Estimating

Tourists come to New York to see attractions such as the Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, and Times Square.  However, there is much more to our state than the bustling city.  You will notice as you travel north and east of the five boroughs that there are scenic sights of mountains, rivers, and farms.  Many of these farms are actually apple orchards. Apples are a staple of New York and they come in many different varieties, such as Honeycrisp and Red Delicious.  It is a tradition for many New Yorkers to go apple picking in the fall.  In addition to picking apples, the whole family can enjoy autumn festivities like hayrides, corn mazes, and buying fresh produce from the outdoor markets.  Usually each market sells their own homemade pies. Check out the pie below from Soons Orchards Farm.

About how much money to the nearest dollar does Soons Orchards Farm make this week if they sold 305 pies?

When you see the word “about” in a question, you need to estimate. The question is NOT asking for the exact answer, but a good guess of how much it will cost.

First you need to decide which place value you are estimating to.  Since the question says to estimate to the nearest dollar, we will focus on the 4 in the ones place. Next, we need to look to the number to the right.  If it is between 0 and 4, the 4 will not change.  However, if it is between 5 and 9, we will round the 4 up one place value to 5. The nine in the tenths place is telling us to round up to 5. Once you round both of your factors, you can multiply them together to find your estimate.

Key Vocabulary

1. Attraction (noun) - an interesting thing or place that many people enjoy going to

2. Bustling (verb) - busy with a lot of energy and sometimes noise

3. Borough (noun) - a part of a town or city

4. Scenic (adj.) - pleasing or attractive

5. Orchard (noun) - a piece of land planted with fruit trees

6. Staple (noun) - important part of something

7. Tradition (noun) - something that is important to a group and is repeated, such as an event or belief

8. Produce (noun) - something grown through farming

9. Estimate (verb) - approximate or make an educated guess of how much something is

10. Round (verb) - change a number so that it is easier to do math with

Vocabulary Exercise

Grammar Point: Some of the vocabulary words are homographs. That means a word can be spelled one way, but have two or more different meanings. For example, produce can mean something that is grown on a farm as a noun. However, it can also mean to make something as a verb.

Grammar Practice: Think of the two meanings of the word staple. Then write a sentence for each meaning. After, try to think of 3 more homographs and write two sentences for each of their meanings, as well!