Last Updated on October 3, 2024 by Editorial Team
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While mathematics, English, and literature are separate subjects, combining these may ensure a new genre of learners’ shelves. While we understand that these Math Fiction books are characterized by involving mathematical or math notions in the narration, it is also to be noted that some choices may be preferable for elementary pupils as well.
While little learners try to master arithmetic concepts like addition and subtraction, going through some real-life or fictional stories in this context may be a remarkable add-on for thorough comprehension. To ensure this comfort for your young ones, here we elucidate a list of books that may be easily accessed and create value.
Math fiction for elementary pupils- Are these academically supportive?
Academics encompasses multiple subjects, math is one of them. While reference books and other resources are often effective in clarifying elementary learners’ concepts, can math fiction make a special move-in-making value?
Choosing math fiction as a pastime company is a good choice, but these options can have a special place if they have a role in academics as well. Amongst these confusions, a research[1] report by David L Haury gave out some noteworthy insights.
David outlined that connecting math to daily life is one of the best ways to learn, and literature in daily life ensures the same by proving that it is inherent in human thinking about life experiences. With these insights, he gave out a list of grounds where these books can prove assistive:
- Providing an exercise scenario or a model for math-related content
- Taking pupils closer to the significance of manipulatives in learning
- Prove that math is often creative for children
- Giving out an interesting problem
- Preparation, explanation, and review of a math concept or ability
Fun Math fiction books- Fitting for elementary brains!
Like many engaging pieces of children’s literature, the math picture books recommended below have fun and exciting storylines. Many are based on topics that children enjoy, such as animals, magic, and more! Check out these volumes to opt for a fitting math companion:
1. Elevator Magic
Stuart J. Murphy’s Magic Elevator is a remarkable book for teaching learners the concept of subtraction, which may make it an ideal volume for first-grade to third-grade students. When the elevator falls, the subtraction begins, as does the magic. Ben (the main character) travels from floor to floor and sees strange things every time the door opens. It lets students be immersed in the story while imagining on which floor they will end up. Accompany Ben as he deducts his way down to the basement and decides if it’s an elevator miracle for you.
The story and the amusing illustrations may appeal to children. Parents and teachers may also relish how the story and illustrations make it easy to understand comparisons and actual examples of how math works. The book includes activities for adults to do with children to incorporate math into their daily lives.
The students could use the ladder as a number line, moving the clothespin as many floors as the boy went down. Each page contains illustrations of the animals who are still aboard the elevator. As the story progresses, students count along with the main character.
2. Who Eats First?
Written by Ae-Hae Yoon and Hae-won Yang, “Who Eats First?” is a vibrant, imaginative book that assists children in understanding math by teaching classification, data organization, and forecasting future outcomes.
Deep within the rainforest, a giant, luscious, juicy peach has fallen to the ground, and six curious animals have gathered around it to determine which of them is the most qualified to take the first bite. Each one wants to be first, and the eager-to-munch pack tries to figure out who is worthy of such honor by classifying and placing things in order. Should the tallest animal be favored? Who has a giant mouth? Which has the most extended tail or ears?
The story takes readers through the various methods of categorizing or organizing things. It’s a one-on-one read being comprehensive—still a good option for showing how classification works. The illustrations in this book are adorable, and perfect for five to six-year-old kids. It shows friendships and competitions. This book sets up a delightful end, adding to its favor.
3. Circus Shapes
Circus Shapes, written by Stuart J Murphy, is an engaging and fun MathStart series that can help kids enhance their math and reading skills. This can be a good book to teach kids about shape recognition. Under the big top, a cast of favorite circus animals introduces each of these basic shapes: circles, squares, rectangles, and triangles.
The story and illustrations by Edward Miller may be engaging to small readers. The book contains exercises for adults to do with kids to help them integrate math into their ordinary routine.
Charts and other pictorial elements assist readers in understanding how math works and promote a more profound understanding. This one-of-a-kind combination of stories, illustrations, and visual standards aids teachers and parents in math education and offers all kids the opportunity to succeed. This book is fun and is a practical way to teach students to shape recognition.
4. Math Curse by Jon Scieszka
All those who don’t like math may turn it into an overwhelming task. Jon has depicted the same as a curse. The motive of this book is not only to categorize and identify areas of math, but also to look into how this curse can be broken.
To make it engaging, the story here revolves around a girl who doesn’t like math and feels challenged to solve problems in the classroom. But everything changes in a week with a list of instances that she goes through. The way she breaks her curse makes an interesting part of the book.
Youngsters who question concepts of math and their real-life implications can favor themselves by reading this volume to understand the essence of numbers resolving multiple confusion along the way.
5. Life of Fred Series by Dr. Stanley Schmidt
A person with enthusiasm for math can guide students better toward the subject. This book is an effort by the author to present multiple elementary arithmetic concepts in a creative way. As a set of 10 books, these can be a fit for grades one to five.
As the name sounds, the narration revolves around Fred and the areas he explored to learn math. Multiple concepts like prime numbers, fractions, and decimals appear as a part of the story. This makes them ready to polish their skills as they read. These books are not workbooks but are adorned with a few questions at the end.
Each of these books comes with interesting cover names like Apples, cats, butterflies, and Goldfish. Every book has a new journey and consequently new concepts to learn. With a diverse set of knowledge, this can be chosen as an additional resource of academic support as well.
6. Multiplying Menace: The Revenge of Rumpelstiltskin
Elementary schooling is not complete without learning operations. Some students may not understand the importance of multiplication and how it is used. Pam Calvert, the author, manages to answer students with a real-life example of a fairy tale.
Rumpelstiltskin is defeated in war and he loses his kingdom. When he returns back after ten years, he searches for a 10-year boy who is his queen’s, first baby. After finding Peter was the prince, Rumpelstiltskin asks the boy to come with him, which the little one rejects. For this, Rumpelstiltskin with his magic wand creates multiple things around Peter. The rest of the story revolves around how the young one solves these multiplications to escape from his dad.
The story ensures to have multiplications of whole numbers, fractions, and other relevant concepts too. This makes the resource a company for students who aspire to learn multiplications with ease. The adventure of Peter is worth reading.
Conclusion
Not only for math, looking for real-life instances may create unique value for all subjects. At an early age in elementary school, cultivating these habits provides an added advantage. To be a part of resources or to learn about various resources, math fiction helps out.
Accordingly, having a space for these books on the shelf makes sense. Looking out how these help in multiple proportions, check out the above books to see which of these can be a good choice for your elementary learner.
References
- Haury, D. L. (2001). Literature-Based Mathematics in Elementary School.
An engineer, Maths expert, Online Tutor and animal rights activist. In more than 5+ years of my online teaching experience, I closely worked with many students struggling with dyscalculia and dyslexia. With the years passing, I learned that not much effort being put into the awareness of this learning disorder. Students with dyscalculia often misunderstood for having just a simple math fear. This is still an underresearched and understudied subject. I am also the founder of Smartynote -‘The notepad app for dyslexia’,