Links to LiteracyLinks to LiteracyAMATYC 2009

MaryAnne AnthonyLynn Marecek

Santa Ana College

Links to Literacy Project Overview

Children’s math literature has been integrated into Santa Ana College’s Prealgebra course

Links to Literacy Project

Problems addressed:1.Students’ low reading level2.Gaps in students’ math background3.Lack of reading at home

Problem 1Students’ low reading level

• Time to Act: An Agenda for Advancing Adolescent Literacy for College and Career Success – Carnegie Corporation–  In state after state, the testing data …

reveals a marked decline in the reading and writing skills of adolescent learners.….Many young people… end up graduating without the basic skills that they need to do college-level work

Problem 1Students’ low reading level

Reading Level of SAC Students (Fall 2006)

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

below 7th grade 7th - 9th grade 10th grade and

above

Perc

en

t

Problem 2 Gaps in Students’ Math

Background

• Many students did not experience the steady incremental steps of K-12 math curriculum

• Some students missed key areas in the development of basic math concepts

Problem 3Lack of Reading at Home

• Often no family role model for reading• Students have little time for

recreational reading between school, work, families

• Many community college students are English language learners

We are charged to address these problems!

• AMATYC Standards• California’s Basic Skills Initiative

AMATYC Standards

• Beyond Crossroads: ‘Standards for Intellectual Development … Communicating’– Students will acquire the ability to read,

write, listen to, and speak mathematics. (Ch.1 p.6)

California’s Basic Skills Initiative

• …mainstream faculty at the secondary level must share the burden of literacy problems with English and reading faculty (p.41)

• Effective practices in mathematics: fostering interactive learning through student writing, reading, speaking…so that students can learn to…communicate about mathematics both orally and in writing’ (p.44)

Our Solution

Create a children’s literature section in the college library

Children’s Literature in a College Library?

• Our students were already bringing their children to the Library – Children should be kept busy so their

parents could study– We recognized an opportunity to provide

math books to expose children to mathematical concepts

Aha!

We can teach two generations of students at the same time!

Where did we find the money?

• SAC Foundation• SAC Library funds• Basic Skills Initiative Student Success

Grant

How did we choose the books?

• Books we read with our own children• Book lists from primary grade resource

materials– California department of education– NCTM

Besides the children, who reads the books?

• Students in Math for Liberal Arts – Project option

• Prealgebra students – Links to Literacy!

Links to Literacy

• Linked theme of each book to curriculum of Prealgebra course

• Created student assignment for each children’s book

• Wrote a teacher page for each assignment

• Included in relevant sections of our Prealgebra manuscript

Implementation

• Homework assignment – takes very little classtime

• Assign four during semester– two due around mid-term– two near end

• Students choose which books to read• Extra credit opportunities

Group work

• Read the book on your table• Answer the questions on the worksheet

Group Reports

• Summarize the story• What math topic(s) did you recognize in

the book?• Where does this fit in the Community

College math curriculum?

Assignment Format

• Progression of questions• Start by summarizing story• End with extension - read to child, use

manipulatives, etc.

Insights into students’ thought processes and

misconceptions• Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last

Sunday– Make a “checkbook register” to show

how Alexander spent all his money.

• What if there were 18 children – how could they share the 12 cookies evenly? Explain your reasoning in words and by drawing a picture.

The Doorbell Rang

The Doorbell Rang Student Response

The Doorbell Rang (again)

The Doorbell Rang (twice)

The Doorbell Rang(and they’re getting it!)

The Doorbell Rang(for the last time)

Benefits to Students

• Our students recognize the value of– reading books– talking about math

with their siblings, children, neighbors

• They say it makes learning missing concepts fun when they’re presented in a different way

Student Comment – Reading with her Daughter

Student CommentsSome students liked them, some didn’t:

“I saw the value of getting kids started early on the math path.”

“[It’s] a chance to connect what is being taught in a basic way”

“It’s a fun way to learn more about math even for us who are older”

“Cool thing to mix literature with mathematics”“I don’t see the point, they are pointless”

What did students say was the best part of these

activities?

• “That you learn the concepts of…math in a fun way”

• “It was helpful…simple and concrete enough to grasp”

• “To find out that you can start teaching math to children through reading”

• “Teach[ing] somebody else”

More “bests”

• “Reading the books to my little sister, brother, cousin, child”

• “I got to spend time with my brothers, with my children”

• “Getting creative”• “Made me read, which was fun”• “Easy points”

Book List with Math Topics

• One Hundred Hungry Ants Factoring composite numbers• Spunky Monkeys on Parade Multiples of numbers• A Remainder of One Divisibility tests• Clean-Sweep Campers Equivalent fractions• The Doorbell Rang Simplifying fractions• Elevator Magic Subtraction of integers• Each Orange Had 8 Slices Associative property of

multiplication• The 100-pound Problem Subtraction and addition property

of equality• Everybody Wins! Division property of equality

Books and Topics (cont.)

• Math Curse Word problems• Missing Mittens Odd and even numbers• Among the Odds and Evens Properties of odd and even

numbers• Spaghetti and Meatballs Area and perimeter

for All • Alexander, Who Used to Coin word problems

be Rich Last Sunday • One Grain of Rice Exponents• The King’s Chessboard Exponents• Sea Squares Perfect square numbers

• The Fly on the Ceiling Ordered pairs and point-plotting

For an electronic copy of

• this presentation• the Links to Literacy packetor for more information about this

project email

anthony_maryanne@sac.edu