Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Assignment
1:
Using
Childrens
Literature
in
Primary
Mathematics
Alanah Bresnehan
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Introduction
Students
from
an
early
age
are
exposed
to
narrative
comprehension
through
the
use
of
stories
and
the
elements
that
are
composed
within
the
pages.
The
stories
that
excite
and
enhance
a
students
motivation
can
be
manipulated
into
other
disciplinary
units
in
the
curriculum.
In
particular,
Mathematics,
as
mathematical
concepts
can
be
traditionally
hard
to
teach
to
students
that
have
no
motivation
to
grasp
the
concept.
Throughout
this
report
there
will
be
discussion
and
exploration
on
the
use
of
childrens
literature
and
to
enhance
engagement
and
conceptual
understanding
in
mathematics.
classroom.
This
stage
also
explains
different
elements
of
the
book
that
students
are
asked
to
stress
throughout
their
mathematic
work.
The
final
stage
involves
Generalisation
causing
the
students
to
explain
where
what
is
learnt
is
applies
and
used
(2013).
These
stages
comply
with
the
theories
of
inquiry-based
learning.
Teachers
that
are
trying
to
combine
literacy
and
mathematics
concern
themselves
with
the
process
and
personal
understanding
of
the
student,
rather
than
the
knowledge
product.
Using
a
mathematical
centred
book
is
helpful
in
influencing
appropriate
mathematical
concepts
and
language.
Marston
(as
cited
in
Bragg
et
al.,
2013)
conducted
a
framework
for
selecting
texts
to
use
in
a
mathematics
classroom.
These
frameworks
include
Mathematical
content,
Curriculum
content,
integration
of
the
mathematical
content,
the
mathematical
meaning,
problem
solving
and
reasoning,
affordance
for
mathematical
learning,
and
finally
the
pedagogical
implementation.
The
idea
of
the
book
is
to
be
able
to
use
it
throughout
the
classroom
using
different
elements
to
cover
multiple
areas
of
curriculum.
Though
these
frameworks
can
easily
be
seen
in
simple
counting
books
students
should
be
able
to
have
the
ability
to
investigate
further
into
literature.
Inquiry-based
teachers
argue
that
it
is
about
invention,
and
that
mathematical
enquiry
is
a
creative
pursuit,
(Fischer,
2013)
which
allows
teachers
to
help
students
create
abstract
constructions
through
the
exploration
of
texts
that
go
further
than
just
counting.
Some
theorists
argue
that
though
the
teacher
may
encourage
the
use
of
the
text,
they
must
not
impose
the
literature
on
them
to
teach
a
specific
skill
(Shih
and
Giorgis,
2004).
In
summary,
the
use
of
literature
in
mathematics
is
a
highly
inquiry-based
approach
to
teaching
students.
It
allows
teachers
to
conduct
lessons
and
programs
that
enable
interdisciplinary
subjects
and
also
frameworks
that
can
efficiently
allow
students
to
develop
better
values,
attitudes
and
understandings
to
mathematics
without
being
lectured
from
a
teacher.
As
teachers
move
into
the
inquiry-based
learning
pedagogy
they
construct
a
goal
to
enhance
and
extend
a
students
understanding
by
enhancing
and
extending
story,
not
by
diverting
attention
away
from
the
story
(Shih
and
Giogis,
2004)
Allowing
students
to
use
the
basis
of
experience
and
communication
to
better
understand
mathematical
concepts
and
assign
facts
that
relate
back
to
mathematics
and
literature.
List
of
Data
Facts
from
poster;
Data
Fact
#1:
An
African
elephant
can
stand
up
to
4
meters
high.
Data
Fact
#2:
The
largest
African
elephant
ever
recorded
weighed
13.5
tones.
Data
Fact
#3:
Elephants
can
live
up
to
70
years
old.
Data
Fact
#4:
The
elephants
habitat
range
shrank
from
3,000,
000
square
miles
in
1979
to
1,
000,
000
square
miles
in
2007.
Data
Fact
#5:
An
elephants
family
usually
contains
10
elephants.
Data
Fact
#6:
African
Savannah
elephants
are
found
in
37
countries
in
the
continent
of
Africa.
How big of an area is 3,000, 000 square miles if one square miles is equal to 2.5 square kilometres?
Data
Fact
#2:
The
largest
African
elephant
ever
recorded
weighed
13.5
tones.
What
happens
if
an
elephant
is
aged
15,
how
many
more
15
years
does
an
elephant
have
until
they
reach
70?
References
Bragg,
LA,
Koch,
J,
Willis,
A
2014,
Once
upon
a
time:
children's
literature
and
mathematics,
MAV
2013:
Mathematics
of
planet
earth:
Proceedings
of
the
MAV
50th
Annual
Conference
2013
2014,
Mathematical
Association
of
Victoria,
Melbourne,
VIC,
pp.
13-22
Reys,
RE,
Lindquist,
MM,
Lambdin,
DV,
Smith,
NL,
Rogers,
A,
Falle,
J,
Frid,
S,
Bennett,
S,
2012,
Helping
Children
Learn
Mathematics,
Milton,
John
Wiley
&
Sons
Australia
Ltd.
Shih,
JC,
Giorgis,
C,
2004,
Building
Mathematics
and
Literature
Connection
through
Childrens
responses,
Teaching
Children
Mathematics,
Vol.
10
No.
6,
Published
by
National
Council
of
Teacher
of
Mathematics,pp.
328-333