Reading + Math = A Perfect Match
By Richard Callan

I use children's literature in many ways with my students. Recently, I've been incorporating literature with mathematics and finding great success. I want my students to experience the rich and inviting experience that literature can bring, as well as understand and appreciate mathematics. As I use literature with my lessons, I've been able to help my students explore and investigate different math topics. Integrating different mathematical topics after discussing books can also help children make the connection to mathematics in their daily lives.

Books like the ones above are great tools for helping kids make the connection that math is in their daily lives.

Story problems. The wonderful book, Lost at the White House by Lisa Griest (Lerner Publishing Group, 1994), is a story about two sisters, Rena and Rose, who attend the White House Easter Egg Roll in 1909. Rena gets lost and meets a guard who introduces her to President William Howard Taft. The story is based on the author's grandmother's true-life experience at the Easter Egg Roll.

After reading the story to my students, I ask them to write their own story problems and then write the answers on a plastic Easter egg. Next, I fill the eggs with candy and hide them outside on the playground and we have our own Easter egg hunt so the kids can match the correct answers to the story problem. Be sure that during your hunt each child finds at least one egg and the kids know they can help each other if needed. The great thing about this activity is that it can be used at any grade level.

Rounding off. Another fun math and reading activity I use is with a book called Coyotes All Around by Stuart J. Murphy (HarperCollins, 2003). This book is about concept rounding and how a pack of coyotes tries to figure out how many roadrunners and other creatures are in their vicinity. While some coyotes count different groups and add their totals together, Clever Coyote rounds off and estimates. Clever Coyote demonstrates how simple rounding can bring her close to the right answer in just a short amount of time.

After reading the book to the kids, I make a set of cards with numbers ranging from 10 to 100 written on them. I give ten cards with the numbers 10 to 100 to ten of my students. The other students then get a card with a number such as 29, 89 or 54 and they stand next to the number (and student) they think rounds to the nearest 10. I do the same activity with hundreds and thousands, too. This is a good one for grades two and three.

Making a math wish. I always want to know if my students value mathematics. To determine this, I start off the beginning of the school year by reading the book, A Day with No Math by Marilyn Kaye (Harcourt Brace, 1992). This is the story of Sam, who hates doing his math homework. He goes to bed one night and wishes that he had no math homework ever again. In a dream, his wish is granted. When he wakes up, in every situation he encounters, he finds there is no math involved. After a day with no math, he gets a second wish and wishes for math to be brought back into his life.

After reading this story to my students, I ask them to write in their journals about what they think mathematics will be like at their grade level this year. Then I have them read their entries to their classmates. Afterward, we have a discussion about everyone's feelings about this year's adventures in math, and I chart the responses.
This activity is great because it lets me see how my new students perceive mathematics and gives me an idea of the types of students I'll be working with that year.

Your best estimate. To strengthen my students' computation skills, I like them to try many types of estimating. One estimating activity that I use all school year is something I call "Pass the Jar." Throughout the year, each student will be able to take home a clear, plastic jar and fill it with anything they think would be interesting for the class to estimate. Items such as candy, pasta, rocks, leaves, cereal, seashells, straws and pencils all work well as things to estimate. I do usually send home a letter to the parents telling them that the students are not to buy anything to fill the jar unless they want to.

When the jar is brought back into class, I ask the students to examine the jar and write down an estimate. Then, using our place value skills, we count the contents of the jar and see which student made the closest estimate. As the school year proceeds, I've found that my students become excellent estimators.

Two great estimating stories to go along with this activity are Betcha! by Stuart J. Murphy (HarperCollins, 1997) and Counting on Frank by Rod Clement (Gareth Stevens Publishing, 1991).

Candy corn contests. Another estimating activity I love to use with my students centers around the book The Candy Corn Contest by Patricia Reilly Giff (Bantam Doubleday Dell, 1984). This is the story of a third grade classroom that's getting ready for Thanksgiving break. The teacher has asked her students to make estimates of how many candy corn candies are in the jar on her desk. As Thanksgiving gets closer, one of the students can't help himself from stealing a few candies and the estimates are then off.

I make sure that I have a jar of candy corn on my desk as I read this book to my students right before Thanksgiving break. When I've finished the book, each student can make one guess as to how many candy corns are in the jar. Once everyone has voiced his or her estimate, we count out the candy corn using place value skills and the student who comes up with the closest estimate wins the jar!

Bug shapes. Icky Bug Shapes by Jerry Pallotta (Scholastic, 2004) is a great book about how insects feature different shapes such as ovals, triangles, squares, pentagons, circles, rectangles and hexagons on their bodies. After reading this story to my class, I give them paper, crayons and colored pencils and ask them to create a story about insects using pattern blocks or tangrams. When everyone has completed his or her story, we share them with the class.

As you can see, children's literature crosses over into mathematics in many different ways. It's also a non-intimidating way to introduce different math concepts and topics to students. I hope your students have as much fun with these activities as mine did!

Richard Callan has taught for over 27 years. He currently teaches third grade at Bunker Hill Elementary in Indianapolis, IN.

January, 2004, Vol.34, No.4