Math & Literature

Using literature in a math lesson can be a way to draw students in, create interest, make math fun, and bring variety to math time. And who doesn't like a good story? Consider using pictures books as a way to discuss math in a fun and exciting context. Below you will find some background on using pictures, a sample of a book & activities, and finally some resources for where to find some good picture books.

Teaching Math With Picture Books Part 1 

The Three Tiers of Math Picture Books

Picture books fall into three tiers - all three type of math picture books are important and can lead to great math discussion. 

Ø  Tier 1: Fundamental Math Picture Books — These are books in which the math content is the primary purpose of the book. It either dominates the plotline (for fiction books), or is an informational math text. These books are generally read with the specific purpose of learning math content.

Ø  Tier 2: Embedded Math Picture Books — These are books in which the plot has deliberate connections to math, but the story stands on its own as well. These books feel more natural as read-alouds, but may require the teacher to direct the focus onto the content connections.

Ø  Tier 3: Connected Math Picture Books — These books do not have any explicit connections to math, but the teacher can create connections through think-alouds or class discussions. Sometimes, the teacher may challenge students to come up with the connections to math.

adapted from Alicia Zimmerman, Scholastic

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/top-teaching/2012/11/teaching-math-picture-books-part-1

Ten on a Sled

This fun sing-song book is a great addition to  math time. Like many pieces of literature we incorporate into our classroom, there may be some vocabulary and background knowledge we need to teach students before reading the book. This book has some great connections to language arts lessons - like alliterations, song or poem like structure, etc. When using this book for a math lesson, I encourage you to stick to the mathematics. Don't try to do too much in one lesson. This book could be used over the course of the week and incorporated into math, language arts, reading, poetry, science, etc. Don't be afraid to use the book multiple time for multiple purposes with your students.

Now, let's talk math...

Consider using a Ten-Frame or Rekenrek while reading the book. As each animal falls off the sled, remove one counter. Engage students by asking them questions related to the math of counting, addition, or subtraction. Here is a possible list:

• How many animals are on the sled?
• If one animal falls off, how many will be on the sled?
• How many animals do you think will be on the sled on the next page? How do you know?
• How many animals are on the sled and how many animals have fallen off the sled?
• How many animals have fallen off in total, so far?

Here are a few resources I found for using the book Ten on a Sled:

• Activity - possible for choice time, math centers, etc.
• Ten-On-A-Sled & Number Recognition
• Recovering Traditionalist: Ten on a Sled Ten-Frame
• It's not math, but here is another lesson resource: Ten On a Sled Printable Activities

More Math & Literature

Remember that using literature during math time can be a way to engage students in thinking mathematically. Ask good questions. Dig deeper.

Check out the article by Alicia Zimmerman,  Teaching Math With Picture Books Part 1 for more information about selecting literature for math, various purposes for using literature, and more resources.

Resources

Below is a list of resources for math & literature. Some of these links are lists of books, while others provide lessons and descriptions for using literature during math time.

Let's Read Math
A list of books by math topic

Another Book List
A list of books by math topic or grade

Investigating Number Sense, Addition, and Subtraction read-aloud summaries

Marilyn Burns, 3 Lessons: Using Storybooks to Teach Math, Instructor Magazine April 2005

Marilyn Burns Classroom Library

Math and Literature Series, published by Math Solutions founded by Marilyn Burns

Marilyn Burns' Webinar on Math Re-Alouds: Using Children's Literature to Teach Math Grades K-5