How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? written by Margaret McNamara, illustrated by G. Brian Karas
Math standards 2.1.2.A: Demonstrate the relationship between numbers and quantities, including place value; one-to-one correspondence; rote counting; counting by twos, fives and tens; and comparing values of whole numbers up to 500. 2.2.4.B: Multiply single- and double-digit numbers and divide by single digit numbers, add and subtract fractions with like denominators, and add and subtract decimals. CCSS.Math.Content.2.NBT.A.2: Count within 1000; skip-count by 5s, 10s, and 100s. CCSS.Math.Content.3.NBT.A.3: Multiply one-digit whole numbers by multiples of 10 in the range 10-90 (e.g., 9 × 80, 5 × 60) using strategies based on place value and properties of operations. CCSS.Math.Content.4.NBT.B.5:Multiply a whole number of up to four digits by a one-digit whole number, and multiply two two-digit numbers, using strategies based on place value and the properties of operations. Illustrate and explain the calculation by using equations, rectangular arrays, and/or area models. NCTM PreK-2: Understand situations that entail multiplication and division, such as equal groupings of objects and sharing equally.
Written by Christopher-Award winning author Margaret McNamara, the book is a combination of math counting and fun facts about pumpkins. In the morning of one chilly day, Mr. Tiffin brought three pumpkins to his class. He asked all students how many seeds there were in each pumpkin. After making some guesses, the class opened up the pumpkins and counted the seeds by twos, fives, and tens. The result of counting surprised everyone and was particularly inspiring and encouraging to a boy named Charlie who was the smallest in the class. In addition to math, the class also learnt some interesting facts about pumpkins such as the more lines on the pumpkin, the more seeds it grew inside. It is a book worth reading with children of all ages.
This book can be tried in math classes of various grades from two to four. In a second grade class, I will use it as a reading material to introduce math concept of skip counting by twos, fives and tens. In a third/fourth grade class, again I will read the story first and ask the class how to get the total number of seeds faster other than counting (e.g. one-to-one counting, skip counting). This quick discussion is then followed by a hands-on activity of dry pumpkin seeds counting to see if multiplication is a faster operation. The whole class is divided into a few groups of four members. One member counts by twos, the second one counts by fives and the third one can choose to count by either twos, fives or tens but needs to get the total number by multiplication. The fourth member marks how much time each member takes to count a bag of 100 seeds. To make the activity more fun and exciting, the seeds can be replaced by dry raisins or M&M’s chocolate candies. At the end of the class, three students are invited to demonstrate how to multiply 170 by 2, 63 by 5 and 35 by 10 to get the total number of pumpkin seeds rather than skip counting as what Charlie’s class is doing in the book.
Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday written by Judith Viorst, illustrated by Ray Cruz
Math standards 2.2.2.B: Add and subtract single and double-digit numbers with and without regrouping, to include problems with money. 2.4.2.A.3: Solve problems and make change using coins and paper currency with appropriate symbols. 2.1.3.A: Apply one-to-one correspondence and number patterns to count up and count back and to compare values of whole numbers and values of money. 2.2.3.B: Add and subtract single- and double-digit numbers with regrouping and triple-digit numbers, without regrouping including problems with money. CCSS.Math.Content.2.MD.C.8: Solve word problems involving dollar bills, quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies, using $ and ¢ symbols appropriately. Example: If you have 2 dimes and 3 pennies, how many cents do you have? NCTM PreK-2: Count with understanding and recognize "how many" in sets of objects.
Last Sunday, Alexander's grandparents gave him a dollar and he was rich. It looked like he could do a lot of things with that one dollar bill. He spent his money on bubble gum, snake, bets, fines, magic trick, garage sale etc. Before long Alexander found his money gone. He ended up having the same bus tokens as what he got before. An interesting story plus wonderful pictures and lots of humor, readers of all ages will be delighted by this picture book.
I will try this book and some follow-up activities in Grades 1 to 3. For students who are learning to differentiate coins (penny, nickel, dime, quarter), I will ask them to find a partner to complete a worksheet as shown below.
Coins Alexander used or lost
On what thing
How many cents?
1
D, N
Bubble gum
15 cents
2
P, P, P, P
Nicky’s magic trick
4 cents
3
For older students who are doing addition and subtraction in money, they have to work in pairs to answer a few questions below:
Who is richer, Anthony or Nicky?
Alexander spent 20 cents on the garage sale. Can you show the same amount of money with nickels, dimes and pennies in three different ways?
How much money did Alexander have after he bought lots of bubble gum?
How much money all together did Alexander lose on the fines charged by his father?
How much money did Alexander pay in total for the bubble gum and chocolate candy bar?
How much money did Alexander lose on bets with his brother Nicky on holding his breath and landing on his feet?
If all Anthony’s money is shown in terms of pennies, how many pennies does he have?
Mice Mischief Math Facts in Action written by Caroline Stills, illustrated by Judith Rossell
Math standards 2.1.PK.A: Demonstrate the relationship between numbers and quantities, including rote counting, one-to-one correspondence up to 10 objects, and comparing values of whole numbers up to 10. 2.2.K.B: Represent and explain the results of adding and subtracting sets of objects up to and including ten, using math vocabulary CCSS.Math.Content.K.CC.C.7: Compare two numbers between 1 and 10 presented as written numerals. CCSS.Math.Content.K.OA.A.1: Represent addition and subtraction with objects, fingers, mental images, drawings, sounds (e.g., claps), acting out situations, verbal explanations, expressions, or equations. CCSS.Math.Content.K.OA.A3: Decompose numbers less than or equal to 10 into pairs in more than one way, e.g., by using objects or drawings, and record each decomposition by a drawing or equation (e.g., 5 = 2 + 3 and 5 = 4 + 1). NCTM PreK-2: Develop and use strategies for whole-number computations, with a focus on addition and subtraction.
Math facts are in action in this picture book! Ten mice awaken from their triple-decker bunk bed in the morning and start their house chores right away. As they clean and play, mob and scrub, swing and dive, the ten highly spirited little creatures demonstrate how numbers from 1 to 9 can add up to 10. Young readers will surely enjoy the company of these playful mice and learn simple addition with fun.
The book is a perfect reading choice in a math class for young students. Students in Pre-K can learn how to count from 1 to 10 and recognize these numbers when reading the book. Kindergarteners can also learn there are different ways to add up to ten by acting out as the book itself is a wonderful script. I can invite ten volunteers each time to play the roles of ten mice in front of the class. When I read “6 mice hang. 4 mice balance”, six students pretend they are hanging clothes while the rest four pretend to balance their walk on a string. The audience then counts with me to see if there are six students doing the right action of hanging clothes and four are walking on their toes. I can read another line like “8 mice cook. 2 mice juggle” with the same group of students to see if they divide themselves into eight and two accordingly and act out in the right way. A new group of ten people can then be invited to the front to do the action. This can be tried for a few times until everyone gets a chance to participate in the show.
The Shape of My Heart written by Mark Sperring, illustrated by Alys Paterson
Math standards
2.9.PK.A: Sort common 2-dimensional shapes.
2.9.K.A: Identify and describe common 2-dimensional shapes.
2.9.1.A: Name, describe and draw/build 2-dimensional shapes
CCSS.Math.Content. K.G.A.2: Correctly name shapes regardless of their orientations or overall size.
CCSS.Math.Content.K.G.B.5:Model shapes in the world by building shapes from components (e.g., sticks and clay balls) and drawing shapes.
CCSS.Math.Content.K.G.B.6: Compose simple shapes to form larger shapes. For example, "Can you join these two triangles with full sides touching to make a rectangle?"
NCTM PreK-2: Recognize, name, build, draw, compare, and sort two- and three-dimensional shapes
NCTM PreK-2: Investigate and predict the results of putting together and taking apart two- and three- dimensional shapes.
The brightly illustrated book shows shapes of our bodies, eyes, ears, mouth, hands, feet, sun and moon as well as things we see, eat or hear. By reading the book, children can build a sense that shapes are not limited to those that appear in textbooks. They can be anything and they are all around us. The book is loaded with eye catching images and all the sentences are easy to read. It is a wonderful choice for young learners who just start to explore different shapes in the real world.
For students in Pre-K and Kindergarten, I can ask them to make their own sun out of triangles and circle or a night sky with big and small star shapes. For the first graders, I can ask them to name as many shapes as they can recognize when we read page one and page five of the book. They can also find a few objects that have shapes like circle, square and triangle at home and put them down in drawings or words.
written by Margaret McNamara, illustrated by G. Brian Karas
Math standards
2.1.2.A: Demonstrate the relationship between numbers and quantities, including place value; one-to-one correspondence; rote counting; counting by twos, fives and tens; and comparing values of whole numbers up to 500.
2.2.4.B: Multiply single- and double-digit numbers and divide by single digit numbers, add and subtract fractions with like denominators, and add and subtract decimals.
CCSS.Math.Content.2.NBT.A.2: Count within 1000; skip-count by 5s, 10s, and 100s.
CCSS.Math.Content.3.NBT.A.3: Multiply one-digit whole numbers by multiples of 10 in the range 10-90 (e.g., 9 × 80, 5 × 60) using strategies based on place value and properties of operations.
CCSS.Math.Content.4.NBT.B.5:Multiply a whole number of up to four digits by a one-digit whole number, and multiply two two-digit numbers, using strategies based on place value and the properties of operations. Illustrate and explain the calculation by using equations, rectangular arrays, and/or area models.
NCTM PreK-2: Understand situations that entail multiplication and division, such as equal groupings of objects and sharing equally.
Written by Christopher-Award winning author Margaret McNamara, the book is a combination of math counting and fun facts about pumpkins. In the morning of one chilly day, Mr. Tiffin brought three pumpkins to his class. He asked all students how many seeds there were in each pumpkin. After making some guesses, the class opened up the pumpkins and counted the seeds by twos, fives, and tens. The result of counting surprised everyone and was particularly inspiring and encouraging to a boy named Charlie who was the smallest in the class. In addition to math, the class also learnt some interesting facts about pumpkins such as the more lines on the pumpkin, the more seeds it grew inside. It is a book worth reading with children of all ages.
This book can be tried in math classes of various grades from two to four. In a second grade class, I will use it as a reading material to introduce math concept of skip counting by twos, fives and tens. In a third/fourth grade class, again I will read the story first and ask the class how to get the total number of seeds faster other than counting (e.g. one-to-one counting, skip counting). This quick discussion is then followed by a hands-on activity of dry pumpkin seeds counting to see if multiplication is a faster operation. The whole class is divided into a few groups of four members. One member counts by twos, the second one counts by fives and the third one can choose to count by either twos, fives or tens but needs to get the total number by multiplication. The fourth member marks how much time each member takes to count a bag of 100 seeds. To make the activity more fun and exciting, the seeds can be replaced by dry raisins or M&M’s chocolate candies. At the end of the class, three students are invited to demonstrate how to multiply 170 by 2, 63 by 5 and 35 by 10 to get the total number of pumpkin seeds rather than skip counting as what Charlie’s class is doing in the book.
Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday
written by Judith Viorst, illustrated by Ray Cruz
Math standards
2.2.2.B: Add and subtract single and double-digit numbers with and without regrouping, to include problems with money.
2.4.2.A.3: Solve problems and make change using coins and paper currency with appropriate symbols.
2.1.3.A: Apply one-to-one correspondence and number patterns to count up and count back and to compare values of whole numbers and values of money.
2.2.3.B: Add and subtract single- and double-digit numbers with regrouping and triple-digit numbers, without regrouping including problems with money.
CCSS.Math.Content.2.MD.C.8: Solve word problems involving dollar bills, quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies, using $ and ¢ symbols appropriately. Example: If you have 2 dimes and 3 pennies, how many cents do you have?
NCTM PreK-2: Count with understanding and recognize "how many" in sets of objects.
Last Sunday, Alexander's grandparents gave him a dollar and he was rich. It looked like he could do a lot of things with that one dollar bill. He spent his money on bubble gum, snake, bets, fines, magic trick, garage sale etc. Before long Alexander found his money gone. He ended up having the same bus tokens as what he got before. An interesting story plus wonderful pictures and lots of humor, readers of all ages will be delighted by this picture book.
I will try this book and some follow-up activities in Grades 1 to 3. For students who are learning to differentiate coins (penny, nickel, dime, quarter), I will ask them to find a partner to complete a worksheet as shown below.
Mice Mischief Math Facts in Action
written by Caroline Stills, illustrated by Judith Rossell
Math standards
2.1.PK.A: Demonstrate the relationship between numbers and quantities, including rote counting, one-to-one correspondence up to 10 objects, and comparing values of whole numbers up to 10.
2.2.K.B: Represent and explain the results of adding and subtracting sets of objects up to and including ten, using math vocabulary
CCSS.Math.Content.K.CC.C.7: Compare two numbers between 1 and 10 presented as written numerals.
CCSS.Math.Content.K.OA.A.1: Represent addition and subtraction with objects, fingers, mental images, drawings, sounds (e.g., claps), acting out situations, verbal explanations, expressions, or equations.
CCSS.Math.Content.K.OA.A3: Decompose numbers less than or equal to 10 into pairs in more than one way, e.g., by using objects or drawings, and record each decomposition by a drawing or equation (e.g., 5 = 2 + 3 and 5 = 4 + 1).
NCTM PreK-2: Develop and use strategies for whole-number computations, with a focus on addition and subtraction.
Math facts are in action in this picture book! Ten mice awaken from their triple-decker bunk bed in the morning and start their house chores right away. As they clean and play, mob and scrub, swing and dive, the ten highly spirited little creatures demonstrate how numbers from 1 to 9 can add up to 10. Young readers will surely enjoy the company of these playful mice and learn simple addition with fun.
The book is a perfect reading choice in a math class for young students. Students in Pre-K can learn how to count from 1 to 10 and recognize these numbers when reading the book. Kindergarteners can also learn there are different ways to add up to ten by acting out as the book itself is a wonderful script. I can invite ten volunteers each time to play the roles of ten mice in front of the class. When I read “6 mice hang. 4 mice balance”, six students pretend they are hanging clothes while the rest four pretend to balance their walk on a string. The audience then counts with me to see if there are six students doing the right action of hanging clothes and four are walking on their toes. I can read another line like “8 mice cook. 2 mice juggle” with the same group of students to see if they divide themselves into eight and two accordingly and act out in the right way. A new group of ten people can then be invited to the front to do the action. This can be tried for a few times until everyone gets a chance to participate in the show.
The Shape of My Heart
written by Mark Sperring, illustrated by Alys Paterson
Math standards
2.9.PK.A: Sort common 2-dimensional shapes.
2.9.K.A: Identify and describe common 2-dimensional shapes.
2.9.1.A: Name, describe and draw/build 2-dimensional shapes
CCSS.Math.Content. K.G.A.2: Correctly name shapes regardless of their orientations or overall size.
CCSS.Math.Content.K.G.B.5:Model shapes in the world by building shapes from components (e.g., sticks and clay balls) and drawing shapes.
CCSS.Math.Content.K.G.B.6: Compose simple shapes to form larger shapes. For example, "Can you join these two triangles with full sides touching to make a rectangle?"
NCTM PreK-2: Recognize, name, build, draw, compare, and sort two- and three-dimensional shapes
NCTM PreK-2: Investigate and predict the results of putting together and taking apart two- and three- dimensional shapes.
The brightly illustrated book shows shapes of our bodies, eyes, ears, mouth, hands, feet, sun and moon as well as things we see, eat or hear. By reading the book, children can build a sense that shapes are not limited to those that appear in textbooks. They can be anything and they are all around us. The book is loaded with eye catching images and all the sentences are easy to read. It is a wonderful choice for young learners who just start to explore different shapes in the real world.
For students in Pre-K and Kindergarten, I can ask them to make their own sun out of triangles and circle or a night sky with big and small star shapes. For the first graders, I can ask them to name as many shapes as they can recognize when we read page one and page five of the book. They can also find a few objects that have shapes like circle, square and triangle at home and put them down in drawings or words.