Deepening Student's Mathematical Understanding with Children's Literature

Deepening Students Mathematical Understanding with Children s Literature, edited by Eula Ewing Monroe, Terrell A. Young, Debra S. Fuentes, and Olivia Haworth Dial, is an important addition NCTM s books that focus on high quality children s books to create engaging and meaningful tasks that deepen mathematics learning for pre-K and elementary students. Classroom teachers in early childhood and elementary grades will find the extensive annotated bibliography that was in development for years a resource they can t live without. It offers a brief description and related research and/or instruction along with the references for hundreds of literature titles that can be used in mathematics instruction. The titles are noted by grade spans. The text also identifies four roles for literature in mathematics learning, as defined in a review of mathematics education journal articles; (a) as contexts for student problem solving; (b) as models to teach problem solving and reasoning processes; (c) as direct sources for student-designed mathematical investigations; and (d) as opportunities for students to practice and consolidate skills. For each role, sample titles of children s books are provided that teachers might use that exemplify these roles. The editors take care to outline how specific texts can be used in meeting the mathematics practice standards in a convenient chart that can be used to address standards that may not typically be met in mathematics instruction.