Young Children - March 2008 - (Page 34) Mathematics and Poetry The Right Connection eading, writing, and mathematics are best learned R by children in meaningful, integrated experiences. A rich and engaging curriculum encourages children to collaborate with peers and to use various modes of representation to express their understandings. Such an approach • strengthens concepts and skills in more than one subject area (NAEYC & NCTM 2002); David J. Whitin and Michelle Piwko • demonstrates the wide applicability of mathematics in numerous contexts (Whitin & Whitin 2004): • provides meaningful, authentic learning (Kilpatrick, Swafford, & Findell 2001; Clements, Sarama, & DiBiase 2003); and • saves time in an already crowded curriculum (NAEYC & NCTM 2002). NAEYC advocates integrated learning in its joint position statements with the International Reading Association (IRA & NAEYC 1998) and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NAEYC & NCTM 2002). To capitalize on these benefits, teacher Michelle Piwko, one of the authors of this article, planned a combined geometry and language arts project for second- and third-graders. hands-on experiences with three-dimensional shapes. After handling and exploring the solids, the children classified the shapes into groups, noting similarities and differences. They also traced the faces of the solids and used the resulting discoveries to further classify them. Literacy learning Michelle extended the hands-on experiences by inviting the children to express their mathematical knowledge through writing. Composing their own texts would give children a meaningful context for reflecting on and consolidating their knowledge about mathematics. Offering activities that let children revisit concepts they previously explored is an important teaching strategy (NCTM 2000). At the same time the writing activity would address several of the state’s grade-level expectations for second- and thirdgraders in language arts, such as analyzing an author’s craft and revising one’s writing. Michelle led the class in listing all the geometric terms they could think of. She then asked the children to each select a geometry term for the writing project. They would brainstorm descriptive phrases about their terms and ask Starting the project In response to the school district’s mandate to teach geometry because children in grades 2–8 scored poorly in this area, Michelle decided to integrate reading and writing into her geometry lessons. She also planned ways to involve busy families in their child’s homework. Geometry learning As a part of the school’s grade-level expectations, secondand third-graders need to know the names of common threedimensional shapes, such as rectangular solid, sphere, cylinder, and cube, and be able to identify a face (a flat side), vertex (a point where three or more edges meet), and edge (a straight segment formed by two faces) of a geometric solid. To address these objectives, Michelle planned several David J. Whitin, EdD, is a professor of elementary education at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. He has written numerous books and articles about the integration of mathematics and language. an7657@Wayne.edu Michelle Piwko, BS, is an elementary educator for the School District of the City of Royal Oak, Michigan. Michelle is completing her master’s degree in math education, researching the mathematics and literature connection. piwkom@royaloakschools.com An expanded version of this article is online in Beyond the Journal, March 2008, at www.journal.naeyc.org/btj/200803. 34 Young Children • March 2008 http://www.journal.naeyc.org/btj/200803
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