China is the third largest country in the world land-wise, and the biggest country in Asia, next to Russia and Canada. Enormous, far-off, and fascinating China plus numbers equals fun while practicing higher numbers and basic addition and subtraction.
See the gigantic figures below that are not only fascinating, but great for:
- reading fluency practice
- ordering and classifying
- place value identification
- comparisons
- basic addition and subtraction
Fun Numerical China Facts
Chinese figures from the Discovery Channel
- China's population is 1,299.88 million.
- China's male population is 669.76 million
- China's female pop is 630.12 million
- Three Gorges Dam will be the largest dam in the world when it is due to be completed in 2009. The dam will be more than 2km long and almost 200m high, and will feature a reservoir with a capacity of more than 31 billion cubic metres of water according to the
The Population of Chinese Cities
- Chongqing 31.69 million
- Shanghai 13.6 million
- Beijing 11.84 million
Chinese Geography & Manmade Landmarks
According to Social Studies for Kids:
- the Yangtze River is the world's third-longest river at 3,964 miles
- the highest mountain is Mount Everest in the Himalayas at 8,850 m tall
- the biggest lake is Hebei Baiyangdian in north China
- The Great Wall of China is 6,350 km long
- The Forbidden City is an estimated 602 years old
Reading Fluency
Reading fluency of higher numbers needs to be explicitly taught and practiced to primary grades children. Show them how many digits are in one million, one hundred thousand, ten thousand, a thousand, one hundred, and then ninety and below. Read the China facts out loud with a visual aid on a classroom board, big screen, poster, or a flashcard. Have students practice reading the numbers out loud a few times.
Ordering and Classifying
Kids love to order, classify, and organize information. Create charts and tables that the China facts can be put into:
- Highest to lowest number table
- Lowest to highest number table
- Empty Fact Table with the fact descriptors: students need to write the correct number in the space corresponding with its descriptor
Practicing Basic Addition and Subtraction
The context and the information of the China facts lends interest to adding and subtracting columns of high numbers. There are so many ways to add and subtract the China facts which provides ample practice and repetition.
Social Studies
After kids have learned, practiced, and played with the amazing China facts, they'll know them cold. A social studies quiz, mini-research project, or a more creative assessment of what they know will take their knowledge even further.
The 2008 Beijing Olympics provide invaluable interdisciplinary learning opportunities. Practicing math literacy, basic calculations, and comparisons while learning about fascinating China makes it fun for all.
Catherine Fortin - Teaching Experience I'm a career Spanish, ESL, and English teacher now teaching homeschool groups, groups, and individuals. I spend my ...
