Literacy-Math Connections

      Did you know that literature is a great way to help students grasp a math concept or skill?! I never would have thought this prior to my education of teaching young children. However, it is true! Children love to listen to and read stories. What could be more fun than hearing a book being read during math time! Tonight, I was amazed at all the wonderful math lessons I got to see by some of my fellow classmates. They did an awesome job incorporating literature into math! I heard some great stories that will aid in the development of place value, early algebra, and data analysis. The books provided students with a great introduction or closure to the math concept or skill being taught. It helps children           visualize math in real life. :) One classmate taught a lesson on graphing. Gray Rabbit's Odd One Out by Alan Baker told of a young rabbit that could not find his favorite book in his giant mess of toys! He sets out to sort the objects by types, colors, and any other way he can until he finds his book. This helps students grasp the concept of sorting objects by particular criteria, which leads into their discussion on graphing. When students graph, they sort information based on a specific feature or trait. For example, another classmate had students sort buttons by different colors, and provided students with opportunities to place these buttons onto a homemade graph!

Goodnight Moon is a great book that teaches students about patterns in writing. The same words and phrases are seen in patterns throughout the book. One classmate read this book aloud, which led into a math lesson of making patterns. Her lesson will teach students to make patterns with apples and oranges and provide them with great pattern-making activities in centers as well! The book was a great transition into a math discussion of patterns. It's exciting to see all the connections between literature and math. I believe that incorporating a story into a math lesson will help students think of the concept in a more "real"way and be able to identify and use the skill more easily in their everyday experiences with numbers! :)

What is one book you recommend using in math? What concept or skill does it help teach?