Literature in the Math Class
By now I’m sure that everyone is back in the classroom again, and regardless of the level you are teaching, you are probably searching for openers for your math lessons that are new, inviting, intriguing. Literature opens wonderful mathematical doors into the real world. Almost any picture book that you might select has some math connection if you are looking for one, because, as the leading character of Math Curse found out, “Math is everywhere!”
Where to find those books? There are many, many lists available that categorize children’s literature by math strand. Your math series probably has such a list. If you haven’t already done so, you might want to offer the list to your Librarian as suggestions for new book monies. And, of course, the web is filled with links. Here is one link that offers a spattering of books that span through 8th grade with links to Amazon where you can view pages. http://k12science.ati.stevens-tech.edu/bankstreet/mathbooks.html . I’ve included a very short list of ten of my favorites to use at various levels.
You don’t have to teach a lesson from the books, although you certainly could, but rather use the story to spring into your lesson design. Five minutes of listening to a story being read and discovering the mathematics is worth ten minutes of drill and practice at the beginning of the lessons. For smaller children, read the book through once without comment, then read again, pausing to ask pertinent questions. Older students should be able to follow the storyline even with question interruptions. Reading is an excellent time for predictions (“What do you think will happen next?”), reasonableness (“Is that a reasonable thing to do?”) supporting their thinking (“Explain your thinking.”) seeing the math in the real world (“Tell other places in the real world that something like that could happen.”) explaining strategies (“Show me how that worked.”). And, of course, there are many, many books now that are written specifically to address mathematical strands. The NCTM, PBS and all major math publishers’ websites are filled with examples of those books.
One of the big bonuses of making the literature/mathematics connection is, of course, that you are tying mathematic reasoning to the reading process. Skills that are necessary to discerning readers are the critical skills students need in order to be strong problem solvers. Another powerful benefit is that listening to stories being read or told increases students’ attention span, and students who can concentrate on a topic for longer more intense periods become better problems solvers. And, of course, the obvious benefit for you as a teacher is that you are able to cross curricular lines, reading in math and/or discussing math in reading. Think also of the language arts projects that could evolve from these literature connections.
Just a little note to either open your reticular to the possibilities of literature in the classroom if you’ve not tried it; or to remind you of how much you enjoyed the literature connections if you’ve just tucked the idea away for a bit. By the way, I introduced you to Kit Myers’ wonderful storytelling in a special email last month. Be sure to check out her website for a very special offer to bring Kit and her Tall Tales and Twisted Truths to your school. (http://www.twistedtruths.com ). Don’t miss this opportunity!
See you next month!
Ms Fritzie!
