How much does an elephant weigh? How do you know? How would you know if you didn’t have a modern scale? Six-year-old Cao Chong, the most famous child prodigy in Chinese history, faced just this problem! Chong watches as the prime minister’s most trusted and learned advisors debate different methods. The principle of buoyancy and a little bit of creative thinking help this boy come up with a solution.
Other Resources
- Teachingbooks.net book page
- Cao Chong Weighs an Elephant DREME Storybook Guide (PDF, © Stanford University, DREME Network)
- For Creative Minds – Activity & Resource Guide (English PDF)
- Para las mentes creativas – Activity & Resource Guide (Spanish PDF)
- Teaching Activity Guide (PDF)
- Online quizzes: Reading / For Creative Minds / Math
- Author interview (PDF)
- How to pronounce Cao Chong (曹沖, Cáo Chōng) via Google Translate