Finding the Math in Books: Ideas for Staff Table of...

Finding the Math in Books: Ideas for Staff

Table of Contents

National Head Start Family Literacy Center, Sonoma State University

1

Introduction

Part I: Some Books for Mathematizing

General Children’s Books

Good Night Gorilla written and illustrated by Peggy Rathmann

Goodnight Moon written by Margaret Wise Brown and

illustrated by Clement Hurd

Just a Little Bit written by Ann Tompert and illustrated by Lynn

Munsinger

“More More More,” said the Baby: 3 Love Stories written and

illustrated by Vera B. Williams

The Carrot Seed written by Ruth Krauss and illustrated by

Crockett Johnson

Whistle for Willie written and illustrated by Ezra Jack Keats

Books That Highlight Math

Is It Larger? Is It Smaller? written and illustrated by Tana Hoban

The Very Hungry Caterpillar written and illustrated by Eric Carle

Part II: Highlighting Number and Operations

Anno’s Counting Book written and illustrated by Mitsumasa

Anno

Feast for 10 written and illustrated by Cathryn Falwell

Over in the Meadow written and illustrated by Paul Galdone


Table of Contents


2

Quack and Count written and illustrated by Keith Baker

Ten Black Dots written and illustrated by Donald Crews

Ten, Nine, Eight written and illustrated by Molly Bang

Part III: Highlighting Geometry and Spatial Sense – in

development

Part IV: Highlighting Patterns – in development

Part V: Highlighting Measurement – in development

Glossary

Bibliography


Introduction


3

Sharing books with children is a way for staff to learn more about

what children know and understand about math and to expand

children’s understanding of math. This guide provides information on

how to use books to highlight math learning. Staff may also want to

share this information with the families of the children in their

classroom.

Children often reveal what they know about math as they interact

with books. For example, children will often spontaneously count

objects in a book or make comments about the size or position of

characters in a book (“That dog is so big!”). Children’s questions and

their responses to adults’ comments let us know (1) what they know

and (2) what they are thinking.

Children’s books help open the world to young children. Books

offer staff a powerful tool for expanding young children’s

mathematical vocabulary and supporting their developing

mathematical knowledge.

Through book reading, children can have mathematical

experiences during a familiar and engaging activity. As children

and adults talk about the math concepts and relationships they

find in the story or illustrations, children build their conceptual

understanding and their math-related vocabulary. Problems found

in books can stimulate children’s mathematical thinking.

Through book-reading experiences children can:

practice their developing mathematical skills

develop their abilities to reason about mathematical situations

solve problems

express their thinking through their actions and words

increase their natural interest in math


Introduction


4

Staff can use books, with individual children or small groups, to assess

children’s mathematical understanding and help them to solidify

and expand their knowledge and their vocabulary.

Many children’s books are rich in math and math-related content.

Some children’s books focus specifically on math concepts. These

range from simple counting books to books that embed math

concepts or problem solving in the story or pictures.

Others, including many favorites, are not specifically mathematical

but include situations in their text or illustrations that invite

“mathematizing.” Such books allow staff to intentionally expand

children’s understandings and their vocabularies.

For example, Good Night Gorilla is a story about a zookeeper saying

good night to each of the animals in the zoo. While this is not

specifically a number book, staff can encourage children to count

the animals, to talk about the sequence of events in the story (“Who

did the gorilla let out last?”), and to learn ordinal number words (first,

second, third).


Introduction


5

How can staff “mathematize” book reading? It is helpful

for staff to read the book to themselves before reading

it to children. This enables them to identify

vocabulary words and concepts that they want

to focus on to expand children’s knowledge.

Staff can enhance the book-reading experience

in these ways:

Use a variety of mathematical vocabulary to describe pictures

or events in the book. For example, use math language to talk

about the scenes in Goodnight Moon – “The two little kittens

are in the middle of the rug.”

Draw children’s attention to mathematical relationships, such

as same, more than, less than.

Encourage children to solve problems posed in the story line.

Pose natural mathematical questions that follow from the text

or illustrations of the book. For example, books like Is It Larger? Is

It Smaller? picture many objects that children will enjoy

counting. Ask “How many hats are hanging on the wall?”

Use children’s natural interests to introduce new math

concepts. For example, use a child’s interest in animals to talk

about the number of animals on each page.

Carry the mathematical concepts and language from a book-

reading experience to daily experiences. For example, after

reading The Carrot Seed, plant seeds and keep a record of

how long it takes for the seeds to come up.


Introduction


6

Consider the cultural and linguistic characteristics of individual

families when selecting books. People enjoy and are

comfortable with different things. Choose a variety of books,

including books that reflect the cultural heritage and

languages of families in your program. Give lots of options!




7

This section offers a small sample of children’s books that are

appropriate for supporting a wide variety of math concepts. Most

are general children’s books that aren’t necessarily thought of as

books for math, for example The Carrot Seed. However, these

books are rich in math and math-related content, and contain

multiple opportunities for mathematizing.

Several of the books in this section focus specifically on one or

more math concepts. For example, Is It Larger? Is It Smaller?

focuses on measurement. However, this book is also full of

opportunities for teaching number concepts and skills.

For each book, there is a brief summary of the book and

suggestions for how to support math learning. This includes ideas

for sharing the book with families. There are also multiple examples

of the mathematical ideas that each book contains. You and the

children may find many more.





8

Good Night Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann

Spanish edition: Buenas Noches, Gorila

About the book . . .

This book relates a story with pictures and very few words. As the

zookeeper says “Good night” to the animals one by one, the gorilla

unlocks their cages one by one, and all the animals follow the

zookeeper home.

Appropriate for toddlers and preschoolers

Using this book . . .

This is a nice book to share

with family members who

may have a wide range of

reading abilities. The story

line is easily picked up from

the illustrations, and family

members can be

encouraged to talk about

what’s happening in their

own words.

Talk with toddlers about

what’s happening in the

pictures—for example, “The

gorilla opened the cage

door. The giraffe is coming

out.” and “Where is the little

mouse now? He’s sleeping in

the drawer.”

Encourage preschoolers to

notice the story’s repeating

pattern, to count the

animals, and to identify

which animal gets out of the

cage first, second, and so

on.





9

Good Night Gorilla by Peggy Rathman

Spanish edition: Buenas Noches, Gorila

Mathematical ideas . . .

Number—counting, cardinal numbers, ordinal numbers

Count the animals with the children to find out how many there

are altogether. “Let’s count the animals on this page . . . one, two,

three. That’s right, there are three!” Encourage preschoolers to

count by asking questions like “How many animals are following

the zookeeper?” (cardinal numbers)

Ask preschoolers to identify which animal is first, second, third in

line. “The gorilla is walking behind the zookeeper. He’s the first

animal in line. Which animal is second? Which animal is third?”

(ordinal numbers)

Measurement—size comparisons

Compare the animals by size. “Which animal is tallest? Which

animal is fattest? Which animal has the longest tail?”

Spatial sense—position

Describe or ask the children where the animals are sleeping. “The

mouse is sleeping in the drawer.” “Where are the elephant and

the lion?” “Yes, the elephant and lion are on the floor.” “Who is

sleeping in the bed?” “The gorilla is beside the zookeeper’s wife in

the bed.”

Patterns—repeating patterns

Encourage the children to notice the predictable, repeating

sequence—the zookeeper says good night, the gorilla unlocks the

cage, and each animal follows one by one. “The zookeeper says

good night to the animal. Next the gorilla unlocks the door. And

then the animal gets in line and follows the zookeeper and the

other animals. The line of animals keeps getting longer.”

Encourage children to predict what will happen next. “What will

the gorilla do now?”





10

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

Illustrated by Clement Hurd

Spanish edition: Buenas Noches, Luna


This lyrical book with its warm, detailed illustrations is a favorite for

generations of children. At bedtime, the bunny takes us on a tour of

the “great green room” by naming the special things in it. Then he

says goodnight to each one—and to a few things he hasn’t named

before—and then he falls asleep.

Appropriate for infants and toddlers, and very young preschoolers


As the bunny bids goodnight

to all the things in his room as

well as the moon and other

things he sees out the

window, notice that his

words form a simple

repeating pattern of

“goodnights.”

Infants enjoy hearing the

words and looking at the

pictures. Point to the objects

as you name them. Stress the

number words when

pointing to multiples, such as

two kittens and two mittens.

This is an excellent book for

supporting toddlers and

young preschoolers’ number

sense, spatial sense, and

vocabulary.

Family members will be

pleased to hear that this

popular book can help very

young children to begin to

learn math concepts. Share

some ideas for supporting

children’s learning about

two and three.





11

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

Spanish edition: Buenas Noches, Luna


Number—very small number words (one, two, three), identifying

“how many,” counting, comparing

As you read the book, stress the numbers of things that are named

and/or pictured. “There are three bears in the picture.” “I see two

kittens and four mittens.”

Many things in the “great green room” come in groups of two

(socks, clocks, slippers). Ask “Where are…?” questions that

emphasize number. “Where are the two kittens?”

With older toddlers, ask “How many?” questions. “How many

clocks are there?” “How many windows do you see?”

Compare numbers of things (same number, more than, less/fewer

than). “I see the same number of mittens and socks—two mittens

here and two socks here.”

Spatial sense—position, spatial vocabulary

Describe the cow jumping “over the moon” and the bears “sitting

on chairs.” Use these words as a starting point to talk about

position. “The kittens are on the rug.” “The bowl, comb, and brush

are on the table.” “The little bunny is in bed.”

Ask “Where’s the mouse?” Even very young children enjoy finding

the mouse that moves from place to place on different pages

and pointing to it. Use spatial position terms to describe where the

mouse is. “The mouse is on the floor.” “Oh—now the mouse is in

front of the fire.” “The mouse is on the window sill looking out.”

Pattern—repeating pattern

Young children learn to anticipate that each “goodnight” is

followed by the name of whatever is pictured on that page. They

may begin to participate in the reading by saying “goodnight”

and/or naming what is pictured.





12

Just a Little Bit by Ann Tompert

Illustrated by Lynn Munsinger


An elephant and mouse are at the park and want to play on the

seesaw together. Their animal friends come to help them out when

they encounter the obvious problem.

Appropriate for preschoolers


Encourage children to talk

about their own experiences

with seesaws. “What

happened when you sat on

the seesaw by yourself?”

“What happened when your

friend got on the other

side?” Share with families

that asking these kinds of

questions can help children

relate their own experiences

with weight and balance to

what happens in the story.

This book could be used

along with classroom

activities related to weight

and balance, introducing

words such as heavier,

lighter, and same weight as.

Share with family members

that this book about friends

cooperating is also about

solving a problem involving

weight. Family members and

children can talk about the

problem that the mouse and

elephant face, using words

such as lighter and heavier.

Questions such as “What

should the animals do

now?” encourage children

to think about the problem

and suggest solutions.





13

Just a Little Bit by Ann Tompert


Measurement—weight and size comparisons and vocabulary

Compare the sizes and weights of the various animals (heavy,

light, big, small; heavier, lighter, bigger, smaller). “Which animal

looks bigger—the bear or the monkey?” “Which animal do you

think is lighter—the lion or the ostrich?”

Compare the collective weight of the animals on the mouse’s

side of the seesaw to the weight of the elephant. “How can you

tell if the elephant weighs more than the mouse, giraffe, and

zebra all put together?”

Problem solving involving concepts of weight, size, and balance

Ask the children to predict what will happen as each friend joins

the mouse on his side of the seesaw. “What do you think will

happen when the bear gets on?”

Ask the children to give explanations for why it's not working when

different animals get on the seesaw. “Why didn’t the seesaw go

down? What should the animals do now?”





14

“More More More,” Said the Baby:

3 Love Stories by Vera B. Williams

Spanish edition: “Más Más Más,” Dijo el

Bebé: 3 Historias de Amor


This book consists of three short stories about adults interacting with

babies they love. Each of the beautifully illustrated stories depicts a

similar sequence of catching the running baby, picking the baby up,

holding the baby close, and kissing and playing with the baby until

the baby laughs, “More More More.”

Appropriate for toddlers


The overall sequence of

events in each story forms a

sort of simple repeating

pattern: We meet the baby;

the adult picks up the baby,

plays with and talks to the

baby; and so on. This

repetition helps the very

young child follow the story

and begin to anticipate

what will happen next.


that while reading this book,

they may want to playfully

do the same actions as

those described in the book

and encourage use of the

word “more.”





15

“More More More,” Said the Baby: 3 Love Stories by Vera B. Williams

Spanish edition: “Más Más Más,” Dijo el Bebé: 3 Historias de Amor


Pattern—repeating pattern

The sequence of events in each story forms a simple repeating

pattern. After hearing the book a few times, toddlers may repeat

some of the words and phrases as you come to them in the book.

Toward the end of a story, ask “And, then, what did the baby

say?”

Number, spatial sense

The dynamic illustrations bring to life concepts such as speed

(running fast), motion (swinging all around), and position in space

(lifting up high), all in relation to the baby’s own experience and

body. “Little Guy is running fast. Let’s see if his daddy can catch

him.”

Other concepts include number and quantity (two eyes, ten toes;

more) and location (middle, side, end). “Grandma is tasting Little

Pumpkin’s ten toes. Let’s count your ten little toes.” “Here’s your

belly button. It’s right in the middle of your tummy.”





16

The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss

Illustrated by Crockett Johnson

Spanish edition: La Semilla de Zanahoria


This classic favorite tells the story of a little boy who plants a carrot

seed. No one but the boy believes the carrot will come up. He pulls

the weeds and waters it carefully day after day and, finally, a very

big carrot grows!



Along with many other

important concepts, the

story illustrates the passage

of time in a way that is

understandable and

interesting to young children.

Extend these time concepts

to other activities. For

example, plant seeds and

keep track of how long it

takes for them to come up.


that this story about growing

a carrot can encourage

children to think about and

begin to understand time

concepts and words related

to time. They can point out

the passage of time and the

order of events by asking

questions such as “What

happened first? Next? Every

day?”





17

The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss

Spanish edition: La Semilla de Zanahoria


Time—passage of time, ordering of events in time, time-related

vocabulary

Encourage children to think about and retell the order of events in

the story. “What did the little boy do first?” “What did the boy do

every day to make the carrot come up?”

Try to figure out how long it took to grow the carrot. “How many

days do you think it took for the carrot to come up?”

Measurement—size comparisons, ordering by size

The carrot that the boy grows is very, very big. Ask children to

compare the size of the carrot the boy grew to the size of the little

boy. “Which is bigger—the carrot or the boy?”

Compare the size of the carrot in the story to the size of real

carrots. “Are the real carrots that we eat this big?” “How big are

they?”

Have carrots for snack and compare their sizes. Help the children

to put the carrots in order by size. Talk about same size, longer,

shorter, and middle-sized. “These carrots look like they’re the

same size.” “Which carrot is longer—your carrot or my carrot?”

Then take the carrots to the kitchen so that the cook can clean

them and cut them up for future snack, soup, or stew. Talk about

the carrots and their new shape, size, and taste when the

children are eating the cooked carrots.





18

Whistle for Willie by Ezra Jack Keats

Spanish edition: Sílbale a Willie


Peter wants so much to be able to whistle for his dog, Willie, to come

to him. The book follows Peter’s adventures as he practices and

practices his whistling around the neighborhood and at home. The

book is full of very rich language describing Peter’s actions. These

actions come to life in the simple but vivid illustrations.



Read the book outside with

the children. Then give them

chalk and encourage them

to draw their own paths on

the playground. Talk with

them about where their

chalk lines go using different

spatial vocabulary.


that they can use this book

to help their children

develop spatial concepts

and language. Suggest that

they talk with their children

about the various places

that Willie practiced whistling

using position/location words

such as in, on, and in front of.

After reading the book, ask

the children to imitate some

of the things Willie did—

turning around and around,

walking on a crack or line,

jumping, hiding in a box. Ask

them to tell you what they’re

doing, and model using

spatial words. For example,

“You’re walking on the chalk

line you drew.” “Rashad and

Emily went under that big

box.”





19

Whistle for Willie by Ezra Jack Keats

Spanish edition: Sílbale a Willie


Spatial sense and vocabulary

As Peter practices his whistling, he whirls around and around, he

hides in a carton, he draws a long line, and so forth. Ask “Where

did Peter practice his whistling?” Help children to use spatial

vocabulary when they reply: on the sidewalk, in the carton, in

front of the mirror, and other places.

Follow the path of the long line that Peter draws, and talk with the

children about where the line goes. “Where did Peter’s line go?”

Again encourage the children to use different spatial words as

they describe where the line goes: out of the box, around the

corner, along the sidewalk, in a circle around the girls jumping

rope, in another circle around the barber pole, and right up to

Peter’s door.

Geometry—shapes

Find other circles in the pictures. “Where else do you see a

circle?” Encourage the children to find other shapes (lots of

rectangular shapes). “What shapes do you see on the building?”

Number—counting

Count the locations in the book where Peter tried to whistle. “How

many different places did Peter practice his whistling?” Together,

you and the children can find and count all the places that Peter

practiced whistling. “Let’s find where Peter first tried to whistle.

Where did he go next?”

Patterns

Encourage children to notice the visual patterns in the colorful

illustrations. For example, point out the repeating zigzag pattern

on Peter’s shirt “See the pattern – up, down, up, down.” or the two

different color patterns on the barber pole (white, red, white, red

and white, blue, white, red).





20

Is It Larger? Is It Smaller? by Tana Hoban


In this wordless book, beautiful photographs show a wide variety of

objects, and sometimes people, of various sizes—some large, some

small, and some middle-size. The objects in the photographs also

vary in shape, color, number, and other qualities.



This book provides many

opportunities to

“mathematize.” Draw

children’s attention to size

relationships in the

photographs by using words

such as bigger/smaller and

longer/shorter. There are lots

of things to compare on

every page. The more you

look, the more you find to

compare.

When reading this book with

toddlers, focus on identifying

big and little objects and

counting small numbers of

objects.

When reading this book with

preschoolers, compare the

sizes of objects using a

variety of comparison terms.


ways to use comparison

terms when looking at the

pictures. Family members

and children may also enjoy

making real life comparisons

– for example, comparing

the size of parent’s hand

with child’s hand when

looking at the photograph of

the hands.





21

Is It Larger? Is It Smaller? by Tana Hoban


Measurement—size comparisons, measurement vocabulary (big,

little, small, middle-sized, short, long; larger, smaller, shorter, longer;

largest, smallest)

With toddlers, you may want to simply identify, and eventually

have the child identify, the objects by size using words like big and

little. “Here’s the big fish, and there’s the little fish.”

With preschoolers, use comparison terms to order objects by size

(larger, smaller, longest, shortest). “Which leaf is the biggest?”

“Which leaf is the smallest?” “Which one is middle-sized?” “The

blue pitcher with the pink flowers is larger than the white pitcher

with the yellow flowers.”

Number—counting, comparing

Count the objects in the photographs. Ask “How many?”

questions. “How many hats are hanging on the wall? Let’s count

them—one, two, three, four.”

Count and compare numbers of objects by type, size, or other

properties such as color or shape. “How many big hats are

there?” “How many little hats?” “I see one big pig. Let’s count the

little pigs.” “There are two white shoes and two black shoes.”





22

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

Spanish edition: La Oruga Muy Hambrienta


This classic children’s book tells the story of a caterpillar and what he

eats in the one week before he builds a cocoon and, two weeks

later, turns into a butterfly! On Monday he eats through one apple.

Each day after, he eats one more fruit than the day before—up to

five oranges on Friday. On Saturday, he eats 10 things and grows

very big!



For toddlers and younger

preschoolers who are

learning to count, provide

plastic fruit that they can use

to practice counting.

Older preschoolers may

enjoy acting out the story or

retelling the story with a felt

or flannel board.


that they can use this book

to help their children learn to

count. Together with their

children they can notice the

pattern of one more fruit

each day and count the

number of fruits the

caterpillar eats each day.





23

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

Spanish edition: La Oruga Muy Hambrienta


Number—counting, comparing

Count the items the caterpillar eats each day. “On Wednesday

the caterpillar ate plums. How many plums did he eat?” “How

many things did he eat on Saturday?”

Compare the amounts the caterpillar eats each day. “Did the

caterpillar eat more plums or more strawberries?” “Did he eat

more on Friday or more on Saturday?”

For very small numbers (one, two, three), children may just want to

say the number without counting. Encourage children who are

learning counting to count two or three items.

Ask older preschoolers to show how many items the caterpillar ate

by holding up the same number of fingers.

Number operations, number patterns

Point out the pattern in the story. “For the first five days, the

caterpillar eats one more fruit each day.”

Ask children to make predictions. “The caterpillar ate three on

Wednesday. Each day he eats one more fruit. How many will he

eat the next day?” Ask older preschoolers “How many will he eat

on Thursday?”




24

Infants and toddlers enjoy hearing simple, rhyming

language and looking at the pictures in counting

books even before they understand the

mathematical content.

What infants and toddlers can

learn from counting books:

Begin to understand that

number words are about

amounts of things

Begin to learn math words

How staff can use counting

books with infants and toddlers:

Point to the pictures that the

number words refer to

Model counting small

numbers of objects

Relate the words and

pictures to the child’s own

experience

Many children’s books help young children learn about number

and operations. They provide opportunities for staff to help

children explore number (counting, quantity, comparing quantity,

ordering numbers, and numeral recognition) as well as operations

(adding—joining to, taking away—separating, multiplying, and

dividing—sharing).

There are excellent books written to support counting and other

number skills and concepts. Many of the number concepts are

found in the illustrations. These books also contain other math

concepts that you can point out and discuss with children.

Six books are described. For each book, the story line is described

and suggestions are made for ways that staff can use the books

with young children. Specific ideas are included on how to read

each book to highlight the mathematical content. The glossary

defines mathematical terms that are used.




25

Preschool children love to count and explore

number concepts in all their activities, including

book reading.

What preschoolers can learn

from counting books:

Develop their counting skills

Explore number relationships

and concepts in the book’s

text or illustrations.

Practice using mathematical

operations to solve real-life

problems

Make connections between

numerals, number words,

and the number of objects

they represent

How staff can use counting

books with preschoolers:

Count objects with the

children.

Encourage children to count

to find out how many and to

solve simple problems.

Ask questions that guide

children to explore number

relations and concepts in the

book’s text or illustrations.

Encourage older

preschoolers to recognize

and name some written

numerals and notice that

each numeral and number

word stands for a particular

number of objects.

Plan activities that extend

the mathematical ideas in

books.




26

Anno’s Counting Book by Mitsumasa Anno About the book . . .

This wordless book represents the numbers 1through 12 in scenes of a

growing village across the 12 months of the year. The first page has a

snowy landscape with a river running through it. On the next page,

the village begins to appear with one house, one child, one adult,

one pine tree, and so forth. Objects are added as the village grows.

The seasons and activities change. The scenes become more and

more complex as the numbers of objects increase.



Some objects in the pictures

are much easier to count

because they are large or

are in a line. Others are

scattered about on the

page, and you have to look

for them. Count the easier

ones first. Try the harder ones

as children’s skills develop.

Read this book again and

again over time as the

children and you find new

things to think about and

more concepts to explore.

Older preschool children

can create their own

counting books with scenes

of their community, using

numbers one to five (or more

or fewer, as appropriate).

This is a nice book to share

with families who may have a

wide range of reading

abilities. Encourage family

members to talk about the

scenes in the book and

count the objects with their

children. Explain that children

who are starting to count

have an easier time counting

large objects that are

arranged in a line. Suggest

that they and their children

can make a game out of

finding and counting the

children, animals, flowers, or

other objects that are

scattered on the page.




27

Anno’s Counting Book by Mitsumasa Anno

Number and Operations ideas . . .

Counting up to 12 objects, cardinal numbers, comparing quantity

Count the buildings, trees, adults, children, animals, and other

objects with the children. Depending on children’s counting

knowledge and skills, you may want to count the objects for

them, ask them to count with you, or encourage them to count

on their own. “Let’s count the ducks walking in a row—one, two,

three, four, five, six. Six ducks!”

Ask questions about the numbers of objects. “How many pigs is

the lady feeding?” “How many of the same kind of flowers (or

trees) do you see?”

Ask questions to encourage children to compare numbers of

items in the pictures. “Do you think there are the same number of

dragonflies and horses? Let’s count to find out.”

Number composition (composing and decomposing), addition

(joining to)

Ask questions to guide the children in exploring the math

concepts and relations. “Two children are holding the rope. How

many are running? How many children are there altogether?”

Encourage children to describe and tell stories about what is

happening in the scenes using number words and other math-

related vocabulary. “See the children playing at the river? How

many are in the water? What are the other children doing?”




28

Feast for 10 by Cathryn Falwell

Spanish edition: Fiesta para 10


Objects in this book are

pictured as they might

appear in real-life activities –

shopping, cooking, and

serving food. Children can

practice counting objects

that are not organized in lines

or rows for easy counting.

Help them, as needed, to find

and count the objects.

Have the children retell the

story using props and math

language from the book.

Staff can set up a grocery

store for children to pretend

to go shopping and practice

their number skills.

Share some ideas for math

learning with family

members. They can

encourage children to tell

their own story about going

shopping or helping with

cooking at home using the

numbers 1 though 10.

Children can also count to

find out the answer to “How

many?” on each page.


In this counting book, a mother and children go shopping for food

and then cook and serve a “feast” to their family. As the family

shops for food, the numbers 1 through 10 are represented by one

shopping cart and the items they put into it (two pumpkins, three

chickens, and so forth). The sequence (1 to 10) is repeated at

home when the family prepares and serves the meal. The book

uses numbers in a real-life activity that children may relate to their

own experiences.





29

Feast for 10 by Cathryn Falwell


Counting up to 10 objects, cardinal numbers, comparing, numeral

recognition

Count the pictured items with the children. “Let’s count the

pickles in this jar.” “Help me count how many children are helping

with the shopping.”

As you read the number words, point out the numeral on the

page. Once children have learned to recognize and read some

of the numerals, instead of saying the number word, point to the

numeral and let the children say it.

Ask “How many?” questions that encourage children to compare

numbers. “How many pumpkins for pie? How many chickens to

fry? Are there more pumpkins or more chickens?” “How many

ripe tomatoes? How many plump potatoes? Are there fewer (or

less) tomatoes or potatoes?”

Number composition (composing and decomposing), addition and

subtraction, problem solving

Ask mathematical problems suggested by the text and pictures.

“How many pans are on the stove? How many are in the oven?

How many pans altogether?”

After reading “Ten hungry folks to share the meal,” ask “How

many chairs are at the table?” If necessary, go back to the page

before to see that there are nine. Ask “How many people don’t

have a chair? Are there more people or chairs? What should they

do?”




30

Over in the Meadow by Paul Galdone


Read the book enough

times to familiarize children

with the repeating, rhyming

pattern so that they can

participate in the reading by

saying the number, naming

the animals, or making the

animals’ sounds.

Toddlers will enjoy the

rhyming and repetition and

may want to join in with

number words or animal

sounds. They may want to try

counting some of the

animals.

In addition to learning the

rhyme, preschoolers will

enjoy counting the animals

and recognizing numerals.


that they can enjoy the

repeating, rhyming pattern

of the story as they read the

book to their children. They

can also count the animals

together and look at the

corresponding numeral to

build children’s

understanding of numerals.

There are many book

versions of this counting

rhyme. Use the one you

have or prefer.


This book is an adaptation of the old nursery counting rhyme –

counting baby animals from 1 to 10. Each rhyming verse has two

parts. First, we see a group of baby animals in their habitat (by the

barn door, in their nest of sticks). Second, the mother tells the

babies to do something, for example squeak or caw. The

repeating pattern of the rhyme makes this an especially nice book

for helping children learn the number sequence 1 to 10.





31

Over in the Meadow by Paul Galdone


Counting to 10, repeating and growing patterns

Read the book to familiarize children with the repeating, rhyming

pattern. Once they are familiar with the verses and the regular

predictable pattern, children can anticipate the number words.

Children will enjoy participating in the reading by saying the

number of baby animals. For example, after reading “. . . in a nest

built of sticks, lived a noisy mother crow and her little crows,” stop

and let the children say the number of crows.

Encourage children to notice the growing pattern – each verse

includes one more baby animal (from one to ten). Older

preschool children can help you represent the pattern by

creating a drawing or graph with symbols or pictures. Arrange the

symbols or pictures to show the growing pattern.

Counting to 10, cardinal numbers, number representation, numeral

recognition, comparing number

Count the baby animals with the children; stress the last number

counted. “One, two, three, FOUR. There are four mice.”

Encourage older preschoolers to use their fingers to show how

many.

If the version of the book you are using includes written numerals,

point to the numeral when children say the number word to build

their knowledge of written numerals.

Ask questions that encourage children to compare numbers of

things, for example “Count the flowers and the bees. Are there

more flowers than bees?” or “Are there fewer (or less) ducks or

fewer crows? Let’s count them to find out.”




32

Adding one more, counting on

Add one more by including the mother animal when counting.

“There are four baby mice, and the mother mouse makes one

more. How many mice altogether?” The children may need to

count all the animals (the four babies and the mother) to get the

answer. Encourage older preschoolers to count on from four to

get the answer. “Four, five. Five mice altogether!”




33

Quack and Count by Keith Baker


The illustrations and rhyming

text show all possible number

combinations for seven, for

example “7 ducklings, 6 plus

1” and, on the next page, “7

ducklings, 5 plus 2.”

Encourage children to notice

all the different combinations

of numbers that make seven.

Talk about all the ways to

show seven.

Children can draw pictures or

use duck stickers to make

their own pictures of seven

ducks (or a different number

of ducks or other animals or

items) in different groupings.

For example, children might

make pictures that show

some ducks in the pond and

some playing in the grass.

Older children may write, or

have staff write, the

corresponding numeral on

each page of their books.

Organize and display the

children’s pictures to show

the possible number

combinations for seven.


that they can encourage

their children to notice all of

the different ways to show

the number seven as they

are counting the ducklings.


This counting and adding book follows seven ducklings as they slip

and slide through the forest, swim and splash in the water, and

finally fly away. Even very young children will enjoy the ducklings’

antics and the simple rhyming verse. Preschoolers will enjoy

exploring the number concepts and practicing their counting,

number composition, and adding skills.





34

Quack and Count by Keith Baker


Concept of seven, counting

Count the ducklings with the children. Emphasize the meaning of

the number words by pointing to the groups of ducklings as you

read the numbers. “7 ducklings, 5 plus 2.”

Count the ducks for toddlers, and encourage them to help you

count. Have them help you “find” the ducks who are playing

peekaboo.

Encourage preschoolers to count the groups of ducks, such as 5

and 2, then to count all seven.

Number composition (composing and decomposing), addition and

subtraction, math vocabulary (“plus” to signify addition)

Older children can explore the addition “problems” in the book.

After reading “4 plus 3,” say “Four ducklings over here and three

ducklings over here. How many ducklings altogether?” Count with

the children to check.

The word plus may be an unfamiliar term to children. Explain that

“4 plus 3” means the same thing as “4 and 3.”

As you read, encourage children to represent the numbers in the

groupings with their fingers and to notice that they always add up

to seven.

Practice adding by counting on instead of counting all the

objects. For example say “Five ducklings here.” Then point to the

sixth and seventh duckling as the children count “six, seven.” Ask

“How many ducklings altogether?”




35

Ten Black Dots by Donald Crews

Spanish edition: Diez Puntos Negros


When reading to toddlers,

point to the groups of dots

when you read the numbers.

Count the dots and talk

about how many there are.

Because the dots are large

and easy to count, toddlers

may want to try counting

them, too!

When reading to

preschoolers, ask them to

compare the numbers of

dots in the pictures. This will

help them discover that

rearranging objects does not

change their number.

This book can be used with

other preschool activities

that are based on various

configurations of dots, such

as card games, dice games,

and dominos.


that as they read this book,

they can encourage their

children to compare the

number of dots to find the

same number.


In this book, large black dots (1 through 10 of them) become the

eyes of a fox, spots on a snake, wheels on a train, and more. For

example, five dots appear in a straight vertical row as buttons on a

coat and then as the portholes of a boat, two at deck level and

three below. This book helps children begin to understand that

changing the arrangement of objects doesn’t change their

number.





36

Ten Black Dots by Donald Crews


Counting up to 10 objects, recognizing number in different

configurations, comparing quantity, math vocabulary (number

words, same number)

Seeing the same numbers of dots in different arrangements helps

children learn to recognize the patterns that particular numbers of

objects form.

Draw toddlers’ attention to the pictures with the same small

numbers of dots. “See, there are two dots here – the fox’s eyes –

and two dots here – the holes in the keys.”

Preschoolers can count and compare the numbers of dots in

different arrangements. “How many dots make the spots on the

snake? How many dots are stones to rake? Let’s count to make

sure there are the same number of dots here (spots) and here

(stones).”

Compare the number of objects by asking “How many foxes?

How many keys? Are there more foxes or keys? Let’s count to find

out.”

As preschool children look at the different pictures and count the

dots, encourage them to notice that the dots are the same

number no matter how they are arranged. For example – “Here

are the five dots in a straight line on the coat. Here the five dots

are in two rows on the boat. How can we check to make sure the

pictures have the same number of dots – five here and five here?”




37

Ten, Nine, Eight by Molly Bang Spanish edition: Diez, Nueve, Ocho


When reading this book to

infants and toddlers, relate

the number concepts to the

child’s own experience—for

example, their own “two

strong arms.”

With preschoolers,

encourage children to count

and compare pictured

objects, recognize the

numerals that tell how many

objects, and learn to count

backward from 10.

Have children practice

counting backward by using

songs or short chants during

large group activity time. For

example, chant "Five, four,

three, two, one" gradually

moving from standing to a

crouched position and then

jump up saying "Blast off!”


that while reading this story,

they can relate the number

concepts to their child’s own

experiences. For example,

count the baby’s ten toes,

then count their child’s toes

and talk about the same

number.


In this counting book and bedtime story told in rhyme, a father and

his little girl count down to bedtime. Beginning with “10 small toes”

and ending with “1 big girl all ready for bed,” the book counts

backward in scenes of bedtime routines in the child’s room. Even

hugs and kisses are counted (“3”). The warm illustrations and simple

lullaby-like quality of the language make this book appealing to

even the youngest children.

Appropriate for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers




38

Ten, Nine, Eight by Molly Bang


Counting up to 10, counting objects, number correspondence

Call the young child’s attention to the relation between what is

pictured on the book’s pages, the book’s words, and her own

world. “See the baby’s 10 toes. Here are your 10 toes. You have

the same number of toes as the baby.”

Numeral recognition, counting backward

Preschool children can also use this book to learn to recognize

and read written numerals and to practice counting backward.

Ask “What number comes next?”

Comparing number, correspondence, addition and subtraction

Older toddlers and preschoolers can also begin to notice the

numerical relationships in the pictures. “There are 8 square

windowpanes. See—there are 4 in each window, 4 here and 4

here. They are the same number.” “Where are the 4 sleepy eyes?

Whose eyes are they?”

The page with “7” shows pairs of shoes. Ask “What is missing? How

many shoes should there be?” “How many shoes make a pair?”

Finding the Math in Books: Ideas for Staff Glossary


39

Cardinal number: the last object that has been counted also

represents the total number of objects in a group; answers the

question “how many?”

Composing and decomposing number: discovering the many ways

that one number can be taken apart and put together—for

example, “five” is 2 fingers plus 3 fingers or 4 fingers plus 1 finger

Geometry: the area of mathematics that studies shape, size, space,

position, direction, and movement

Mathematize: highlight mathematical concepts in everyday

activities

Number: quantity

Number word: spoken word to represent a quantity—for example,

“one,” “two,” or “three”

Numeral: written symbol that represents a number—for example, 1,

2, or 3

Operations: addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division of

numbers

Ordinal number: number word that describes the order of

objects—for example, “first,” “second,” or “last”

Represent number: show a number with concrete objects such as

blocks, dice, fingers; spoken number word such as “four”; or written

symbols such as a numeral (4) or tally marks (/ / / /)

Spatial sense: knowing about the position of people and objects in

space


Bibliography


40

Anno, Mitsumasa. Anno’s Counting Book. New York: HarperTrophy, 1986.

Baker, Keith. Quack and Count. San Diego, CA: Harcourt, 1999.

Bang, Molly. Ten, Nine, Eight (Diez, Nueve, Ocho). New York: HarperTrophy, 2003.

Carle, Eric. The Very Hungry Caterpillar (La Oruga Muy Hambrienta). New York:

Philomel, 1981.

Crews, Donald. Ten Black Dots (Diez Puntos Negros). New York: HarperTrophy,

1995.

Falwell, Cathryn. Feast for 10 (Fiesta para 10). Boston: Clarion, 1993.

Galdone, Paul. Over in the Meadow. New York: Aladdin, 1989.

Hoban, Tana. Is It Larger? Is It Smaller? New York: HarperTrophy, 1997.

Keats, Ezra Jack. Whistle for Willie (SÍlbale a Willie). New York: Viking Juvenile,

1964.

Krauss, Ruth. The Carrot Seed (La Semilla de Zanahoria). Illustrated by Crockett

Johnson. New York: HarperTrophy, 2004.

Rathmann, Peggy. Good Night Gorilla (Buenas Noches Gorila). New York:

Putnam Juvenile, 1994.

Tompert, Ann. Just a Little Bit. Illustrated by Lynn M. Munsinger. New York:

Scholastic, 2000.

Williams, Vera B. “More More More,” Said the Baby: 3 Love Stories (“Más Más

Más,” Dijo el Bebé: 3 Historias de Amor). New York: HarperCollins, 1990.

Wise Brown, Margaret. Goodnight Moon (Buenas Noches, Luna). Illustrated by

Clement Hurd. New York: HarperCollins, 1991.

Finding the Math in Books: Ideas for Staff Table of...

Documents

Transcript of Finding the Math in Books: Ideas for Staff Table of...