Children's literature can provide a meaningful context in mathematics. There is a great variety of children's literature that relates to the big ideas in mathematics and can be used to support your instruction. I have included two read alouds written by Marilyn Burns, with three-part lessons that I have co-planned with a divisional partner that we have implemented in our classrooms this year. Both activities were engaging and effective.
Mathematical Writing
“Written communication enables students to think about and articulate what they know. Mathematical writing also provides evidence of students’ mathematical understanding. Before beginning any writing task, students need experiences in expressing their ideas orally, as well as listen to the ideas of others. The quality of a written product is significantly improved by the opportunity to participate in a class dialogue before writing” (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2006).
The above quote reflects on the importance of creating a rich math-talk learning community in our classrooms. If students have difficulty understanding or explaining a concept orally, writing about the math will be extremely difficult. Once students have a strong understanding of a concept, writing about it will become easier.
Writing in mathematics can start small. Students can begin with writing peer feedback on sticky notes during a Gallery Walk. (Students love writing on sticky notes and are not intimidated by them when they're asking to write comments on them.) I always encourage my students to write at least one "WOW", one "Now ..." and one question on their peers' work during a Gallery Walk.
Students can write about their math experience using an exit slip at the end of the class. Questions on the exit slips can be open or specific, depending on the task. Sometimes I will include a rating scale for students to use to rate their understanding, and have them state what they would like extra help with. I think this strategy is as close as I’ve come to using “math journals” in my classroom.
Students can also write procedures or create comics to write about their mathematical thinking. I have had students write procedures to share with a younger class and have had students create comic strips using “Bitstrips” to explain different concepts in math.
