Math Concept Reader MCR g5 table soccer anyone

Math Concept Reader
Table Soccer,
Anyone
?
Expedition:
Antarctica
by Aenea Mickelsen
ca62xs_lay_061207ad_am.indd 4 1/9/07 9:09:15 AM
DIGITAL FINAL PROOF
Copyright © Gareth Stevens, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Printed in the United States of America
ISBN 13: 978-0-15-360197-2
ISBN 10: 0-15-360197-3
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 175 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 09 08 07
by Ilse Ortabasi
Photographs by Patrick Espinosa
Table Soccer,
Anyone?
Math Concept Reader
Tara and Kyle always spend the spring holidays with
their grandfather. Every year, the brother and sister

look forward to this time. Their grandfather’s hobby is
building things out of wood. He uses all sorts of tools
in his workshop. One year Tara and Kyle helped their
grandfather build a swing set. They watched him draw
diagrams for it. They went to the store with him to buy
the materials. He even let them help sand some of the
wood pieces.
This year, Tara and Kyle have their own plans and
they need Grandfather’s help. They want to build a
foosball table! Their cousin has one and Kyle thinks
it would be easy to build one of their own. A few
weeks before the visit, Tara and Kyle talk with their
grandfather on the phone. He loves the idea of building
the table. He used to be a foosball player when he
was a young man in Germany. He played for his
hometown’s soccer team, too.
Chapter 1:
Spring Vacation

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DIGITAL FINAL PROOF
Grandfather tells them that soccer is called Fussball, or
Fußball, in German. That word sounds just like foosball.
In Germany, children use the name “table soccer” for the
game that Tara and Kyle know as foosball. He says it is great
fun playing foosball. He remembers that he and his friends
played for hours. He would love to play foosball with Kyle
and Tara, too.
Grandfather agrees that the table will be their project for
spring vacation. He offers to pay for the materials they will

need. In return, the children will help Grandfather around
the house and yard while they visit. They will help him
prepare meals and rake leaves. Tara and Kyle are very excited
that their grandfather likes their idea. They promise him they
will keep their part of the deal. Grandfather gives Kyle and
Tara two jobs to complete before they arrive. The first job for
them is to start drawing the plans for the foosball table. The
second job is to order the table soccer figures and rods they
need. Their parents can help them order the parts.

Grandfather tells Tara and Kyle he would love to build a
foosball table.
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DIGITAL FINAL PROOF
6 in.
6 in.
49 in.
Side Board
3 in.
3 in.
Playing Field
23 in.
43 in.
3
4
3
4
1
2
End Piece

23 in.
1
2
End Board
23 in.
1
2
Tara and Kyle have some work to do. They know
what they want their foosball table to look like. They
are not quite sure how to build it, though. Their
parents take them to the library. Kyle and Tara find
information on the Internet about building a foosball
table. They also search for information on the best
places to order parts and supplies. They want to make
sure they get all the materials they need.
Kyle and Tara talk about the features for their
foosball table. They draw an initial diagram. Drawing a
diagram will help them make sure they do not forget
anything. They need a playing field. They also need
side and end boards. The boards tilt up to form the
walls. This makes the foosball table look like a shallow
box without a lid. Two 3-inch-wide end pieces will
attach to the end boards and side boards. They will
cover the goalie boxes, which will rest above the table.
The tabletop is actually 49

3
4
inches long, but the
playing field is only 43

3
4
inches long.

ca53xs_lay_070110af_ll.indd 4 1/10/07 6:30:36 AM
DIGITAL FINAL PROOF
23 in.
Now that the diagram is done,
they can figure out how much
wood they need for the foosball
table. Tara and Kyle figure out that
Grandfather needs to buy a piece
of wood about 61 inches long
and 35 inches wide.
43 + 3 + 3 + 6 + 6 = 61
23 + 6 + 6 = 35
The wood will be cut into seven pieces based on
their drawing.
Tara and Kyle scan their drawing into the computer
at the library. They e-mail it to Grandfather. They write
in the e-mail that they think he should buy a little extra
wood in case they make an error. They could make a
mistake measuring the wood. Then, Grandfather might
cut the wood the wrong way. Tara and Kyle ask their
mother for help. They use the library’s computer to
order two sets of 11 player figures for the table. They
order eight rods and handles to hold the player figures.
They have the order delivered directly to Grandfather’s
house.

Grandfather reads the e-mail and buys the wood.
He brings the wood to his workshop. There, he
carefully measures the pieces he needs to cut.
3
4
1
2
3
4
1
2
3
4
1
2

Grandfather measures wood
for the foosball table.
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DIGITAL FINAL PROOF
Chapter 2:
Building a Foosball
Table Step By Step
When spring break arrives, Tara, Kyle, and their
parents travel to Grandfather’s home. They cannot wait
to get started on the foosball table. When they arrive,
they find Grandfather already in his garage workshop. It
looks like Grandfather is excited, too! Before they even
finish greeting him, Tara and Kyle ask if the foosball
figures and rods arrived. Grandfather has lined up the

two teams on a big piece of green felt. The tiny teams
of players look like they are ready to play!
Next to the foosball figures are the rods.
Grandfather will attach the players to the rods with
screws and washers. They will use the green felt to
cover the foosball tabletop. The felt looks like a soccer
field. It makes the foosball table look good, and keeps
it from getting scratched and dented. It looks like they
have everything they need to build the foosball table.
After dinner, Tara’s and Kyle’s parents head home.
Grandfather, Tara, and Kyle make plans for building
the foosball table. It’s important to plan ahead so they
know what to do first.

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DIGITAL FINAL PROOF
Chapter 2:
Building a Foosball
Table Step By Step
Tara and Kyle wake up early the next morning
to start building the table. Grandfather shows Tara
and Kyle how he uses a planer and a jointer to shape
the wood. He explains that the planer is used for
smoothing or reducing the thickness of rough lumber.
With a planer, every board on a project can be a perfect
match. The jointer makes a flat surface on a board.
Safety always comes first for Grandfather! He puts
on his safety glasses to cut the wood on the radial arm
saw. This is a power saw that has a toothed disk that
rotates at high speed.

Grandfather uses the saw to cut the wood. He cuts
the wood for the table’s ends first. He cuts to match the
width in Kyle’s and Tara’s design. Then, he cuts the side
pieces to the length shown in their drawing.
After he cuts the wood pieces, Grandfather says it is
time to sand the wood. This process, using sandpaper,
makes the wood feel smooth and gives it a better look.

Kyle and Tara watch Grandfather use a radial arm saw
to cut wood.
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DIGITAL FINAL PROOF
The next morning, Grandfather gives Tara and Kyle
the job of marking where he should drill the holes on
the rods. The screws that hold the foosball figures in
place will go in the holes. The foosball figures represent
the players on the field. Kyle and Tara must make sure
that the figures are evenly spaced along the rods.
They get to work. For table soccer, there are 4 rods
for each team of figures. There are 11 figures on each
team. Two rods for a team each have three figures.
The third rod has four figures on it. The goalie for each
team is in the middle of its own rod. This figure guards
the goal box. Each of the four rods is 45 inches long.
Each rod used for a foosball table has a long end
with a handle. Game players hold the rods in order to
move their figures to strike the ball. When playing the
game, the objective is to put the ball into the opposing
team’s goal box. Grandfather decides to make the
handle of the rod 13

1

4
inches long.

Tara, Grandfather, and Kyle work together to measure the rods.
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DIGITAL FINAL PROOF
Goalie goes here! Handle goes here!
in.
13 in.
23 in.7 in.
11 in.
1
2
in.
1
2
1
2
1
4
1
4
3
4
The next step is for Grandfather to help Kyle find
where to drill a hole for the goalie on two of the rods.
Grandfather calculates that the halfway point of the

playing field width is 11

3

4
inches from the edge of the
field. Kyle double-checks this measurement by adding
11

3

4
inches to it. The sum is 23
1

2
inches, the total width
of the playing field.
Kyle makes a diagram of the goalie rods. He draws
a line representing a rod that is 45 inches long. He first
measures 13

1

4
inches from one end and then marks
where the end with the handle will stick out from the
side board. Then he marks off
1

2
inch for the thickness
of the side board. From that point, he measures
11

3

4
inches to mark the halfway point over the playing
field. This is the point where Grandfather should drill
the hole for the goalie.
A shorter end of the rod sticks out on the opposite
side of the table. Kyle computes this length by
subtracting all the measurements made so far from the
total length of the rod.
23
1

2
+ 13
1

4
+
1

2
+
1

2
= 37
3

4

45 – 37

3

4
= 7
1

4

The shorter end of the rod will be 7

1

4
inches long.

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DIGITAL FINAL PROOF
7 in. 5 in. 13 in.
23 in.
in.
Handle
Foosball Figures

1
4
1
4
7
8
5 in.
7
8
5 in.
7
8
5 in.
7
8
1
2
in.
1
2
1
2
Tara uses Kyle’s drawing to mark where the holes
will be drilled on the two rods for the goalies. While she
does this, Kyle makes a new drawing that shows where
the holes will be drilled on the rods that hold three
foosball figures.
Kyle draws three dots on the drawing of the rod.
This helps him see that he needs four equal spaces
on the rod to place the three figures. If the figures

are evenly spaced, they will have a better coverage of
the foosball field. That means it will be harder for the
opposing team to get the ball past them.
Grandfather helps Kyle divide 23

1

2
inches into four
equal parts. This quotient is 5

7

8
. That means that each
of the four equal spaces is 5

7

8
inches long. Kyle
double-checks to make sure the four parts add up to
the width of the playing field.
5

7

8
+ 5
7

8
+ 5
7

8
+ 5
7

8
= 23
7

8

Now Tara and Kyle mark all four rods.
10
ca53xs_lay_070110af_ll.indd 10 1/10/07 6:30:45 AM
DIGITAL FINAL PROOF
Finally, Kyle works on a diagram for the two rods
where four player figures from each team are attached.
This time he draws four dots on the sketch of the rod.
This helps him see that he needs five equal spaces on
the part of the rod that fits inside the playing field. This
is where he will place the four figures.
Grandfather divides 23
1

2
inches into five equal parts.

This quotient means each part is 4

7
10
inches long. Kyle
marks the rod on his drawing at distances of 4

7
10
inches.
He starts at the mark for the edge of the playing field
and measures 4

7
10
inches four times from that spot.
Then he and Tara mark the rods.
At this point, all the rods are ready for Grandfather
to drill the holes. Tara and Kyle have made careful
measurements and are getting even more excited at
seeing the foosball table come together.
11
Kyle and Tara watch Grandfather drill holes into a rod.
ca53xs_lay_070110af_ll.indd 11 1/10/07 6:30:47 AM
DIGITAL FINAL PROOF
When Tara and Kyle take a
break that afternoon, they look
over the work they finished.
They have gotten farther than
they expected thanks to the

careful planning they did with
Grandfather ahead of time. While
they were working on the rods,
Grandfather worked on the table
pieces and the goal boxes.
He used a router to cut the holes for the goal boxes.
A router is a woodworking power tool with a shaped
cutter that is used to hollow out an area in the face of
a piece of wood. It can be used in carpentry for cutting
grooves, too. He made a groove in the side boards
where the tabletop piece slides. He says he needs to
drill the holes for the rods in the side boards before
they can assemble the table.
When Tara and Kyle get back to work, they mark
where the holes go on the side boards. They have to
consider the 3-inch end pieces where the goals are
located. Grandfather helps them divide the length of
the playing field into nine parts.
4
7

8
+ 4
7

8
+ 4
7

8

+ 4
7

8
+ 4
7

8
+ 4
7

8
+ 4
7

8
+ 4
7

8
+ 4
7

8

≈
43
7

8

Each part measures about 4

7

8
inches.
1
Grandfather uses a router to cut
holes for the goal boxes.
ca53xs_lay_070110af_ll.indd 12 1/10/07 6:30:51 AM
DIGITAL FINAL PROOF
Outside View of the Side Boards
Hole for rod
3 in.
4
in.
7 in.
43 in.
7
8
7
8
4
in.
7
8
3
4
49 in.

3
4
Kyle adds 3 inches and 4
7

8
inches to find where the
first hole needs to be drilled. This is the hole for one of
the goalie rods to go through the side board.
3 + 4

7

8
= 7
7

8

The first hole on the side boards has to be drilled
7

7

8
inches from the edge, so Tara measures 7
7

8
inches

from the edge and makes the first mark. Grandfather
reminds her that the mark should be high enough
above the groove where the table board will fit. This
is important so that the foosball figures do not hit the
playing field when they swing. The figures should be
about
1

8
inch above the felt. Tara is glad Grandfather
thought of that.
Kyle marks where the other holes will go. He
measures 4
- inch distances from the first hole that
Tara marked and continues to make marks for the
remaining rods by measuring 4
inches from the last
hole. After working carefully, both side boards are
marked for the holes to fit the rods. Now Grandfather
is ready to drill all 16 holes.
7
8
7
8
1
ca53xs_lay_070110af_ll.indd 13 1/10/07 6:30:52 AM
DIGITAL FINAL PROOF
Chapter 3:
Let’s Play Foosball!
At the end of the week, Tara and Kyle call home.

They tell their parents what a great time they’re having
and talk about all the work that they have done on the
foosball table. It is almost finished!
The next day, Grandfather, Tara, and Kyle wake up
early to finish their project. All the foosball table pieces
are ready to assemble.
Tara and Kyle fasten the figures to the rods with
a screw and special kind of washer. They set the rods
aside to help their grandfather screw the backs of the
table together. As soon as one side board is attached to
the back of the table, Grandfather slides the tabletop
into the grooves along the sides and ends. Tara and
Kyle attach the other side board.
Grandfather remarks that it is much easier to
assemble a project like this when there are so many
hands working together! He places clamps on the
wood pieces to hold everything together at this point,
which allows him to screw the second side board to the
back ends. Kyle and Tara brush a protective wood finish
on the table after it is assembled.
1
ca53xs_lay_070110af_ll.indd 14 1/10/07 6:30:54 AM
DIGITAL FINAL PROOF
Grandfather, Tara, and Kyle look at the foosball
table from all angles. Everything looks well-built and
sturdy, and there are no gaps or defects in the table.
Grandfather says they may play a game as soon as
the wood finish is dry, and the rods are inserted and
secured with caps. If the rods are not secure, they
will pop out of the side boards when they are moved

around.
The last days of their vacation go by very quickly.
Tara and Kyle help their grandfather clean up the
workshop. They do a very thorough job! They also set
the dining table for meals and wash dishes. They make
their beds and keep their rooms neat. Kyle, Tara, and
Grandfather have kept up their ends of the deal.
They play foosball on the new table as often as
they can. The three of them agree that their family and
friends will have a lot of fun playing foosball for many
years to come. Most of all, Grandfather, Tara, and Kyle
feel great pride in finishing their project and seeing that
it turned out just the way they had planned it. This has
been a successful spring vacation!
1
Grandfather watches Kyle and Tara play foosball on their new table.
ca53xs_lay_070110af_ll.indd 15 1/10/07 6:30:56 AM
DIGITAL FINAL PROOF
1
Glossary
diagram a picture
Foosball a game resembling soccer in which the
ball is moved by twisting rods that have small
figures of players attached
jointer a machine that makes a flat surface on a
board face or edge
planer a tool used for smoothing or reducing the
thickness of rough lumber
radial arm saw a power saw with a toothed disk
that rotates at a high speed

router a power tool with a shaped cutter. It is used
to hollow out an area in the face of a piece of wood.
washer a flat disk, made of metal, plastic, rubber,
or leather. A washer is placed under a nut, at an
axle bearing, or a joint to relieve friction, prevent
leakage, or distribute pressure.
ca53xs_lay_070110af_ll.indd 16 1/10/07 6:30:56 AM
DIGITAL FINAL PROOF
Think and Respond
1. The length of the side board for a foosball table is
49
1
4
inches and the width is 6 inches. How much wood
is needed for 2 side boards?
2. Draw a diagram to solve. You are cutting a piece of
wood 8 inches long by 5
1
2
inches wide to make the
floor for a birdhouse. You cut the floor from a piece of
wood that is 8 inches wide and 12 inches long. What is
the length and width of the wood that is left after the
piece for the bird house is cut off?
3.
Draw a diagram to solve. You need four walls for a bird
house. The measurements of each of the two narrower
walls are 5
1
2

inches by 6
1
4
inches. The measurements of
each of the two wider walls are 8 inches by 6
1
4
inches.
You can cut the walls from one board with no wood
left over. What might the length and width of that
board be?
4. Explain how you would build a tree house. Draw a
picture of the tree house. Include the measurements.