Benefits of Using Children's Literature in the Math Classroom

Children's Literature and Math?

These two-strands sound complete opposite from each other. Until I saw children's picture books being used to teach math, I was a skeptic myself. 

Activity: Storybook Spaghetti and Meatballs for All 

 The video is a reading of the book Spaghetti and Meatballs for All by Marilyn Burns. This storybook can be used as a tool to teach students about perimeter and area. 

While you read the storybook before reading the ending, pause and get students to try and solve the problem themselves. You can give students manipulatives to help visualize how they will have to arrange the seating plan and tables for everyone to be able to have a seat. 

Ex. Students were given 8 square blocks and given 32 counters to represent the guests. They were told that only one person can fit on each side of the square blocks. Students were allowed to push tables together to help fit everyone. 

Accommodating for Gifted Students 

This problem can be adjusted to accommodate different learning levels in your class. If you have a student who is gifted in math, you can make the problem more challenging for them so that they can still be incorporated into the lesson in class. A way to make it more challenging is by changing the problem for them so that one adult and one child could sit on one side of the square table or telling them that 3 children can fit on one side of the square table. 

Connection to Curriculum

This activity seems to be most appropriate for a grade 5 math class when teaching the measurement strand. Although this activity can be modified to make it more challenging or less challenging for different grade levels. 

Grade 5:

M1: Estimate and record perimeter, area, temperature change, and elapsed time, using a variety of strategies(p.80).

M1.9: Determine through investigation using a variety of tools  and strategies, the relationships between the length and width of a rectangle and its area and perimeter, and generalize to develop the formulas (p. 80).

Benefits of Using Children's Literature to Teach Math 

1. Engagement 

2. Brings meaning to mathematical concepts

3. Gives students a visual to help understand math concepts

Additional Resources 

https://www.mathsthroughstories.org/

https://www.the-best-childrens-books.org/math-for-kids.html

These two sites have a great list of storybooks that you can use to incorporate picture books as a tool to teach mathematical concepts to your students. They also include some activities that can go along with the picture books.

References 

Glenanne Seraceno. (26 Mar 2014). Spaghetti and Meatballs for All. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/lNuhAkMGLPc.

UniofReading. (11 Mar 2019). What if maths was taught through storytelling?. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/x9lW2w1aI0E

Fun Drill Activity

It's Multiplication time! 

 

When I was in school I always dreaded when the teacher mentioned that we would be doing math drills. I could not grasp the concept of solving multiplication and remember having to stay in a recess as I failed my multiplication test. I find that learning math drills are still a dreaded word today for many students. If I mention to my students that they will be learning multiplication in math I hear a lot of sighs across the classroom. There are many activities you can bring into the classroom to turn math drills into fun activities!

Activity: Speed Dating

You are probably thinking "a speed dating game in a math classroom"? You heard me correct, this game is called speed dating but multiplication style. 

How to Play 

For this game, you start with a number. The number I started with is 48. You will have three columns on a piece of paper. My number, my partners' number and multiply them columns. In my number column, you write the number that you started with all the way down. Then you find another person in the class and put their number in my partner's number column. Next, you multiply the two numbers without using a calculator anyway that you want. You compare the number you got to your partners as it will be the same and then you put it in the multiply them column. Once you completed these steps, you move on to another person in the class and repeat the same steps. 

Benefits of Implementing Activity 

- A fun way to learn multiplication 

- Gets students collaborating with other students they may not have before 

- Gets students in engaged

- Students can collaborate to help understand how to solve multiplication 

Negative Aspects of Activity

- Students might not be mature enough to handle the name of the game 

- Students need to understand multiple ways to solve multiplication before they play 

- Students may become discouraged if they get the question wrong and group member doesn't or if their group member solves it faster 

Personal Experience with Activity 

I incorporated this activity in my grade 6 class. The students always do a math drill type of activity in the morning when they first arrive in the class. The students always seem to be disengaged in the activity and I often have to walk around the room and remind them to get back on task. I have a class that is very talkative. I debated implementing this activity because I thought that my class would not be mature enough to handle the title of the game and become distracted by the title. When I incorporated it into the class, at first they started laughing and were off task. I decided to change the rules of the game a little bit and I incorporated gamification. I told the class the first person who completed the activity correctly wins a ticket to be put into the draw for the end of the week. The students loved this and they ended up being engaged in the lesson and enjoyed completing it!

Now when you mention math drills...

Before Miss Mueller's Fun math Activity

Students After Implementing Miss Mueller's Math Activity