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Using Novels and Writing to Teach Students Mathematical Concepts. Rachel Colby Amanda Huffman. What did we do?. We created and implemented a mathematics enrichment unit using The Number Devil: A Mathematical Adventure by Hans Magnus Enzensberger .
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Using Novels and Writing to Teach Students Mathematical Concepts Rachel Colby Amanda Huffman
What did we do? • We created and implemented a mathematics enrichment unit using The Number Devil: A Mathematical Adventure by Hans Magnus Enzensberger. • The Number Devil is about a boy who hates math and meets the Number Devil in his dreams where he learns to love math.
Where did the idea come from? • Learning content area literacy in ED228: Content Area Literacy in Middle-Secondary Curriculum • Independent study course where we read an article titled “Integrating Literature to Support Mathematics Learning in Middle School” by Karen Koellner, Faith Wallace, and Lyn Swackhamer • Creating a resource guide and annotated bibliography
Mathematical literacy is… • Understanding vocabulary and structure • Solving mathematical problems • Reasoning and explaining • Applying math to the real world
How did we do it? • Connected with a local school in a sixth grade classroom • Had students read the book, journal about it, and we reinforced concepts introduced by the Number Devil • Assessed students with a pre and post assessment and an end of the unit project • Analyzed our data
(1) IT WORKED! • Led to student engagement • Helped students enjoy math more • Helped students better understand concepts • Created a context for math • Challenged the students in different ways • Differentiated instruction
(2) Fragmented Learning • Fails! • Fragmented learning is learning concepts in isolation and lacks cohesiveness.
(3) Importance of Content Literacy • Leads to a better understanding • Helps put the content into context • Promotes deeper thinking and curiosity
What does this mean for the future? • We are going to use books and writing in our classrooms! • Would this idea work with a different novel, like A Gebra Named Al by Wendy Isdell? • How would a classroom with continuous integration of literature and writing look?