Math Curse
Author: John Scieszka Illustrator: Lane Smith
Publisher: Penguin, 1995
Readability Lexile: 4-8 (Amazon's opinion- I would use it up to 5th Grade)
Children's Picture Book
Summary: This enticing tale takes you on an adventure of math in everyday life. A student is told by their teacher that math is everywhere and by the time they get home there are equations all around. From simple algebra to probability this enlightening book goes through the day of a student consumed by the thought of math. They look at the simple task of getting ready as a math problem in algebra of how to calculate the appropriate time spent doing all the tasks they need to get done before going to the bus in relation to when the bus will arrive. By the end of the book even in the students sleep they are dreaming in numbers and finally receive some reprieve by "putting everything into a fraction." This hilarious story then ends with another large statement by the teacher of, "Everything can be seen as a science experiment." In my opinion students up to 5th Grade would enjoy this book.
Evaluation: This is a great book and provides students with the opportunity to read and discuss concepts and bringing in a story on math and math problems would be a great way to group reading and math together. It is an easy to read book with amazing illustrations and concept questions they can tie into their math class. It is a time book as well and goes through one full day and is a good example for students who are starting to write their own stories.
*While I understand we as educators are not supposed to "hate" any particular subject, if I had to pick one that I strongly dislike it would be math. I loved how the confusion set in after one simple statement by an authority figure which changed the students perspective in an instant. I believe it is important to realize that our students can run with any idea that we may not even remember saying and to speak carefully in the classroom. I also enjoyed that this student did not have a gender. I found I immediately labeled the student as a him but there was no specific gender to the character. I also like that it shows off how imaginative and smart our students are and how functional this subject of math is. The functionality and above comments made it high quality literature in my opinion.
*I found a great sight with a lesson plan for Fifth Grade math:
http://alex.state.al.us/lesson_view.php?id=1711
I think this would be a great book for students who dislike math (like myself).
ReplyDeleteOften I think math is a tough class for students because the way in which it is presented: seriously and matter of factly. If some life and personality were injected into the subject, along with a more upbeat teaching style, I think the subject's reputation would be so tarnished.
I agree. This seems like it would be a great book to get students interested in math. Math can be so interesting and fun, but for a lot of people (myself included at times) it is considered boring and kind of irrelevant to everyday life. I think that using relevant word problems and getting excited about the subject would help students.
ReplyDeleteNice review, Bridget. I know lots a fifth graders who do like this book.
ReplyDeleteI was surprised to see this book in a variety of classrooms including a 2nd and 3rd Grade class when I was doing my service learning hours. Never hurts to start early with frustrating math fun!
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