Math and Literacy Connections Help Us Learn!

My Students

"I hate Math!" Many students feel this way, as they see math as nothing more than numbers and formulas that they are required to memorize. But, math is in every aspect of our lives.

I teach third grade math in Iowa at an elementary school that is rich in diversity.

There are children from both high and low economic backgrounds, from rural and urban areas, as well as from other countries where English is not their first language. This diversity makes for a rich learning environment, but also means there is a wide range of ability when it comes to math skills. Studies show that there is an important connection between literacy and math. As stated on the ‘Literacy Matters’ web site, "Math is highly conceptual and process-oriented, requiring that students are able to do more than copy and memorize facts." We need tools to be able to reinforce this connection between literacy and mathematics.

My Project

The math curriculum that we use in our school, 'Everyday Mathematics,' provides a list of books for each unit that reinforce the specific lessons from that section via literature. These books help students to see that mathematical problems exist in all parts of their lives. The knowledge that reading and mathematics are not isolated functions can help make math lessons more accessible to all students. In 'Betcha!', two friends have a dialog about every day life where one counts precisely and one estimates, which supports the unit on how and when to use estimates. The book, "Anno's Magic Seeds" challenges kids to solve problems that strengthen multiplication skills. And, when a child is having trouble understanding fractional and spatial relationships, the book 'Ed Emberley's Picture Pie' can expand on this lesson with art projects made out of sections of circles.

If we lose kids at this point to a belief that they are no good at math, they are likely to find math increasingly harder every year, as math curriculum builds on previous lessons.

No one wants to pursue subjects that make them feel incompetent. These books were specifically picked by the creators of the curriculum to compliment the math lessons used at our school, and I believe they could be the key to that 'Aha!' moment, when understanding clicks and they experience the joy of success in math.