Math Class Need a Makeover? Try Some Good Books
Posted on October 1, 2010 by Suzan Woodard in Reading Lists, Uncategorized.
Tags: Arithmetic, Getting Started with Math, Math books for kids, math concepts, Math literacy, Weekly Reader
Big Universe offers grade-leveled math books for teachers and homeschooling parents, who are laying foundational math skills. The books present the subject in a positive light, which is half the battle.
Getting Started with Math, the series by Weekly Reader, uses age appropriate vocabulary and vibrant photographs to convey the relevance of math in daily life while reinforcing reading and interpretive skills for the K-Grade 1 crowd.
“The books in the Getting Started with Math series are designed to support young readers in the earliest stages of literacy,” says literacy coach Susan Nations of Weekly Reader. “Readers will love looking at full-color photographs and illustrations as they develop skills in early math concepts. This integration allows young children to maximize their learning as they see how thoughts and ideas connect across content area.”
Weekly Reader also has published the Math in Our World study aid for Grade 2 and up. Sylvan Dell Publishing offers math books, including “One Odd Day” and “My Even Day,” which won Learning Magazine’s Teachers’ Choice Award for Children’s Books in 2008. Charlesbridge Publishing introduces the Pythagorean Theorem and the idea of ratios in “What’s Your Angle, Pythagoras?” and “Pythagoras and the Ratios.”
Math Titles on Big Universe
- Counting at the Market
- Counting at the Zoo
- Counting in the City
- Using Math at the Class Party
- Using Math Outdoors
- Using Math to Make Party Plans
- Using Money at the Lemonade Stand
- Using Money on a Shopping Trip
- Measuring at the Dog Show
- Measuring on a Treasure Hunt
- Adding and Subtracting at the Lake
- Adding and Subtracting in Math Club
- Doubles Fun on the Farm
- Finding Shortest and Longest
- Graphing Favorite Things
- How Far Away? Comparing Trips
- Patterns on Parade
- Tables and Graphs of Healthy Things
- Telling Time All the Time
- Pythagoras and the Ratios
- Big and Little
- My Even Day
- Seconds, Minutes, and Hours
- Pounds, Feet, and Inches
- Pints, Quarts, and Gallons
- Sort it Out
- Teddy Bear Counting
- What’s Your Angle, Pythagoras?
- My Half Day
- One Odd Day
- Crafty Kids
- What’s the Difference? An Endangered Animal Subtraction Story
My husband is a mathematics professor at Furman University. He teaches concepts that are at the other end of the spectrum, and yet he sees the value of these simple picture books for children.
“Stimulating material is essential, and a positive attitude toward math is paramount,” he says. “Somewhere between birth and college, kids are being labeled “good at math” or “bad at math.” So many people think they are born that way; however, the vast majority is simply exposed to dull, dry teaching. I see the evidence of that all the time. These college kids are bright, but somewhere they’ve gotten off track. Somewhere, someone has said, ‘Ew-w-w, math! I hate math,’ and the child starts equating mathematics with stewed beets and the smell of skunks. So, a good foundation is important. I love the positive approach these Big Universe books take. Math supports the whole world. It’s relevant!”
Amen.
NOTE: (Oct. 5, 2010) You might be interested in reading a paper by several Sydney scholars, titled “Mathematical Attitudes, Beliefs and Achievement in Primary Pre-service Mathematics Teacher Education” (Mathematics Teacher Education and Development, 2005-2006). It has an expansive list of references at the end for those who would like to do further reading on this topic.
NOTE: (Feb. 2, 2011) Big Universe has added a mathematics reference volume to its virtual bookshelf. It looks like a good book to have on your desk if you teach elementary and middle school math. Check it out: “Rourke’s World of Science Encyclopedia, Volume 8: Mathematics.”
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[...] There are many ways to enrich financial literacy lessons at school too: games, books, hands-on activities and even poems. Here is a humorous poem by Shel Silverstein, followed by a nice list of online books about money on Big Universe. For an extensive list of other math books on the website, visit my blog titled “Math Class Need a Makeover? Try Some Good Books.” [...]