Math Literature

One of my favorite math literature authors is Greg Tang.  Last week, I used one of his books to review/introduce an addition strategy we'll be using the next few weeks and beyond.

When integrating math literature, I always read aloud the text twice.  The first reading is for students to get familiar with and enjoy the text.  This particular book uses famous works of art to pose challenges for the reader.   

Such vivid colors, pure and bright--

to some it was a shocking sight!

For this they dubbed Henri Matisse

a "fauve" which means a wild beast

Please group the fish to make a 9.  

Six smart ways would be just fine!

During the second reading, we discuss the math in the story by making connections.  Math-to-self connections happen when mathematicians notice connections between their own life experiences and mathematics.  For example, last week I needed change for a twenty dollar bill.  I could have made $20 with two tens, four fives, twenty ones, one ten/one five/five ones, etc. 

Math-to-math connections happen when students discover links between their present and past study of mathematics concepts and procedures.  During our discussion, the word equivalent came to mind.  Most students were familiar with equivalent fractions from third grade, when different numbers were used to represent the same amount.  So, we connected this concept to what we were reading.  We were trying to compose (build/put together) numbers using equivalent (equal, but differently expressed) combinations of smaller numbers.

We made another math-to-math connection when students realized that addition and multiplication are operations we use to compose numbers, resulting in greater numbers than those we started with.

A few times, we were really close to having all the possible expressions of a number.  A student suggested taking an existing expression and breaking apart the greatest number into something equivalent, keeping the rest of the expression the same if possible.  This lead us to talk about decomposing (breaking apart) numbers, which students connected to subtraction and division, where we start with a number and break it into smaller parts than what we started with.

This year, students will also make math-to-world connections, which focus on current events and links to mathematics.  My goal is for students to see that math is not an isolated subject...it is everywhere, every day!