Using Literature for Problem Solving- Steps to Experiencing the Literature

• Sept. 14, 2017, 4:01 p.m.

Remember, children’s books provide a perfect starting point for engaging students in authentic problem solving. Students need time to hypothesize and experiment with strategies in real world situations. Stories provide a context that helps students construct conceptual understanding of math ideas.

Reading aloud helps students expand their vocabulary and connect mathematical thinking to real life situations. Stories help students organize, store, and retrieve conceptual information related to the skills, strategies, and processes needed to think mathematically.

Now that you have chosen literature for your math unit, lets look at how to experience the literature in a way that engages authentic problem solving. 

Experiencing the Literature: 

Preparing for the read aloud

1. Read the book.
2. Identify the math situation.
3. Make a list of words that may be new to students. 
4. Make a list of math vocabulary students will need to use. 
5. Identify possible solutions to the problem.
6. Identify possible misconceptions about the story situation, concepts, or strategies to use.

 

First Read-Just for enjoyment and comprehension of the story situation.

1. Survey
2. Question
3. Predict
4. Read
5. Process using accountable Talk
6. Summarize the story

 

2nd Read-focus on the mathematical concepts

1. What is the math in the story?
2. What is known?
3. What is unknown? 
4. What are the possible questions? 
5. What are the relationships of the quantities to the problem? 
6. How might the problem be solved? 
7. What strategy will we use? 
8. Is the solution reasonable? How do we know?
9. How can we prove the solution is reasonable?

 

3rd Read-Create a similar story problem

1. When and where might we use what we learned solving this problem? 
2. How can we change the situation to create our own real life problem?

 

During each read, have students work as a team to achieve the desired outcome. If possible, each team should have a copy of the book. Be sure each team understands the task and the success criteria.