Literature and Math

 

Too often we just teach math in our classes because there is the idea that each subject is separate and it supports the student idea that one cannot integrate say Language Arts into Math. This is something that would be nice to do so students see more interrelationships among the subjects.  

Literature is one way you can show the relevance of math to daily life and if math is part of the story line, it shows students that math is not dry and boring.  

Many of the books that could be used are picture books one would normally use in elementary school such as Sir Cumference series or A Place For  Zero, or Spaghetti and Meatballs For All.  These books are very elementary but middle school and high school students can read these books and discuss the math covered by the book.  In addition, students can try writing picture books about math topics for elementary students. This one is best done after having students read several picture books so they can see how it is done.

Although most of the above books are designed for elementary school, it can be done in middle school and high school.  For instance, there are several books out there in the Science Fiction and Fantasy realm that use math.  One is Mathematics by Elizabeth Moon.  In her fantasy world, the wizards cast spells using derivatives and those spells are countered by antiderivatives.  In addition, all the chapters are numbered mathematically such as chapter 2 is labeled as sqrt 4.  Another is Achilles heel in which athletes compete and the competition includes a section on mathematics.

It is also possible to take books such as The Crazy Horse Electric Game and have students perform calculations to make things more understandable.  For instance, the character had to make a trip so ask the students to figure out how much it costs and the time schedule involved.  The main character is also in an accident so students could calculate the cost of medical treatment and how much they might have to pay depending on the amount the insurance company is willing to pay.  Since it involves baseball, students can complete player stats, the distance x rate formula for traveling by boat to the hospital, and more.  

This can be done with any book.  If there is travel involved, a character going shopping for something, building something, anything, just take that, expand upon the mathematics involved to make it more relatable.  One can also take a title of a movie such as Good Burger and have students calculate how much it costs to make repairs, determine profit of the burgers based on different materials used, or letting them calculate how long it takes to earn enough money to pay for the repairs.  As far as earning money, students can look at different hourly rates to see how that effects the length of time needed to earn money to pay for the repairs. 

Need some help getting started?  Check out this site which has some recommendations for articles such as buildings and architecture, or children's picture books, or sample chapters from certain books, all with a literature to math tie.  Although many of the suggestions are for the very young, some of the ideas can be taken, adjusted and applied to older students with a bit of thought.  

If all else fails, get together with the English or Language Arts teacher to select a book that he or she can have students read in their class and they will do some calculations on topics related to the book in your class.  If you are reading "The Diary Of Ann Frank", students can calculate the size of the hiding area, the number of square feet allotted to each person, the cost of creating the disguise for the entrance to the room, etc. Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.