Monday, February 25, 2013

To Infinity!

Each day I have been focusing on a specific word, looking for examples of it in my experiences, considering how I use it, and seeking to define it/explain it for myself. For someone who long ago was given the Outstanding English Student Award at my high school, the process has been more difficult than I anticipated.

A question for you, dear reader:
How would you define and explain infinity?

Author Kate Hosford asked many students that question - and continues to do so - in connection with her latest picture book Infinity and Me. The main character, Uma, thinks about infinity as she sits under the many stars in the sky..."A million? A billion? Maybe the number was as big as infinity." Her classmates consider it, too, as things like the biggest number, as an ongoing racetrack, as one's family tree. Uma wonders what she would like to do forever and what it would be like to remain a certain age forever. All this time, no one noticed her new red shoes. Just when the girl's head hurts too much to think about it anymore, Uma discovers one thing that helps her define infinity.

Infinity might be one of my future daily words. Until then, I have been thinking of things that might illustrate it...

the number line, stretching in both positive and negative directions, those arrow heads at each end

the tunnels of ants I know are underneath our grass and pavement

the number of ideas for inventions and ways to make things work

Visit the author's website for teaching ideas and more information: http://khosford.com/.

8 comments:

  1. It's hard for me not to think of infinity in the abstract... Life lessons I have yet to learn & revisions to my teaching process that I know are ahead of me are two ideas that come to mind. Wouldn't "Things That Are Infinite" make an interesting list poem?

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    1. I love that poetry idea! Can we try it with your class when we get the book?

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  2. ah infinity...i could think about it forever.

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  3. I'm afraid it's too vast for me to define at the moment! But I still remember the 1st time I was introduced to the concept...a mystery then, a mystery now...I'm curious if you created the image in the snow...A Snow Infinity verses A Snow Angel?

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    1. Just my fingertip's indentation of the infinity symbol in the snowbank!

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  4. The only way I can imagine infinity is thinking of stars in space, going on & on . . . more galaxies, more stars, more space, more than my brain can comprehend. A little overwhelming! Luckily I have my friend, the Outstanding English Student, with whom to talk about such things. :)

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