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| Didax "Class Ideas" Newsletter Archive |
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Brrrr! We're literally knee deep in snow here at Didax as February arrives. While it's cold and windy out there, we're keeping warm working to bring you new and innovative products. Some new Unifix Phonics accessories are in development and there will be a release of lots of new World Teachers Press books in the coming months. For now though, it's newsletter time!
This issue of Class Ideas focuses on Math and Literature and our guest author for the month is Marilyn Burns. She brings you an exclusive article about using children's literature to teach math. We also have some Internet links for you to use in planning your lessons and a special offer for subscribers on Marilyn's Math, Literature, and Nonfiction books.
I always love to hear your ideas for future issues. Maybe you have a topic you'd like to see covered or an idea for a new feature. Just email me with your suggestions or ideas.
Thanks for reading and stay warm!
Anna Mullen, Editor |
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| Using Children's Books to Teach Math |
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 by Marilyn Burns
When I began teaching more than 40 years ago, I also began collecting children's books. While I initially focused on children's books that brought richness to language arts instruction, about a dozen years ago I broadened my search to include children's books that were also well suited for math lessons. After browsing in bookstores, attending presentations at conferences, and receiving suggestions from colleagues, I filled my shelves with my favorite children's books for teaching math concepts and skills.
After trying many lessons in classrooms, I've become convinced that children's books are especially useful for sparking students' mathematical imaginations in ways that exercises in textbooks and workbooks often don't. Students who love reading-but for whom math is not ?their thing?-can be helped to experience the wonder of math in the same way they already enjoy the wonder of books. At the same time, students for whom math is their first love can learn to look at books in a new way. And for teachers who especially love teaching language arts, but may not enjoy or feel as comfortable teaching math, using children's books builds on their strengths and helps bolster confidence in and enthusiasm for teaching math.
Teachers have asked me how I think about and plan for math lessons that use children's books-what I look for in books, how I decide on the math to teach, how I organize lessons in the classroom, and more. Here's the advice I typically share.
1. Choose children's books that support the enjoyment of reading, not only because they can build a bridge to mathematics. Keep in mind that the criteria you use for selecting books should be the quality of their content and illustrations as well as the appropriateness of their content to the grade-level math curriculum.
2. Reading the book aloud to the entire class is an important first step in providing a common frame of reference for the math lesson to follow.
3. When reading a book aloud, make sure the children are seated so that all of them can hear the story and see the illustrations. Begin by showing the cover of the book and reading the title, author, and illustrator. Ask them to predict what the book is about. (For mental math practice, if appropriate, tell them the copyright date and ask them to figure out how long ago the book was written.)
4. Be sure to allow time for class discussion about the book itself, encouraging students to savor the story and illustrations.
5. Once the students have shared their reactions, shift their attention and launch the math lesson.
6. Focus lessons on using basic math concepts and skills in ways that build students' ability to think and reason mathematically. Pose problems that have either several possible solutions or several different ways to arrive at one correct solution.
7. Take opportunities in lessons to connect mathematical terminology and symbols to the contexts in books.
8. Support communication, both in whole-class lessons and during small-group work, by asking students to explain their thinking and to listen and respond to one another's ideas.
9. When appropriate, give a follow-up assignment for students to work on individually or in pairs. Individual assignments are especially useful for assessing students' learning progress.
10. Make the children's book available for students to revisit on their own or to take home to enjoy with their families.
In our Math Solutions Publications six-book series Math, Literature, and Nonfiction, my colleagues and I are pleased to make available to teachers lessons based on more than 100 children's books that we've tried, revised, and polished. Our classroom-tested lessons span kindergarten through grade 8 and are illustrated with samples of student work from actual classes. If you'd like to read sample lessons to try in your classroom, please go to the Download Section of this Class Ideas Newsletter.
Also, if you're interested in a list of the more than 100 children's books we've found to be well suited for teaching math, organized by grade levels and topics, please see our: "At-a-Glance Chart of Children's Literature." Or visit www.mathsolutions.com and click on ?Publications? and then ?At-a-Glance Chart of Children's Literature.?
A note about the reading levels for these books: Since all are intended to be read aloud to a class to introduce a mathematics lesson, reading levels were not a primary criterion for selection or inclusion in a particular grade level. Some books that are mathematically appropriate for young children are beyond their ability to read on their own. Also, some books that are mathematically suitable for older students aren't books that they would, on their own, pick up and read; however, our experience is that they enjoy hearing these books read aloud to them, much in the same way that we as adults enjoy reading and hearing children's books.
Marilyn Burns is the founder of Math Solutions Professional Development, dedicated to the improvement of K-8 mathematics teaching through inservice programs, publications, and video tapes. Copyright © 2005 Marilyn Burns Education Associates |
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| Downloadable Activity Pages |
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 Would you like to try Marilyn Burns' math and literature lessons in your classroom? This month, you can download a sample lesson from each of her six new books in the Math, Literature and Nonfiction series. Follow the link below, choose the book or books you'd like a lesson from, download and print! |
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| Math and Literature Internet Links |
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 The Internet is a great resource for planning Math and Literature lessons. We've collected a group to start you off. From Carol Hurst's site with great Math and Literature resources, to a Quilting and Geometry lesson using the book Sam Johnson and the Blue Ribbon Quilt, I'm sure you'll find something useful for your classroom. |
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| March Newsletter Theme: Phonics |
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 Next month, Class Ideas turns its attention back to reading with a focus on Phonics. Look forward to an article by another guest author, some downloadable activities, Internet links, and a great subscriber-only special. |
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