... so... much... rice...
![Picture](/uploads/1/9/3/7/19378707/733435757.jpg)
The king's chessboard is a familiar story by David Birch in which there is a kind king who wishes to reward a wise man who has done him a favor. Although the wise man wants nothing from the king, the king insists on giving the him some kind of reward, and pushes him to come up with something that he would like from the king. Wishing only to make the king happy, the wise man does as he is told, and makes a request. He wishes for a grain of rice each for every square on his chess board, with the amount to be doubled each day. The king agrees, even though he doesn't know for sure how many grains of rice he will end up giving to the man. Soon after the agreement is put into action, the king realizes that with the rice doubling every day, he soon wouldn't have any rice left! He is left with no choice but to ask for the wise man to forgive him of his debt, which the man does gladly. The king kept a chessboard in his palace for many years after to remind himself of the lesson he learned.
An interesting class activity would be to have a chessboard displayed in the room, making a math project out of every square. (Every day, move on to the next square, starting with 1, then 1 x 2 = 2, then 2 x 2 = 4, and so on.) This would be fun for the children, as they would get the chance to see the huge numbers that can amount from doubling numbers a few times!
An interesting class activity would be to have a chessboard displayed in the room, making a math project out of every square. (Every day, move on to the next square, starting with 1, then 1 x 2 = 2, then 2 x 2 = 4, and so on.) This would be fun for the children, as they would get the chance to see the huge numbers that can amount from doubling numbers a few times!
*Grade Level Equivalent: 2
*Interest Level: Grades k-3
Awards for this book include: the National Science Teachers Association Outstanding Science Trade Book and the Notable Social Studies Trade Book For Young People
Birch, D., & Grebu, D. (1988). The king's chessboard. New York, NY: Dial Books for Young Readers.
ISBN: 9780140548808
* Information found on scholastic.com
*Interest Level: Grades k-3
Awards for this book include: the National Science Teachers Association Outstanding Science Trade Book and the Notable Social Studies Trade Book For Young People
Birch, D., & Grebu, D. (1988). The king's chessboard. New York, NY: Dial Books for Young Readers.
ISBN: 9780140548808
* Information found on scholastic.com