Celebrating Math Through
Literature
Edmonton Catholic Schools are celebrating math by organizing a full or half day of activities centred around math and literature. Students become actively involved in a variety of math-related activities through exposure to a good piece of fiction or nonfiction that is related to a math concept. They experience math in a motivating and experiential way and, through literature, see math in a context. Following is an outline for organizing a day around “math and literature.”
- It is best to plan separate activities for Divisions 1 and 2 with some activities that overlap. You may choose to do Division 1 on a separate day as well.
- The size of the group should not exceed 15 or 16 so as to make sure that all students are having success with the activity. The number of groups will determine the number of activities, although duplicating activities can be done successfully.
- Each activity should last about 40 minutes. Groups will move from one activity to another.
Activities include the following:
- Bubblemania-measuring distance around, diameter and height of bubbles blown on a table
- Who Sank the Boat?-construction, mass and estimation
- The Keeping Quilt-2D shapes, transformational geometry, tessalations
- Guinness Book of World Records-problem-solving strategies centred around world facts
- How Much Is a Million, What’s Smaller Than a Pigmy Shrew?–estimation with quantity, mass, volume
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (excerpts)-probability
- Ten Black Dots-number, skip counting, number patterns
- 1O for Dinner-statistics
- Grandfather Tang’s Story-2D geometry
Learning journals were used to record responses and to comment on learning throughout the day. Students and teachers who participated in this day found it to be worthwhile, and parents commented on the excitement that came home. This is a great way to celebrate math.
If you would like more information on how to organize the day and on specific activities, please e-mail or fax Betty Morris at morris@ecs.edmonton.ab.ca, phone (780) 441-6105, fax (780) 441-0181. •
Betty Morris
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Betty Morris
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