Cowboys Count, Monkeys Measure, and Princesses Problem Solve: Building Early Math Skills Through Storybooks

Nervous about teaching math to young children? Too pressed for time to teach all of the math concepts children need to know? Now there's a practical, stress-free guide to one of the most effective ways to enhance children's mathematical thinking in pre-K through Grade 3—by weaving math concepts into storytime.

Ready for any educator to pick up and start using, this concise book gives teachers the guidance they need to find high-quality storybooks on their own bookshelf, read them to children effectively, and develop age-appropriate math problems based on the story's plot, characters, setting, and illustrations. This creative, field-tested approach to math instruction is a must in every classroom because it

• Helps teachers meet NCTM guidelines. Included sample lessons explicitly link storybook-based math instruction to the curriculum focal points identified by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM).
• Targets foundational math skills. Learn how to pose higher level, open-ended math questions related to the story, so children develop the problem-solving, reasoning, and critical thinking skills they'll build on forever.
• Improves literacy skills. Respond to the NCTM's call for increased connection between literature and mathematics.
• Works with any storybook. Teachers will see how to use the high-quality storybooks they already have to engage students in mathematical discovery—even if there are no numbers or math concepts in the book.
• Connects math with real life. Relate math concepts to students' everyday lives, so they understand that math is more than problems in a textbook.
• Keeps students engaged. The playful, imaginative storybook approach promotes student engagement and enthusiasm—the two major characteristics children exhibit when they're learning well.
• Polishes teachers' own "mathematical lenses." Perfect for teachers who say they "hate math," this book opens their eyes to the mathematical concepts all around them, so they can recognize teaching opportunities in their classrooms.

Teachers will implement the ideas in this book right away with a helpful list of more than 40 popular storybooks for teaching math and grade-specific sample lessons that model higher-level questions and problem-solving activities. And with the blank lesson template, teachers can develop their own math activities and units based on the storybooks of their choice.

The ideal way to meet high-stakes standards for math education without investing significant resources in additional curricula, this guidebook will help educators teach math with confidence and lay the foundation for their students' long-term success.

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Jane Wilburne teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in mathematics education at Penn State Harrisburg. Her research interests are preservice teachers’ self-efficacy with mathematical problem solving, elementary teachers’ teaching of mathematical problem solving through storybooks, and promoting teaching and assessment of higher-order thinking and problem solving.

Jane Keat taught preschool for many years. Now, she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in early childhood education at Penn State Harrisburg. Her research focuses on teachers as researchers of their own professional practices, and teachers as designers of meaningful learning activity in prekindergarten through grade 3.

Mary Napoli is a former kindergarten and first grade classroom teacher. She now teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in children’s and young adult literature at Penn State Harrisburg. Some of her research interests include integrating children’s literature across the curriculum and exploring gender and culture in children’s literature.