Sample Pages

Using Children's Literature To Teach Mathematics K-6

Table of Contents:

Introduction

p. iii

Why Use Children's Literature to Teach Mathematics?

How Can I Find Children’s Literature that Focuses on a Specific Mathematical Concept?

Can Children's Literature Introduce and Reinforce Mathematical Vocabulary?

Michigan Department of Education Mathematics Curriculum Framework

p. v

Outline of Major Strands and Content Standards

Strand I Patterns, Relationships and Functions

p. 1

Children’s Literature that Contains Concepts Related to Strand I

Strand II Geometry and Measurement

p. 17

Children's Literature that Contains Concepts Related to Strand II

Strand III Data Analysis and Statistics

p. 65

Children’s Literature that Contains Concepts Related to Strand III

Strand IV Number Sense and Numeration

p. 80

Children's Literature that Contains Concepts Related to Strand IV

Strand V Numerical and Algebraic Operations and Analytical Thinking

p. 124

Children’s Literature that Contains Concepts Related to Strand V

Strand VI Probability and Discrete Mathematics

p. 174

Children’s Literature that Contains Concepts Related to Strand VI

Appendix A

p. 188

Books Listed by Title

Appendix B

p. 192

Books Listed by Author

Appendix C

p. 196

Books Listed by Strand

Appendix D

p. 200

Complete copy of the Michigan Content Standards and Draft Benchmarks

Appendix E

p. 202

Michigan Curriculum Framework, Strands, Standards and Benchmarks for Mathematics

Appendix F

p. 222

Books for Teachers, MI CLiMB, Internet and other Resources

Strand I Patterns, Relationships and Functions

Title: The Button Box

Author: Margarette S. Reid, Illustrated by Sarah Chamberlain

Publisher: Dutton children's Books, Copyright 1990, ISBN 0-525-44590-0

Level: Preschool - Grade 1

Correlation to Michigan Curriculum Framework: Strand I - Patterns, Relationships and Functions

Content Standard 1: Students recognize similarities and generalize patterns, use patterns to create models and make predictions, describe the nature of patterns and relationships, and construct representations of mathematical relationships. (Patterns)

Elementary Benchmark 3: Use patterns to describe real-world phenomena.

About the Book: "When does little change to big? I can never tell," says the little boy in the book as he sorts and arranges the colorful buttons from his grandmother’s button box. He and his grandmother not only sort by size, but also look at other characteristics of the many buttons such as size and function. The illustrations are very colorful and the language lyrical as a read-aloud for the young child. This may bring nice memories to the adult reader as well as ideas of activities to do with young children.

Mathematical Vocabulary Words: first, sort, four, two

Instructional Examples from MI CLiMB
Students should engage in activities such as these.
Mathematics/Strand I/Content Standard 1/Elementary/Benchmark

• Identify patterns and regularity in the environment, in actions and events (e.g., quilt patterns, symmetry in leaves, border designs, fabric patterns, calendars, sequence of events, days of the week).

• Use a hundreds chart to describe number relationships by circling or coloring patterns.

• Diagonal is add eleven

• Across is add one

• Down is add ten

• Use a calendar to establish odd even patterns or regularity patterns (chess club meets the second Wednesday of each month).

• Create or recognize patterns in different ways using multiplication tables, calendars and people.

• Explore and observe number patterns

• Play "I spy a pattern." Someone says "I spy a pattern on Julie." Students guess the pattern (e.g., stripes, plaids, flowers on her shirt or pants)

• Teacher silently sorts students into two groups using one visible attribute, then students guess attribute.

Reviewed by: Elaine Walton, Ed. S

Strand II Geometry and Measurement

Title: A Cloak for the Dreamer

Author: Aileen Friedman, illustrated by Kim Howard

Publisher: A Marilyn Burns Brainy Day Book, Scholastic Inc., Copyright 1994, ISBN 0-590-48987-9

Level: 2-5

Correlation to Michigan Curriculum Framework: Strand II. Geometry and Measurement

Content Standard 1: Students develop spatial sense, use shape as an analytic and descriptive took, identify characteristics and define shapes, identify properties and describe relationships among shapes. (Shape and Shape Relationships)

Elementary Benchmark 5: Explore ways to combine, dissect and transform shapes.

About the Book: This is a lovely story about a tailor and his three sons. The tailor would like all his sons to follow in his footsteps, but the youngest son has dreams of traveling to far off lands. When the tailor is commissioned to make three cloaks in a very short time he directs his sons to each do one. The two older sons cut and sewed beautiful coats fitting together shapes of many colors. The youngest liked circles that reminded him of the big world out there. However, his circles did not fit together well. Realizing that his son really did not want to be a tailor he and the other brothers dismantled the circles and made each one into hexagons which they pieced together in a wonderful cloak for Misha as he goes out into the world.

The last pages are for parent, teachers and other adults, which explains about the mathematics in the story, how the angles are fit together. She also suggests additional activities to extend children’s thinking.

Mathematical Vocabulary Words: square*, diagonal*, triangle*, circle*, rectangle*, hexagon*

*Vocabulary words listed in The Michigan Essential Goals and Objectives in Mathematics Education.

Related Activities: Have children look for shapes and patterns in things around them. Bring in quilts and quilting patterns. Have them make shapes to fit together either with paper or fabric.

Instructional Examples from MI CLiMB:

• Trace shapes and their images after sliding (translating), flipping (reflecting), and turning (rotating) them.

• Dissect irregular shapes into familiar geometric shapes. This might be done with paper and scissors, paper and pencil, or on a geoboard. In later grades, this activity can be used to help find areas of the irregular shapes.

• Discover symmetrical properties by paper folding or using reflective devices, and compare dissections to find lines of symmetry in nature (a snowflake) or geometric shapes.

• Explore with tangram pieces the possible arrangements of pieces that form other geometric shapes.

• Combine 5 squares to find all possible pentomino configurations.

Reviewed by: Elaine Walton, Ed.S

  
Strand III Data Analysis and Statistics

Title: The King's Commissioners

Author: Aileen Friedman, pictures by Susan Guevara

Publisher: A Marilyn burns Brainy Day Book, Scholastic Press, 1994
ISBN 0-590-48989-5

Level: Grades 2-5

Correlation to Michigan Curriculum Framework:  Strand III.  Data Analysis and Statistics

Content Standard 1: Students collect and explore data, organize data into a useful form and develop skill in representing and reading data displayed in different formats. (Collection, Organization and Presentations of Data)

Elementary Benchmark : 1. Collect and explore data through counting, measuring and conducting surveys and experiments. 2. Organize data using concrete objects, pictures, tallies, tables, charts, diagrams and graphs. 

About the Book: This is a delightful story of a "modern day" princess (boots and all). Her father, the king, decides he needs a count of the many commissioners he has in the kingdom. He becomes angry and confused as the counters explain to him how many there are so along with the Commissioner for Spilt Milk, the Commissioner for Chicken Pox, the Commissioner for Flat Tires and many more he decides he needs a Commissioner to Keep Count of the Royal Commissioners.

As the readers and listeners think about the counting dilemma they will examine place value and the structure of our number system as well as techniques for calculating numbers of things. The end of the book provides good information for parents and teachers for helping children understand our number system.

Mathematical Vocabulary Words: count, tallies,

Instructional Example from MI CLiMB

Students should engage in activities such as these.

• Pose their own questions related in their interests and activities.

• Younger students could ask questions about favorite colors, authors, ice cream flavors, or cartoons. Other examples are, How many pockets are you wearing today? How can we graph our rock collections?

• Older students could develop questions related to their surroundings. Do automobiles stop at signs near school? Do students use crosswalks? How much taller are 4th graders than 3rd graders? What is the average number of raisins found in a mini-box of raisins?

• Gather data through sorting, counting, and measuring.

[NOTE: Initially teachers may need to pose the questions which can be answered by collecting, organizing, and presenting data.]

Reviewed by: Elaine Walton, Ed.S

   
Strand IV Number Sense and Numeration

Title:  The Grapes of Math

Author:  Greg Tang, Illustrated by Harry Briggs

Publisher:  Scholastic Press, 2001, ISBN 0-439-21033-X

Correlation to Michigan Curriculum Framework:  Strand IV.  Number Sense and Numeration

Content Standard 1: Students experience counting and measuring activities to develop intuitive sense about numbers, develop understanding about properties of numbers, understand the need for and existence of different sets of numbers, and investigate properties of special numbers. (Concepts and Properties of Numbers)

Elementary Benchmark 1: Develop an understanding of whole numbers and read, write and count using whole numbers; investigate basic concepts of fractions and decimals.

About the Book: Mr. Tang believes that all children can learn math and have fun with it. Using delightful, color pictures he poetically presents a challenge for the reader to count the pictures as quickly as possible using other than one to one counting. As part of each poem he gives a clue of how to look at the configurations. At the end of the book are explanations of the strategies used to get to the solutions. The author wants the reader to be open-minded about math and to think strategically by finding sums to make adding easier. This saves time and gives practice in organizing information to use it more efficiently.

Mathematical Words: counting, square, add, group by…, subtract, double, pair,

Strand V. Numerical and Algebraic Operations and Analytical 
Thinking Content Standard 2: Students analyze problems to determine an appropriate process notation to model or represent problems. (Algebraic and Analytic Thinking)
Elementary Benchmark 4: Use analytic thinking to describe situations and solve problems.

Related Activities: This book can be used with a group, having different children explain how they get to a solution. This not only stimulates thinking strategies but provides language experiences in their explanations. Some children may be able to use multiplication as well as addition and subtraction to facilitate solving the problem.

Instructional Examples from MI CLiMB
Students should engage in activities such as these.

• Explain their solution process verbally or in writing.

• List the step to determine the number and kind of coins possible if you have 50 cents.

• Explore functions and mathematical relationships.

• What happens to the total number of wheels if we double the number of bicycles?

• Work with a calculator to discover the rule.

• With a partner, the first person puts in a number and then passes the calculator to the other person who enters a rule (+7), presses =, and returns the calculator to the first person, who must identify the rule.

• Use a set of digits and any operations to write equations to equal a target number.

Target number is 25

Possible answers:
10 X 3-5 (3 x 5) +10

Reviewed by: Elaine Walton, Ed.S

 
Strand V Numerical and Algebraic Operations and Analytical Thinking

Title:  Arithme-tickle An Even Number of Odd Riddle Rhymes

Author:  J. Patrick Lewis, Illustrated by Frank Remkiewicz

Publisher:  Harcourt Brace, Inc., 2002, ISBN 0-15-216418-9

Correlation to Michigan Curriculum Framework:  Numerical and Algebraic Operations and Analytical Thinking
Content Standard 1: Students understand and use various types of operations (e.g., addition, subtraction, multiplication, division) to solve problems.
Elementary Benchmark 4: Apply operations efficiently and accurately in solving problems.

About the Book: "I’m tickled with arithmetic because it's got arithme-kick! Some days I love it half as much as chocolate ice cream (double Dutch), or when our teacher, Miss McNutt, says "No homework assignment!" But some days I love it more, you see, because ARITHME-TICKLES ME!" As the title suggests this is a book of riddles which you need arithmetic to answer. The illustrations add humor to the riddles that are printed on lined tablet paper. The answers are at the bottom of each page, but unless you can read upside down and backwards you’ll need to hold the page up to a mirror to read them.

Mathematical Vocabulary Words: up, down, number, less, plus, sums, miles, halfway, minute, measure, scale, total, weigh, multiply, long, wide, add, gallons, foot, average, mile, yardstick, subtract, half.

Related Activities: These riddles can be a stimulus for students writing their own riddles or combined to create a class riddle book. Challenges for solving the riddles in the least amount of time, using mental math, calculators or pencil and paper.

Instructional Examples from MI CLiMB
Students should engage in activities such as these:

• Analyze problems to determine the operation and the best combination of numbers to solve the problem.

Example:

When Mom passed a convoy of 16 wheelers on the expressway to a soccer match, Jo counted 7 trucks.

Write two different number sentences which tell how many wheels the trucks had altogether.

Which number sentence is easier to solve? Explain why.

Students should engage in activities such as these:

• Explain their solution process verbally or in writing.

• List the step to determine the number and kind of coins possible if you have 50 cents.

• Explore functions and mathematical relationships.
  What happens to the total number of wheels if we double the number of bicycles.
  Work with a calculator to discover the rule.

• With a partner, the first person puts in a number and then passes the calculator to the other person who enters a rule (+7), presses =, and returns the calculator to the first person who must identify the rule.

• Use a set of digits and any operations to write equations to equal a target number.

Example:
Target number is 25
10 x 3-5 or (3 x 5) + 10

Reviewed by: Elaine Walton, Ed.S

   
Strand VI Probability and Discrete Mathematics

Title:  One Riddle, One Answer

Author: Lauren Thompson, Illustrated by Linda S. Wingerter

Publisher: Scholastic Press, copyright 2001, ISBN 0-590-31335-5

Correlation to Michigan Curriculum Framework: Strand VI. Probability and Discrete Mathematics

Content Standard 2: Students investigate practical situations such as scheduling, routing, sequencing, networking, organizing and classifying, and analyze ideas like recurrence relations, induction, iteration, and algorithm design. (Discrete Mathematics)
Elementary Benchmark 6: Use discrete mathematics concepts and solve problems: and look for whether or not there is a solution (existence problems), determine how many solutions there are (counting problems) and decide upon a best solution (optimization problems).

About the Book: This charming fairy tale, set a long time ago in Persia, is about a Sultan who was trying to find an appropriate husband for his daughter, the princess Aziza. After rejecting many suitors, the princess posed a plan for finding the right husband. Because she loved riddles and numbers she suggested that whoever could solve her riddle would become her husband. Her riddle:

• placed above, it makes greater things small.

• placed beside, it makes small things greater.

• in matters that count, it always comes first.

• where others increase, it keeps all things the same. What Is It?

They searched far and wide across the land until they found a young farmer who could solve the riddle. You can guess the end of the story.

At the end of the book there is an explanation of how Ahmed solved Aziza’s riddle.

Mathematical Vocabulary Words:  counting, first, multiplication, increase, value, times

Instructional Examples from MI CLiMB
Students should engage in activities such as these.

• Solve problems with multiple solutions. For example, using only pennies, nickels, and dimes, in how many ways can you make change for 25 cents?

• Discuss a best solution to problems such as dividing things of different values fairly or planning efficient routes.

• Justify their thinking as a way of clarifying their reasoning by answering questions such as: Why? How do you know? What makes you think that?

• Organizing a complex task and sequencing events so all components get done on time.

• Coloring maps/drawing with fewest colors so regions sharing boundaries do not use same color (minimize conflicts).

Reviewed by: Elaine Walton, Ed.S