Incorporating the use of children's literature when teaching mathematics to young children is a developmentally appropriate practice: "Literature … provides a means for children to encounter mathematical concepts and vocabulary in the context of something familiar, a story" (Fogelberg et al. 2008). Moreover, introducing culturally…

Teachers and researchers have known for decades that the use of storybooks can have a positive impact on students' experiences with mathematics. This article describes how first graders in an urban public school actively engage with mathematics by using the story "Bean Thirteen" as a context for developing number sense. This…

Mathematics is about reasoning, patterns, and making sense of things. Children's literature provides a powerful opportunity to foster unique experiences in mathematics learning. Storybooks, thinking strategies, and manipulatives offer a winning combination for mastering multiplication facts based on conceptual ideas and relationships. The most…

The importance of a literacy-based approach to content learning, especially within elementary school grades, is not a new idea. During the past quarter-century, the use of children's literature as an effective teaching tool has gained popularity across all content areas (Thiessen 2004). The definition of literacy has expanded not only to include…

The author is a strong proponent of incorporating the Content and Process Standards (NCTM 2000) into the teaching of mathematics. For candidates in her methods course, she models research-based best practices anchored in the Standards. Her students use manipulatives, engage in problem-solving activities, listen to children's literature, and use…

A storied math context helps students engage both emotionally and cognitively with mathematics and helps show that mathematics develops out of human experience. Children's literature also models mathematical storytelling for students, and creates opportunities for them to retell and extend stories. This article describes mathematics investigations…

Problem solving, introduced in every grade and practiced throughout elementary school, is an essential foundation on which students build their understanding of mathematical ideas, operations, and relationships. This article discusses 1-2-3 Time, an instructional mode that promotes multimodal math learning in ways that engage and sustain students'…

Integration of children's literature can be a fundamental part of instruction in mathematics classes. Emphasizing children's literature is crucial because it draws students into a story, makes them feel at home, and teaches mathematical concepts in a nonthreatening way. This article describes an example of a mini-unit on measurement taught to…

The authors describe a hands-on program that they developed after their attendance at the NCTM Algebra Academy. The article explains how to use literature to capture youngsters' attention and engage them in interactive mathematical activities.

This article describes a lesson study project that explored the impact of using storybooks to teach mathematics in three kindergarten classrooms. The study involved three kindergarten teachers and three university educators, who collaborated to plan, design, implement revise, and reflect on a unit of mathematics that focused on the concept of…

Laura Ingalls Wilder's purpose in writing the "Little House" books for children illustrate the day-to-day experiences of a girl, and her stories provide glimpses into a young mind's conceptualization of aspects of living that are mathematical in nature, such as geometric and quantitative conceptions, logical reasoning and communication, and…

Examples of how good children's literature, supported by opportunities to work on meaningful tasks, and skillful questioning can promote mathematical learning are presented. Helping children solve problems, reason, value, feel confident, and communicate their thinking as mathematicians makes mathematical concepts come alive in young children's…

With testing and accountability on everyone's mind, teachers are looking for creative ways to teach "all" subjects. Literacy is on the top of the list for testing, so it seems to get top priority. But how can teachers make sure that mathematics, especially a crucial area such as algebraic thinking, is a priority as well? Integrating subject matter…

This article describes a mathematics unit developed with second-grade students based on the story, "Grandpa's Quilt." The activities encourage students to make connections with a number of areas of mathematics, particularly patterns and relationships, measurement, geometry, and spatial sense as well as multiplication activities. (Contains 7…

This article describes lessons that link mathematics topics with literature, the NCTM's Navigations series, and art projects. Each lesson is designed around a theme and is laced throughout with fantasy. (Contains 13 figures.)