Reviews for Math Through Children's Literature

The average rating for Math Through Children's Literature based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2013-05-08 00:00:00 Alvaro Nogueira De Zavala Old but Still Relevant and of Value to Teachers and Students As I was browsing through a copy, I could not help but notice the copyright date of 1993; of course, the literature mentioned in this book would have to date from that year or earlier. So, of what use could such a book be, aside from being an antique to sell on eBay. I am glad I looked through the book, as I found many exercises still relevant and worthwhile today, the hands-on manipulative kind that engage in students' higher-order thinking. Although the NCTM (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics) standards have undergone some revisions since the book was published, most of the standards are still covered in the mathematics curricula of New Jersey and other states. The first part covers an introduction to constructing a mathematics curriculum, including integrating literature. The second part covers five components: mathematics as problem solving, mathematics as communication, mathematics as reasoning, mathematical connections, and estimation; all five components are skills primary school children still need from an effective mathematics curriculum. The third part aligns specific books to the concept of number sense and numeration. Many of these books were written by respected authors; even if one can no longer find a copy online or at a local library, the activities in the book take the teacher well beyond the dreaded worksheet. The "reproducibles" allow the teacher to make his or her own materials. The same applies to the remaining NCTM standards, concepts of whole-number operations, geometry and spacial sense, measurement, statistics and probability, fractions and decimals, and patterns and relationships. Of particular note are templates (for younger students) and directions (for older students) to allow them to use geometry to make their own shapes, rather than use premade shapes, adding a noteworthy dimension to an already important activity. In sum, this book offers a host of excellent ideas to construct well-differentiated lessons that engage children. The numbering of the standards may have changed, but they are still applicable in most school and state-mandated mathematics curricula today. With the power of the Internet, one might find newer books in those cases the older ones are either out of date or not available, making this book a worthwhile reference.

Review # 2 was written on 2015-07-27 00:00:00 Steve Atkinson A lot of stories that I skimmed or skipped entirely. I got really tired of the bulk of the women in these stories being the Delilah--you know, having power over a baseball player's skill, either ruining it (love makes you incapable of playing baseball!) or escalating it (he's so happy in love, he can't be stopped!). Even then, there aren't a lot of women in this, and just the barest acknowledgement that women & girls are fans, too--or *gasp* can play ball! I would have given a lot to have read a single goddamned story about the Girls Professional Baseball League. That being said, the story I found the most offensive was the literary effort that had the protagonist *choosing* to get gangrene in his leg and having it amputated, because it...dragged his teenaged son out of his angry Goth phase? FFS. The stories I liked the best: The Pitcher & the Plutocrat by P. G. Wodehouse and A Family Game by Brendan DuBois.