Big John & Little Henry (Math in a Cultural Context: Lessons Learned from Yup'ik Eskimo Elders)

Big John and Little Henry are best friends and classmates in Anchorage, Alaska. One day, when they witness an Elder making a kayak by traditional methods using body measurements, Big John decides to surprise his friend by making him a kayak of his own. The only thing is, Little Henry has the exact same idea! But their plans go haywire when they both forget one key detail...

In a fun and engaging way, Big John and Little Henry describes a unique measurement system used by Yup’ik Elders. The Yup’ik system takes into account the person, the object being made and the object’s use. As the boys in the story build their kayaks, students learn about body measures and proportional thinking. This story is part of the Math in a Cultural Context series and can be used in the Picking Berries module for grades two and three.