3
Heel to toe
Joyful Mathematics: Chapter 7
GoalMeasure longer lengths by walking heel to toe and count foot lengths.
New words
foot length · one foot placed in front of the otherheel to toe · the heel touches the toes of the other footcount · say the number as you go
Explanation
To measure a long length, use your feet. Put one foot in front of the other, heel to toe. Count each foot. This is a foot length. A classroom mat can be 9 foot lengths long. Always start at the same line and keep your feet close.
Worked examples
The path to the gate is 7 foot lengths long.
Fatima has small feet. Arjun has bigger feet. They walk the same path. Fatima counts more foot lengths.
A path of 3 foot lengths is shorter than a path of 5 foot lengths.
Class activity
Long walk. Walk heel to toe along a veranda, a corridor or a long rug and count. Ask a friend or a grown-up to do the same. Who gets the bigger number? Then measure with your handspan and compare.
Practice
1
Lakshmi walks heel to toe along the garden path. Count her foot lengths. How long is the path?
8 foot lengths.
2
Which is better for a long path: fingers or foot lengths?
Foot lengths.
3
Tenzin walks along a mat and counts 4 foot lengths. Then he walks along a longer mat. Will he count more or fewer?
More.
4
How many foot lengths?
6.
5
Do you start measuring at the end of the thing or in the middle?
At the end.