barrels of cotton

9.One summer, business was really booming for Annie! In June, she

hauled 41 barrels of flour, 25 barrels of sugar, and 33 barrels of cotton.

How many barrels did she haul in all?

________________________________

10.Each month from July through September, Annie hauled 25 more

barrels than the month before. How many barrels did she haul each

month? Use your answer for June from question 9, above.

______________ ______________ ______________ ______________

June July August September

11.In October, Annie hauled the same number of barrels as in June. What is

the difference between the number of barrels she hauled in October and

September? Use the number of barrels from question 10, above.

________________________________

Annie Christmas (Continued)


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(Continued)

Math Concepts:Multiplication, Division

From the time he was a young man in

Pennsylvania, John Chapmans brothers and

sisters knew he wasnt like everyone else.

So they werent surprised the day he

announced, I know just what I need to do.

What now, John? they asked. Their brother

spent most of his time in the woods and apple

orchards behind their house, thinking up ideas no

one else could think up.

Im going to spread apple seeds as far west as folksneed them, he said.

That very day, he set off for the cider mill nearby.

There, he got a huge pile of seeds and dried them in the

sun. Then he packed them into a sack, threw the sack

over his shoulder, and set out.

At first he paddled a canoe west on the Ohio River.

When he came across settlers, hed call out, Hey, there,

friend, Ive got some apple seeds for you. No need to pay.

Im here to spread apples all across the land. Then hed tell them how to plant the seeds and how

to care for the trees. Hed tell them how to store their

apples, and how to can them, and press them into cider,

and bake them into pies. The pioneers, who needed all

the help they could get, welcomed the seeds and Johns

advice. And, when it was time for him to leave, they waved

and smiled as he paddled away.

It wasnt long before John put down his paddle and

took off on his bare feet. He walked everywhere, and his

feet became hard as nails. As he went along, he passed

out his seeds for others to plant. He also stopped in sunny

open land to plant nurseries of his own trees. Someday,

this spot will be a glistening apple orchard, he thought.

Johnny Appleseed


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Johnny Appleseed Math Concepts:Multiplication, Division

As he tramped through Ohio, the forest became

his homehe never slept within four walls. He made

quick friends with the animals. Folks swore he could

communicate with the wild creatures, in their ownlanguage. They swore that he was almost always in the

company of a raccoon, a rabbit, or even a bear.

Wherever he went along the trails, John also made

friends with the Indians. He learned many of their

languages. They understood his mission.

Before long, John became known in Indiana, and

then Illinois. Children and grown-ups started calling him

Johnny Appleseed. It was a perfect name for this strange,

kind man.For forty years, as the seasons changed over and over

again, Johnny Appleseed camped under the stars, slept in

caves, and curled up in tree hollows. He never felt alone

among the trees and the animals.

As word about Johnny Appleseed traveled, stories

built up around him. He found a wounded wolf and

nursed it back to health. It goes with him wherever he

goes, some said. He always had a way with the wild

animals, others said.

Even after he grew old, and no one saw him walkingbarefoot anymore, people swore they could still hear him

calling to the birds and spreading his

seeds. They said his spirit lived on,

just like his apple trees. And every

time they smelled a fresh apple

blossom or dug into an

apple pie, they thought

of Johnny Appleseed.


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18

Name ________________________________________ Date _____________________________


Johnny AppleseedSolve each problem. Show your work.

1.Johnny Appleseed traveled 20 miles a day in his canoe.

How many miles did he travel in each trip below?

3-day trip 5-day trip 9-day trip

______ miles ______ miles ______ miles

2.Before Johnny left, he loaded seeds by the bushel into his canoe.

If a bushel weighs 42 pounds, how much would each load below weigh?

2 bushels 4 bushels 8 bushels

______ pounds ______ pounds ______ pounds

3.Johnny used 36 apples to make 1 gallon of cider. How many apples didhe use to make each amount of cider below?

4 gallons 7 gallons 10 gallons

______ apples ______ apples ______ apples

4.Johnny ate an apple a day for 2 years. How many apples did he eat in

that time? (One year has 365 days.)

________________ apples

5.One year, Johnny gave away 16 bushels of seeds. If a bushel weighs

42 pounds, how many pounds did he give away?

________________ pounds


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19

Name ________________________________________ Date _____________________________


Solve each problem. Show your work.

6.Johnny wanted to plant 72 trees in his nursery. How many rows

would he plant if each row had the following number of trees?

9 trees 6 trees 8 trees

______ rows ______ rows ______ rows

7.An apple has 5 seed pockets. If one seed is in each pocket, how

many apples would Johnny need to get each amount of seeds below?

30 seeds 45 seeds 95 seeds

______ apples ______ apples ______ apples

8.Illinois is about 216 miles wide. How many days would it takeJohnny to cross the state if he traveled each distance below?

8 miles a day 9 miles a day 12 miles a day

______ days ______ days ______ days

9.The distance across Ohio and Indiana together is about 378 miles.

If Johnny walked 9 miles a day, how long would it take him tocross both states?

__________ days

10.It takes about 6 apples to make an apple pie. How many pies could a

pioneer family make with 228 apples?

__________ pies

Johnny Appleseed (Continued)


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20

John Henry

Math Concept:Choosing an operation


(Continued)

The day John Henry was born in West Virginia,

everyone in his community started grinning. He

was the strongest baby that had ever been born

thereabouts. He could lift his own crib, and some

say he was born holding a hammer in his little fist.

From his early days, John Henry often said,

I just try to do the very best I can. Thats all I can do.

Sure enough, he helped his family and his

neighbors as soon as he could walk. Just watching him

live by his beliefs encouraged others to do the same.Well, it turns out, John Henry was born at just the

right time. It was the time when the railroad companies

were laying hundreds of miles of track. But they had a

mighty big problem. The tracks ran right into the Allegheny

Mountains! They needed to build a tunnel through those

mountains so trains could get to the other side.

Once John Henry heard tell of the news, he slung his

sledgehammers over his broad shoulders. Then he waved

goodbye, saying, Im off to do what I was born to do. In no time, he got himself hired to drive steel stakes

into the rock-hard, stubborn Big Bend Mountain. Dynamite

was stuffed into the holes he made, and then lit to blow

the rock away. Stake by stake, a tunnel was built. Before

long, John Henry was known far and wide for the power

of his swing.

He also had a reputation for being a generous man.

When other men were too sick to work, John Henry would

say, I cant let them lose their jobs. Then, hed do his

best to complete his job and theirs. In fact, he had to keep

a bucket of cold water handy to cool down the sizzle of his

14-pound sledgehammer.

No one can match you, John Henry, said his foreman,

the supervisor on the job.


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21

Math Concept:Choosing an operationJohn Henry


But one workday, a salesman came, pulling a steam-

powered drill. John Henry took one look at it, and he could

see the future. Machines would replace men. All he could do

was his very best to keep that day from coming. So, whenthe foreman set up a contest to pit man against machine,

John Henry took on the challenge. With a wide grin on his

face, he fetched two 25-pound sledgehammers.

Bring it on, he said. Bring on the machine.

People gathered from all the neighboring towns and

cities to witness the contest.

Ready. Set. Go! yelled the foreman.

Hour after hour, John Henry drove stakes into the rock,

using both hands at once. Hour after hour, the machinetore through the mountain with its mechanical drill. At the

end of the seventh hour, the crowd heard a sputtering and a

hissing. They also heard a man singing inside the tunnel.

The machine broke down, yelled the foreman. John

Henry, youve won the contest!

John Henry raised his arms in triumph. The crowd

roared, and a wide smile spread over John Henrys face. All

of a sudden, John Henry fell to the ground, a hammer still

clenched in one hand. His strong heart had stopped beating.

I did the very best I could. Thats all I could do, werehis last words.

When John Henrys body was carried back home on a

railroad train, people lined up along the tracks to bid him

goodbye. He was buried next to the cabin where he was

born. John Henry had lived an amazing life, and to this day,

he still inspires folks. Some even say they can sometimes

hear him singing in that tunnel.


23/65

22

Name ________________________________________ Date _____________________________

John Henry


Tunnel Length

Allegheny Mountain Tunnel 6,070 feet

Cascade Tunnel 13,200 feetSand Patch Tunnel 4,475 feet

Snoqualmie Tunnel 12,144 feet

Staple Bend Tunnel 901 feet

Back in the days of railroad travel, tunnels wereoften built to let trains pass through mountains.Use this table to answer questions 16.

1.How much longer is the Allegheny

Mountain Tunnel than the Sand

Patch Tunnel?

______________ feet

2.How much longer is the Cascade Tunnel

than the Snoqualmie Tunnel?

______________ feet

3.What is the combined length of the Staple

Bend Tunnel and the Sand Patch Tunnel?

______________ feet

Is that combined length less than or

greater than the length of the Allegheny

Mountain Tunnel?

___________________________________

4.Which tunnel is about 2 times the length

of the Allegheny Mountain Tunnel?

___________________________________

5.Which tunnel is about 5 times the length

of the Staple Bend Tunnel?

___________________________________

6.The Big Bend Tunnel that John Henry

helped blast was 6,477 feet long. What is

the difference between the length of the

Big Bend Tunnel and the longest tunnel

in the table?

______________ feet

What is the difference between the length

of the Big Bend Tunnel and the shortest

tunnel in the table?

______________ feet


24/65

23

Name ________________________________________ Date _____________________________

John Henry(Continued)


7.John Henry worked long hours as a

steel driver. If he worked 19 hours a day,

how many hours would he work in a

7-day week?

______________ hours

How many hours would he work in

two weeks?______________ hours

8.Each hole that John Henry drilled was

about 6 inches deep. If he drilled 144

inches in one day, how many holes

would he have drilled?

______________ holes

9.It took three years to blast the tunnel

through Big Bend Mountain. If the

men worked 261 days a year, how many

days in all would it have taken them to

complete the tunnel?

______________ days

10.John Henry usually worked with a

14-pound sledgehammer. If each of 32

men used a sledgehammer of the same

weight, what would be the total weight

of their hammers?

______________ pounds

11.In the contest, John Henry used

25-pound sledgehammers. If he had 9

sledgehammers at that same weight,

what would be the total weight of his

hammers?

______________ pounds

12.Because the steam-powered drill often

clogged up, it could only drill 9 feet a

day. How many days would it have taken

the machine to drill 126 feet?

______________ days

It was said that John Henry drilled

14 feet of holes on the day of the contest.

If he drilled this amount every day, how

many days would it have taken him to

drill 126 feet?

______________ days


25/65


(Continued)

Math Concepts:Perimeter, Area, Weight

Stormalong A long time ago, a furious storm hit the

coast of Maine. When it was over, the townsfolk

crept out to the beach where they came upon the

largest baby boy they had ever seen!

Well call this chap Stormy, short for

Stormalong, said the mayor. Then he took out

his tape measure. This baby is sixteen feet long!

Goo, goo, gurgled Stormy.

Well, as you can imagine, Stormy grew as big

as a whale. Before long, he was out frolicking inthe deep water with the sharks and sea lions.

With a hankering for the smell of saltwater in

his nose and wind in his hair, he grew up with the

mind to become a sailor. Along the docks, he found the

largest of the clipper ships, The Great Republic.

Will you hire me, captain? he asked.

You can be cabin boy if you promise not to sink

the ship, answered the captain, looking up at the giant-

sized Stormy. Like he promised, Stormy didnt sink the ship. And

he came in mighty handy, too. Folks still talk about

the night a giant octopus wrapped its body around the

ship. In no time, young Stormy came to the rescue! He

jumped in the water and set to work on that octopus.

When he was done, it had seaworthy knots in its eight

tentacles and was sinking fast to the bottom of the sea.

Everyone loved Stormy, but he grew and grew.

Soon, the ship was taking in water with his every step.

Youve got to go, Stormy, said the captain, or we

wont stay afloat.


26/65


Math Concepts:Perimeter, Area, WeightStormalong

So, Stormy headed back to shore to become a farmer,

but it didnt take long before he missed the sea.

I think it misses me, too, he said to himself. With

that, he trekked back to the coast, where his friendsgreeted him with a warm welcome.

Youve grown even more, said his old captain. Why

your feet look like my rowboats. Your toothpick could be

one of my oars. You need a clipper ship made just for you.

So they built him a ship, The Courser. The rowboat

of The Courserwas nine times the length of The Great

Republic. Its deck was so long the crew had to ride

stallions to get from one end to the other. The mast was

so high it needed to be unhinged as they passed under thesun and moon.

Well, Stormy was quite a chipper chap after that. And

it wasnt until he tried to sail through the English Channel

that he bumped into trouble. His clipper ship was as wide

as the Straits of Dover, the narrowest part of the channel.

But Stormy knew just what to do. Get out the soap,

he shouted to his crew. Scrub down the sides of the boat

til theyre slick and shiny. And thats just what they did.

Ship ahoy! called Stormy.

The Courserslid right through the straits and keptsailing. But the white soap clung to the rocky cliffs and is

there still today. Those cliffs are now known as the White

Cliffs of Dover. And Stormy has been a legend ever since.


27/65

26

Name ________________________________________ Date _____________________________


Stormalong1.As a baby, Stormy slept in a crib that was 18 feet long and 7 feet wide.

Find the following for his crib:

perimeter: ______________________ area: ______________________

2.When he was a child, Stormy played with

30 wooden blocks. Each block measured

1 square foot. Once Stormy lined up his

blocks like the arrangement here.

Find the following:

perimeter: ______________________ area: ______________________

3.Another time, Stormy arranged

his blocks like the ones here.

Find the following:

perimeter: ______________________ area: ______________________

4.Stormy planted a garden

to grow his own food.

Use the table to find the

following for each plant

in Stormys garden:

Perimeter Area

beans __________________________ __________________________

corn __________________________ __________________________

squash __________________________ __________________________

Plant Length Width

beans 54 yards 22 yards

corn 96 yards 27 yards

squash 125 yards 31 yards

Garden Space Used


28/65

27

Name ________________________________________ Date _____________________________


Stormalong (Continued)5.

Stormy weighed 123 pounds when he was found. His weight doubledby age one. How much did he weigh then? _______________________________

6.Stormy weighed ten times more at age 12 than at age one.

How much did he weigh at age 12? ________________________________

Use the table to answer questions 78.

7.How many pounds did Stormy pick in all?

in 1 day: ___________________________

in 1 week: _________________________

8.How many ounces of each food did Stormy

pick in one day? (One pound equals 16 ounces.)

beans: ________________________________

corn: ________________________________

squash: ________________________________

9.Stormy cooked 432 ounces of beans. Write that weight in pounds.

________________________________

10.Stormy had 39 toothpicks. One toothpick weighed 3 pounds.

How much did his toothpicks weigh in all?

in pounds: _________________ in ounces: _________________

11.The crew used 54 bars of soap on Stormys ship. Each bar weighed 19 pounds.

How many pounds of soap did the crew use?

________________________________

Each crew member used 38 pounds of soap. Write that weight in ounces.

________________________________

Food Weight

beans 29 pounds

corn 38 pounds

squash 33 pounds

Amount StormyPicked Each Day


29/65


(Continued)

When Pecos Bill was born, his

pappy packed him into a covered

wagon with his eighteen brothers

and sisters and headed from New

England to East Texas.

They had hardly settled in,

when his pappy said, Too crowded

here. We gotta move on. Then he

packed them up again.

Across the Pecos River theysloshed. On the way, baby Pecos Bill

slipped right into the water and floated

down the rapids til he hit the shore. Thats where a

kindly coyote pulled him out and raised him as one of her

own. Bill romped and howled and hunted with the coyotes.

About twelve years later, one of his brothers came across

him, sleeping under a sage bush.

Well, Ill be danged! Thats you, aint it, Bill?

Who you calling Bill? Pecos Bill asked. Im a coyote. Look in that stream. You aint no coyote. Im your

brother, and you got skin like me. And you, darned tootin,

need some clothes.

When Bill looked in the stream, he had to agree. He

decided to try being human and see how that worked out.

His brother measured him for clothes, and Bill started

wearing them, but he still didnt brush his hair much.

Once, while sitting around a campfire with some

cowpokes, Bill heard about a rough gang of outlaws who

camped in a glen nearby. They sounded like they might

be wild enough for him. He also heard about the herd of

longhorn roaming wild across the whole state of Texas and

on into Oklahoma.

Pecos Bill

Math Concepts:Measurement (standard and metric), Length, Distance


30/65


Pecos Bill Math Concepts:Measurement (standard and metric), Length, Distance

Bill showed up at the outlaws camp riding a panther.

And that black wildcat looked none too happy about it.

On top of that, Bill had the longest rattlesnake theyd

ever seen, draped tame as a pussycat over his shoulders.Im gonna shape you into the best darned ranchers

this country has known, said Pecos Bill. And no one in

the gang dared to disagree.

So he took a rope and looped it into a lasso. Then

he showed his men how to bring down a muscle-bound

longhorn with it. He taught them songs to soothe the

herd, which had grown to the size of a small state. And

with the encouragement of his cowpokes, he harnessed

the Rio Grande River to water his ranch.Now all I need is a horse, said Bill, whose panther

was long gone.

It was love at first sight for Pecos Bill when he saw

the untamable stallion everyone called Lightning. But

Lightning didnt feel the same way, until shed bucked

him across Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and back. No

matter how hard she tried, she couldnt throw Bill off

her back. Finally, Lightning gave in and let Bill tame her.

And she was loyal to Bill for the rest of their lives.

Everything was running like clockwork, until a nastydrought left Texas drier than a horses tongue in the

summertime. Bill left the gang in charge.

I hear a cyclone coming from Oklahoma, he called

back as he rode off. Ill go lasso her and bring us some

rain. Be back when Im back!

When Bill caught the cyclone, he rode it and rode it,

determined to break and tame it like he did Lightning.

The cyclone finally gave up and rained all over Bills

ranch and everyone elses. He was known after that asthe greatest cowboy of all time.

Now all I need is a wife, said Pecos Bill.

And it turned out, he was right. But thats a whole

other tall tale . . .


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30

Name ________________________________________ Date _____________________________


Pecos BillUse the measurements in the box

to help you answer questions 16.

1.Pecos Bills brother used

centimeters to measure

Bill for clothes. Convert

the measurements in the

table to meters.

2.Convert each measurement below to inches (1 inch is about 2.5 centimeters):

arm length: __________________ waist: __________________

3.Pecos Bills lasso was 22 m long. What was its length in centimeters?

__________________________

4.Pecos Bills rattlesnake was 180 inches long. Convert its length to each unit:

__________________ feet __________________ yards

__________________ centimeters __________________ meters

5.An average snake is 2.44 m long. A python is 5.79 m long. Find the difference in

length between each snake and Bills snake (use the length from question 4).

python: ______________________ average snake: ______________________

6.Pecos Bill rode the cyclone a distance of 250 kilometers (km).

How far is that in meters? ____________________

How far did Bill ride the cyclone in miles? (One mile is about 1.6 km.)

____________________

Measurement Centimeters(cm) Meters (m)

Arm length 70 cm

Arm span 195 cm

Waist 115 cm

Leg length 98 cm

Units of Measure 12 inches = 1 foot 100 centimeters = 1 meter

3 feet = 1 yard 1, 000 meters = 1 kilometer


32/65

31

Name ________________________________________ Date _____________________________


Pecos Bill (Continued)

Lightning bucked Pecos Bill

across Texas, New Mexico,

Arizona, and back. Use the

map and map scale to

answer questions 710.

7.About how many miles across is

each state?

Arizona: ___________________________

New Mexico: _______________________

Convert each distance to kilometers.

One mile is about 1.6 kilometers (km).

Arizona: ___________________________

New Mexico: _______________________

8.About how many miles across is the

widest part of Texas?

__________________________________

Convert that distance to kilometers.

__________________________________

9.About how many miles in all did

Lightning buck Pecos Bill?

(Measure the distance between the dots.)

__________________________________

10.Pecos Bill got water from the curvy,

winding Rio Grande. Use your thumb to

estimate the length of the river.

1 thumb-width = about 500 miles

The Rio Grande is about __________

miles long.

Convert that length to kilometers.

__________________________________

AZ NM

CO

TX

RioG

rande

0 100 200 300

Scale of Miles

..


33/65


(Continued)

Sal Fink was feistier than a ferret from a

very young age. But she did have feisty, tough

parents, after all. Her father was Mike Fink,

the famous flatboat captain who ruled

the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. When he

carried pioneers and goods north, west, and

south, Sal was often right alongside him,

poling the boat and keeping his pace.

Once, when Mike and Sal were

away, Sals mother caught a thiefwho had broken into their cabin.

With all the spunk she could

muster, she tied that thief up tight,

knocked some sense into him, and

scared the wits out of him.

Youll never see hide nor hair of me again, he said

when Mike Fink came home and set him free.

Now, Sal was short in height, but plenty sturdy.

And she was pretty in her own way, with long dark hair.There was one thing about Sal that made her stand out.

She had a holler on her that could be heard from one side

of Illinois to the other. Everyone knew when she was

happy or getting ready to fight. Hi-i-i-i yi-i-i-i yippee-ee

yo-o-o-o-owl! shed cry.

When Sal wasnt poling down the river with her

father, she spent her days roaming around the woods

and riverbanks. One day, she came upon a cave. The loud

grunts and snores and snivels coming from inside the

mouth of that cave got Sals curiosity up.

I gotta see whats inside there, she said to herself.

It must be a mighty interesting critter.

Sal Fink

Math Concept:Money word problems


34/65


Sal Fink Math Concept:Money word problems

Inside the dark cave, a mama bear awoke along

with her five furry cubs. That mama bear leaped up and

bounded toward Sal Fink, claws bared and teeth shining.

Hi-i-i-i yi-i-i-i yippee-ee yo-o-o-o-owl! Sal holleredat the top of her lungs.

Well, that mama bear and her five cubs stopped in

their tracks. But not for long! Sal made a dash for the

cave door, but that mama bear grabbed her in a bear

hug. The two of them started to wrestle, tumbling and

kicking and biting. The mama bear was tough, but Sal

was giving it right back. Those two were really going at

it, out the cave door, around some trees, and over piles

of rocks. By the time theyd tumbled all the way downa steep hill, that mama bear was plum worn out and

barely breathing. But her claws were so tangled in Sals

hair, she couldnt get away. Sal ended up putting that

bear out of its misery.

And the cubs? Why, they followed Sal around like

she was their mother, from that day forward.

When Sal was a bit more grown up, they say she

was kidnapped by a band of river pirates who had no

idea who they were dealing with. All tied up with ropes,

Sal waited until they fell asleep with their feet pointedtoward the embers of their camp fire. Then she burst

from her ropes and tied all their feet together. When Sal

pulled on the rope, their feet skidded toward the fire,

and those pirates woke up right quick.

As they scrambled to free themselves, the last

sound they heard from feisty, little Sal Fink was

Hi-i-i-i yi-i-i-i yippee-ee yo-o-o-o-owl!


35/65

34

Name ________________________________________ Date _____________________________


1.Sal wanted to sell a fringed jacket for

$4.12 and a plain jacket for $2.95. Howmuch more would a customer pay for the

fringed jacket?

___________________________________

2.When Sal bought her cook-stove new, it

cost $25.00. She put a price tag of $18.55

on it. What is the difference between the

price she paid and her asking price?

___________________________________

3.Sal used her horse to model the saddle

she wanted to sell. Altogether, her horse

and saddle were worth $195.78. She

priced the saddle at $30.96. How much

was her horse worth?

___________________________________

A customer offered to pay Sal $175.00 for

her horse. She said, No, my horse aint

for sale. If Sal had sold the horse, how

much more than its worth would she

have gotten?

___________________________________

4.Sal put several pairs of sturdy black

boots up for sale. She priced them at$3.89 per pair. How much would two

pairs of boots cost?

___________________________________

If a customer paid $10 for the two pairs

of boots, how much change would Sal

give back?

___________________________________

5.Sal priced four souvenir portraits of her

famous father, Mike Fink, at $8.76 for the

set. How much would one portrait cost?

___________________________________

A customer wanted to buy as many

pictures as he could for $5.00. How many

pictures could he buy?

___________________________________

How much change would he get back?

___________________________________

Sal FinkOne day, Sal decided to have a dockside sale.Thats like a yard sale, only she set up her

goods by the dock. Answer the following

questions about Sals sale.

Docksidesale today!


36/65

35

Name ________________________________________ Date _____________________________


Sal Fink (Continued)

6.Sal found a bolt of velvet that she had

never used. She put the velvet in her

dockside sale and priced it at $5.39 a

yard. At that price, how much would

12 yards of velvet cost?

__________________________________

7.Sal also found some cotton fabric tosell. She asked $0.07 per yard for the

cotton. At that price, how much would

35 yards cost?

__________________________________

8.Sal had a pair of fancy spurs that she

priced at $10.66. A customer came by

and wanted to buy only one of the spurs.

How much would one spur cost?

__________________________________

9.Someone bought two of Sals thick

leather belts for $11.50. Sal had put the

same price on each belt. How much did

one belt cost?

__________________________________

How much would a customer pay for

three belts?

__________________________________

10.Sal made a pearl necklace to put in her

sale. She priced the necklace at $5.30.

She also put some loose pearls out to sell

for $0.52 each. Would it cost a customer

less to buy the necklace or to buy 8 loose

pearls? Explain.

__________________________________

__________________________________

__________________________________

11.Before the sale, Sals cubs brought some

honey to her. She put the honey in jars

to sell. Then she made a sign that said,

5 jars for $2.75. At that price, how

much would one jar cost?

__________________________________

After a while, Sal offered a deal on her

honey. She changed her sign to 6 jars

for $3.00. Explain why this was a

better deal.

__________________________________

__________________________________

__________________________________


37/65


(Continued)

Math Concept:Geometry

From his first day on this earth,

Davy Crockett didnt shy away

from boasting about himself and

telling stories. Thats for sure. When he

bragged that he was part animal, folks

nodded their heads in agreement. Davy

could run like a cheetah, swim like a dolphin,

and fight like a grizzly.

On top of that, he boasted, I can catch lightning bolts

and slide down rainbows. And, watch out! Im always fixingfor a fight and stalking danger.

Once, Davy was in the woods without his weapons

or traps. All of a sudden, he came upon a creature that

smelled as if it would make a fine supper. Davy couldnt tell

for sure because the night was as dark as a coal-bin.

I dare you to tussle with me, whoever you are, Davy

cried out. Youll be sorry, and I wont be hungry anymore!

When the moonlight suddenly lit up the creatures

jowls, even Davy had to back up a few steps. In front of himstood a panther, ten times his size, with yellow eyes and

shiny fangs.

Well, hello there, Mr. Panther. Im sure youll be kind

enough to accept my apology, Davy said.

But that big old panther was not thinking along those

lines. He was dreaming of Davy inside his stomach. So the

two of them growled back and forth at each other. Then

they set to wrestling.

Just when it looked like Davy was about to be panther-

meat, he kicked that panther under the jaw and sent him

slamming into a tree. Then Davy slung the panther over

his shoulder and headed home.

Mercy, the panther murmured.

Davy Crockett


38/65


Math Concept:GeometryDavy Crockett

Oh, Ill show you mercy, Davy said. I wont

put an end to you. But youve got to follow orders

from now on.

The panther agreed, and from that day on,they were best buddies.

Now, Davy certainly kept up his reputation

from one end of Tennessee to the other. They say

he actually defrosted the sun one morning

when it got frozen in place.

He poured hot bear oil

on the sun to wake it

up and saved the day.

Even after all his

exploits, Davy decidedhe needed more challenges. First, he married

a gal named Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind,

who was known for being the sweetest, prettiest,

sassiest, toughest gal in the West. They met when

Sally Ann helped get Davy out of a predicament of

his own making.

Second, Davy ran for Congress. People need a

congressman who can out-boast, outrun, and outwit

everyone in Washington, he said. Wouldnt youknow, he won the election and went on to represent

his people in a proud and mighty way.

Along about nine years later, Davy volunteered

down in Texas to help that state win its independence

from Mexico. In a battle at the Alamo, a Texas

mission, he and a group of brave men held out as

long as they could. But after a courageous fight,

Davy Crocketts life came to an end.

When folks recount the tall tales of Tennessee,

they remember Davy Crockett, the folk legend. When

folks say, Remember the Alamo, they honor Davy

Crockett, the real-life hero.


39/65

38

Name ________________________________________ Date _____________________________


1.Davy often used box traps to catch small

animals. He liked to build traps that hadperfectly square sides. Cut out the pattern

onpage 40 and make the shape. What is

the name of the solid you made?

___________________________________

Name three things that have this

same shape:

___________________________________

___________________________________

___________________________________

2.Davy had to chop logs for firewood and to

build his house and furniture. Cut out the

pattern onpage 41 and make the shape.

What is the name of the solid you made?

___________________________________


same shape:

___________________________________

___________________________________

___________________________________

3.For his bed, Davy built a wooden box that

had a top, bottom, and sides. Then he puta straw mattress on the bed. Cut out the



___________________________________


same shape:

___________________________________

___________________________________

___________________________________

4.When Davy built his log cabin, he topped

it with a sturdy, pitched roof. Cut out the



___________________________________


same shape:

___________________________________

___________________________________

___________________________________

Davy CrockettImagine you lived during Davy Crocketts day. Peopleback then had to trap their own food, build their own

houses, and chop their own logs for firewood and cooking.

Use the patterns on pages 4043 to help you answer

questions 14.


40/65

39

Name ________________________________________ Date _____________________________


Davy Crockett (Continued)

Use the patterns on pages 4043

and this diagram to help you

answer questions 512.

5.A cube has:

___________ faces

___________ edges

___________ vertices

6.What shape are the faces of your cube?

_____________________________

7.A rectangular prism has:

___________ faces

___________ edges


8.What shapes are the faces of your

rectangular prism?

_______________________________

_______________________________

9.What kind of angles are in a cube and

rectangular prism?

______________________________

10.A triangular prism has:

___________ faces

___________ edges


11.What shapes are the faces of

your triangular prism?

_______________________________

_______________________________

12.What shape is the base of a cylinder?

______________________________

What polygon makes up the tube part

of your cylinder?______________________________

vertice

face

edge


41/65

40

Name ________________________________________ Date _____________________________


Pattern for Davy Crockett1.Cut out the pattern.

2.Fold along the solid lines.

3.Glue (or tape) the shape

together.

glue

glue

glue

glue

glue

glue

glue


42/65

41

Name ________________________________________ Date _____________________________


1.Cut out the pattern.

2.Fold along the solid

lines.

3.Glue (or tape) the

shape together.

Pattern for Davy Crockett

glue

glue

glue

glue glue

glue

glue


43/65

42

Name ________________________________________ Date _____________________________


Pattern for Davy Crockett1.

Cut out the pattern.



together.

glue

glue glue

glueglue


44/65

43

Name ________________________________________ Date _____________________________


1.Cut out the pattern.



together.

Pattern for Davy Crockett

glue

glue

glue

glue

glue


45/65


(Continued)

Math Concept:Algebra

When Sally Ann Thunder Ann

Whirlwind came into this world,

she already had a passel of brothers

and sisters. And they just chuckled

when Baby Sally Ann announced,

Put me up against any creature

with skin or fur, and Ill beat em. Well, Sally Ann learned to walk at two months

old. Not long after that, she challenged her brothers

and sisters to a swimming race. Ill beat yall down

the river, she shouted. You just watch.

Isnt she cute? they said.

But sure as sugar, she outswam every one of them by

a mile. After that, they bragged up and down Tennessee

about their rough n tough, but sweet sister. They

lovingly called Sally Ann the toughest gal in the West.

By the age of ten, she was making a name for herself

as someone who could wrestle alligators, ride panthers

bareback, and sweet talk hornets into letting her wear

their nest as a bonnet.

But one person who hadnt heard of Sally Ann

was Davy Crockett. The day they met, Davy had fallen

asleep with his head in the crook of a large tree. When

he woke, he discovered his head was stuck, so he started

hollering. Sally Ann was passing by and stopped to help.

She gathered six large rattlesnakes, then tied themtogether, hissing and rattling, to make a long rope.

What do you intend to do, honey? Davy asked, his

eyes wide.

Sally Ann Thunder Ann

Whirlwind


46/65


Math Concept:AlgebraSally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind

Just you wait and see, mister. But dont you call me

honey ever again, or Ill let you rot in that tree, Sally Ann

said in her sassy way.

Well, Im not mister, came the reply. Im DavyCrockett, King of the Wild Frontier.

Well, nice to meet ya. My names Sally Ann, she said,

as she wrapped her snake rope around one limb of the tree

and pulled powerful hard. Pop! Out came Davys head.

And at that moment, Davy knew he had found the girl

he wanted to marry.

From that day on, Davy pursued Sally Ann until she finally

agreed to be his wife. As it turned out, she loved him, too.

Davy loved to brag about his wife to anyone whod listen.In fact, his boasting irritated the heck out of Mike Fink, the

famous flatboat captain. So one day, Mike Fink aimed to

scare the living daylights out of Sally Ann. He dressed in the

skin of a gigantic alligator and laid in wait for her. When she

finally came along, Sally Ann took one look, whipped out her

toothpick, and flicked off the head of that alligator skin right

along with Mikes hair! Davy laughed for three days when he

heard what happened.

Some time later, when Sally Ann and Davy had started

a family, Davy went off to Washington, D.C., to become acongressman. Sally Ann stayed back home and took care of

their baby. She loved the backwoods too much to leave it

for the city.

One night while Davy was gone, the house was

surrounded bywhat elsealligators! Those critters

intended to make a meal of the occupants. But Sally Ann

would have none of that. She marched right out and flung

those alligators into the woods, one by one, each farther than

the one before. When the story made its way to Davy in Washington, he

swelled with pride over his wifes smarts and courage. And

from coast to coast, everyone said, Sally Ann Thunder Ann

Whirlwind, you truly are the toughest gal in the West!


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Name ________________________________________ Date _____________________________



Whirlwind1.Sally Ann baked wedding cupcakes.

She needed 4 eggs for each batch

of cupcakes. Complete the table to

show how many eggs she needed

to make each number of batches.

2.Sally Ann flung alligators away

from her house. On each fling,

she threw 3 more alligators than

the time before. Complete thetable to show how many alligators

she flung each time.

3.Each time Sally Ann arm-wrestled in a contest, it took her

5 seconds less to win than the time before. She beat her firstopponent in 32 seconds. How many seconds did it take her

to beat each of the following opponents?

__________________ __________________ __________________

2nd 3rd 4th

__________________ __________________ __________________

5th 6th 7th

Batches Eggs

1 4

2 8

3

45

6

Fling Alligators

1 2

2 5

3

4

5

6


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Name ________________________________________ Date _____________________________



Whirlwind (Continued)4.When Sally Ann finished with her snake rope,

she let the snakes go one at a time. Each snake

was 6 feet long. Complete the table to show

the length of her rope each time she released

a snake.

5.When Sally Ann wore her hornet-nest bonnet,

more and more hornets joined the nest each

day. She noticed that they joined in a pattern

that followed this rule:

10x + 2, where x is the day

On the first day, 12 hornets flew to her bonnet:

10 1 + 2 = 12 hornets

Complete the table to show how many hornets

joined in on Days 3, 4, 5, and 6.

6.When Sally Ann was one year old, she could

lift 25 pounds. Each year, she was able to

lift more weight than the year before. The

amount she could lift followed a patternbased on this rule:

25y + 5, where y is the year

Complete the table to show how many pounds

Sally Ann could lift when she was 3, 4, 5,

and 6 years old.

Number of Snakes Length of Rope

6 36 feet

5 30 feet

4

3

2

1

Day Hornets

1 12

2 22

3

4

5

6

Year Pounds

1 25

2 55

3

4

5

6


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(Continued)

Now Old Sally Cato was as old as the

mountains, but she was as smart as a hawk.

She was sturdy, too. She had tended her peach

orchards for ninety odd years all by herself.

But these days, her legs wobbled like a newborn foals.

Shed gotten to the point where she needed her grandsons,

Georgy and Tim, to help her pick the peaches.

You lazy boys, she croaked. Get out of bed right

quick! My one hundred and two peaches are as ripe as

they should get. Georgy and Tim jumped up and hustledon down to the orchard, as Old Sally Cato shook her cane

at them.

Dont eat even one of them peaches, you hear, or

youll rouse that giant, Billy Bully. Hell smell the aroma

and eat up my orchard. And hell eat you, too!

Well, Georgy and Tim started picking the peaches and

laying them in rows of ten. But those peaches looked so

delicious, Tim said, Granny wont miss a peach or two.

We can eat up two of em real fast. And thats just what they did. But no sooner had

they finished the last bite, the earth began to move like

an earthquake. The boys looked up and saw Billy Bully

towering over them. His face was as rough as the moons

surface, and his hands were like saucepans.

Want a peach? asked Tim, trembling with fear.

Billy Bully just stared and snorted. So, the boys tossed

him peach after peach, and he swallowed each in one gulp.

More, roared Billy Bully.

Youve eaten all one hundred, said Georgy.

Well, then, Ill have to eat you!

Georgy and Tim took off like scared cats toward

Grannys house.

Old Sally Cato

Math Concepts:Fractions, Decimals


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Old Sally Cato

Whats the fuss? asked Old Sally Cato, looking

up from her knitting.

Billy Bully done ate all one hundred peaches,

said Georgy. One hundred peaches? Well you two foolish

boys must have ate two of em yourselves.

Old Sally Cato set down her yarn. The she

picked up her largest knitting needle and a long

chicken feather. With all your antics, how can

anyone get anything done around here? she

grumbled at the boys.

Just then Billy Bully appeared. He leaned down,

meaning to gobble up Old Sally Cato. But beforehe knew what was happening, she marched herself

straight into that giants mouth. Then she took her

feather and dusted all around his insides, stirring up

enough dust to make him cough and sneeze.

Next, she poked him with her knitting needle

til he howled like a coyote. She kept on dusting and

poking until Billy Bully spat her up, along with all

one hundred peaches. Then he hightailed it home.

Georgy, Tim, said Old Sally Cato, Go wash

all them peaches. Then she picked up herknitting. Now where was I? she said as

she settled back into her rocker.

Math Concepts:Fractions, Decimals


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Name ________________________________________ Date _____________________________


Old Sally Cato

1.In an early burst of energy, Georgy

and Tim picked 10 peaches. Color thatmany peaches.

What fraction of the peaches did the

boys pick? __________

How many more peaches do they need

to pick? __________

2.The boys heard Old Sally Cato holler,

Get to work! So, they picked 15 more

peaches. Color that many more peaches.

Now what fraction of the peaches has

the boys picked? __________

What fraction has not been picked yet?

__________

3.Old Sally Cato yelled, By noon, youd

better have half of them picked. The boysgot to work, but very slowly. Color the

peaches until youve colored half of them.

How many peaches are left for the boys

to pick? ____________________________

4.After an hour passed, the boys still had

20 peaches to pick. Color in the peaches

that they have already picked.

What fraction of the peaches has been

picked? __________

Show that fraction in its lowest terms:

__________

Old Sally Cato had 100 peaches

left after her lazy grandsons ate

two of her 102 peaches. This

grid shows the 100 peaches she

still had. Use the grid to answer

questions 14.


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Name ________________________________________ Date _____________________________


Old Sally Cato (Continued)

5.Write the decimal for each fraction of

peaches that the boys picked:

1/10: ______________1/4: ______________3/4: ______________1/2: ______________8/10: ______________4/5: ______________

6.When Billy Bully showed up, Georgy and

Tim had picked all 100 peaches. Billy ate1/5of their peaches in one minute.How many peaches did he eat?

______________________________

Write the decimal for the fraction of

peaches that Billy ate: __________

7.After Billy Bully gobbled the 100 peaches

andOld Sally Cato, he spat them all out.

Luckily, only 15 peaches were bruised.

Write a decimal to represent each ofthe following:

bruised peaches: __________

unbruised peaches: __________

8.Old Sally Cato put gave Georgy 1/5of thepeaches to wash. She told Tim to wash2/5of the peaches. What fraction of thepeaches did the boys wash in all?

______________________________

9.Old Sally Cato used 11/4cups of peachesto make a pie. She sprinkled another1/4cup of peaches on top of the pie. Howmany cups of peaches did she use in all?

______________________________

Show that number in its lowest terms:

______________________________

10.One day, Old Sally Cato squeezed2/3cup of juice from some peaches.The next day, she squeezed another2/3cup of juice. How much juicedid she squeeze in all?

______________________________

Show that fraction as a mixed number:

__________


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(Continued)

Math Concept:Data analysis (finding and using averages)

Mose Humphreys was a printer

by trade. But when the fire-alarm bell

sounded around New York City, he

dropped everything and ran.

Fire. Turn out! were the shouts

heard on the streets.

With those words spurring him on,

Mose ran like the wind all the way to the

part of town called the Bowery. There, he

joined the other volunteer firefighters athis station house.

Mose is here. Well beat that fire now!

his buddies cheered.

Mose and his fellow volunteers suited up in their

red shirts and colorful suspenders. Mose threw on his

shiny firefighter hat. Then those men pulled their water

pump on a wagon through the streets of New York.

Everything was easier with Mose because he was at least

eight feet tall with hands as big as a Virginia ham.Through the city streets the firefighters flew,

cheered on by the gathered crowds. People were used to

seeing these heroes because so many of the buildings in

those days were made of wood, and the gas street lamps

would often set them on fire.

As quickly as they could, the firefighters connected

the pump to a hydrant, and more than a dozen men

would twirl the large handles. Of course, Mose could

man one handle all by himself.

As soon as the pump was primed, Mose wrapped

yards and yards of hose around his arm. Then he started

to climb the wooden ladder to the upper floors of the

burning building.

Mose Humphreys


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Math Concept:Data analysis (finding and using averages)Mose Humphreys

Children inside! he heard someone yell. At that,

Mose raced up the ladder eight rungs at a time.

Then he slipped into that burning building, as if he

were made of steel, and found those children and anyoneelse left inside. It seemed as if the flames couldnt touch

him. Down the ladder he climbed as quick as he went up,

with people slung over his shoulder or clinging to his back.

When Mose wasnt fighting fires, he was eating for

free at restaurants around the city. The owners would

bring out the best oysters and beef for him to feast on.

Mind you, firefighters in those days didnt get a cent of

pay. The reward was in their hearts, and the city paid the

men by taking care of them.

After all those days of fighting fires, a day came

that shocked Mose like no other. He set out like every

other time to answer the fire-alarm bell. But by the time

he arrived, there was a steam-driven pump shooting

water through the air. He and his fellow volunteers had

never seen anything like it. After that, the city no longer

needed thousands of volunteers. So Mose retired, but his

reputation lived on.

Why, one time, he rescued a baby and carried it to

safety tucked inside his firefighter hat, claimed somefolks.

I heard he picked up a trolley car that got in the way

of the pump wagonwith his bare hands! boasted others.

To this very day, youll still hear folks in the

restaurants, houses, and apartment buildings

all over the city

talking about

Mose Humphreys

heroic deeds.


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Name ________________________________________ Date _____________________________


1.Some of Moses teenage neighbors were in training

to be volunteer firefighters. These were the ages of

those soon-to-be firefighters:

13, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 17

What was the average age of the teenage trainees?

_____________________

2.These days, volunteer firefighters are 18 to 80 years old.Here are some sample ages from one station:

19, 22, 24, 33, 34, 36, 47, 73

What is the average age of firefighters for that station?

_____________________

Find the age difference between the average firefighter and the following:

youngest firefighter: _____________________

oldest firefighter: _____________________

3.Back when Mose was a volunteer, the ages of the firefighters

in his station went from 14 years to 50 years. Here are

some sample ages from Moses station:

14, 15, 17, 18, 20, 23, 32, 45, 50

What was the average age of firefighters in Moses station?

__________________

Find the age difference between the average firefighter and the following:

oldest firefighter: _____________________

youngest firefighter: _____________________

Mose Humphreys


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Name ________________________________________ Date _____________________________

12 tall tale maths

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