All Around Math
By Sandy Meagher

Mr. Mains' reading of Sam's Pizza is a big hit with Mrs. Mains' third grade class.

Try some cooking. Attempt some art. Mix in a little writing, perhaps some design and graphics, even some poetry – all of it involves good old Math!

It beats anchovies…
Sam's Pizza by David Pelham (Dutton, 1996, ISBN: 0-525-45594-9) is truly a favorite read-aloud book for many students. This pop-up book gets lots of funny reactions to the pizza's ingredients, such as eels and bugs. Not only can students draw pizza circles, but they can also study fractions, use a recipe and incorporate creative writing.

Linda Mains, a third grade teacher, invites a secret reader to her classroom each month. September is reserved for Mr. Mains (her husband). After he left this September, students wrote about what happens after the pizza is cooked.

Let's get cooking!
It's becoming easier to find trade books with math included to make the subject meaningful and fun for students. Pie in the Sky by Lois Ehlert (Harcourt, 2004, ISBN: 0-15-216584-3) is a beautiful book about a father and child watching a cherry tree grow. At the end of the story, they make a cherry pie with the included recipe. My third, fourth and fifth grade students love cookbooks. One favorite is Stir, Squirt, Sizzle: A Nick Cookbook (Chronicle, 2004, ISBN: 0-811-84419-6). Healthy eating options such as low-fat cheese and whole-wheat buns are suggested. My favorite cookbook for kids is Strawberry Shortcake's Berry Yummy Cookbook by Ann Bryant (Grossett & Dunlop, 2004, ISBN:0-448-43518-7). This book comes with its own measuring spoons! Lots of math is included with purchasing ingredients, measuring, selling and adding proceeds. One class donated their proceeds to the Childrens' Christmas Bureau for needy students.

It's a math world
We are using an excellent series this year that is published by Rourke, www.rourkepublishing.com It's entitled "Math and My World" and includes the titles, Kitchen Math, Map Math, Medical Math, Money Math, Travel Math and Weather Math.

Medical Math has been used by the school nurse, the PE teacher and classroom teachers in math and health, because it includes great information on average height, weight and body-mass index. This book is the core for an excellent health unit with a lot of math.

Greg Tang is determined to revolutionize the way children learn math. His latest book, Math Fables: Lessons That Count (Scholastic, 2004, ISBN: 0-439-45399-2) includes rhymes about animals and counting and grouping numbers.

Math in story format
Pre-school and K-1-2 teachers love to see math in story format. Some great new ones to use are Maisy's Twinkly Crinkly Fun Book by Lucy Cousins, (Candlewick Press, 2004, ISBN: 0-7636-2273-7). Some holiday stories that also have easy math are Five Ugly Monsters by Tedd Arnold (Scholastic, 1995, ISBN 0-439-52465-2) and 1,2,3 Valentine's Day by Jeanne Modesitt (Boyds Mills Press, 2002, ISBN: 1-563-97868-7).

The series of books called "Math Monsters" are published by Weekly Reader, Early Learning Library. They are based on the Math Monsters public television series developed in cooperation with the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and are designed to meet and support NCTM Standards for Pre-K-2 mathematics content and process instruction.

SPECIAL SECTION
Getting Parents Involved
Parents are a huge part of the learning process and when it comes to math, there are so many ways that teachers, students and parents can learn together. In the summer and after school we have a math club. This is an excellent time to brush up on math skills, and many times parents volunteer to help. The Everything Kids' Money Book by Diane Mayr (Scholastic, 2002, ISBN: 0-439-41119-X) introduces allowances, savings, investing and so many great math projects for parents and children. Recently, some of my students helped me at our library book sale. They increased their self-confidence by being able to put their math skills to work.

Sometimes parents ask me if I have any resources to help them with their child's math homework. Most often I refer them to their child's teacher and suggest that a parent and child math workshop be held during or after school. Never do I tell them that the library doesn't have any books to help out, because we really do have a wealth of books in story format that teach the basic concepts.

One suggestion I mention to parents is to ask what publisher or math program is being used. Parents and students can use the school, public library or their home computer to access information together.

Harcourt School Publishers offers games to teach skills, as well as an illustrated reference for first through eighth grades.Visit their website at www.harcourtschool.com/menus/auto/13/1.html Some other good resources to recommend are "Helpful Things To Say When Your Child Asks For Help With Math Homework."

Remember to read and use math in an everyday approach. Read the food labels on the cereal box and find out how many grams of sugar are inside. Keep score at a ballgame. Keep the stats for a sporting event. Help time somebody doing laps. What's the price of gas and how much does it cost to drive to and from soccer practice each week?

Once you begin, the reading and learning become fun!

Sandy Meagher is the Library Department Chairperson and School Librarian in the Wayne Highlands School District, Honesdale, PA.