3.6: Personal Referents

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Page ID: 51000

Amy Lagusker
College of the Canyons

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Think, for yourself, personally, how big areas or distances can be for you. It can be anything, as long as it makes sense to you! For example, the distance from Noel’s house to the end of the block is ¼ of a mile. So when anybody says, “Let’s take a walk, it is just half a mile”, Noel knows it is the same distance as from his house to the end of the block and back. Another example, is where Janice knows that 300 people can fit comfortably in the gym. So, if someone says, I think I am going to invite about 300 people to my wedding, she can picture the gym filled up to capacity and have an idea about how large the wedding will be.

Partner Activity 1

Think about personal referents for yourself and then share with your partner:

200 miles
10 feet
50 pounds

Practice Problems

Write a personal referent for 1 meter, 1 inch, 1 foot, and 1 yard.