Deepening Student's Mathematical
Understanding with Children’s Literature, edited by Eula Ewing Monroe, Terrell A. Young, Debra S. Fuentes,
and Olivia Haworth Dial is an important addition NCTM’s books that focus on
high quality children’s books to create engaging and meaningful tasks that deepen
mathematics learning for pre-K and elementary students. Classroom teachers in
early childhood and elementary grades will find the extensive annotated
bibliography that was in development for years a resource they can’t live
without. It offers a brief description and related research and/or instruction
along with the references for hundreds of literature titles that can be used in
mathematics instruction. The titles are noted by grade spans.
The text also identifies four roles for
literature in mathematics learning, as defined in a review of mathematics
education journal articles; (a) as contexts for student problem solving;
(b) as models to teach problem solving and reasoning processes; (c) as direct
sources for student-designed mathematical investigations; and (d) as
opportunities for students to practice andconsolidate
skills. For each role, sample titles of children’s books are provided that
teachers might use that exemplify these roles.
The editors take care to outline
how specific texts can be used in meeting the mathematics practice standards in
a convenient chart that can be used to address standards that may not typically
be met in mathematics instruction.