How Long Is a Crocodile?

Ms. Lopez drew a giant crocodile on the playground with green chalk. It had a long snout, lots of teeth and a very long tail.

"How long is a real crocodile?" she asked. "Let's measure this one and find out."

"How?" asked Ade. "We don't have a tape measure that big."

"We have feet," said Ms. Lopez. "Walk heel to toe, from the nose to the tip of the tail, and count your steps."

Ade walked heel to toe. "Twenty-four feet long!" he said.

Ling walked heel to toe. "Twenty-seven feet long!" she said.

Then Ms. Lopez walked heel to toe. "Fifteen feet long," she said.

Everyone stared. "But it is the same crocodile," said Ling. "How can it be three different lengths?"

Ade looked down at his shoes. Then he looked at Ms. Lopez's shoes. "Your feet are bigger than ours!" he said. "Big feet take fewer steps."

"Exactly," said Ms. Lopez. "That is why people invented rulers and tape measures. Everyone's ruler is the same size, so everyone gets the same answer."

The next day, the class measured the chalk crocodile with a long tape measure. It was four meters long, from snout to tail.

"Some real crocodiles grow even longer than that," said Ms. Lopez. Ade looked at the chalk teeth. "I am glad this one is chalk," he said.

⭐ The End ⭐