Literature in Mathematics

In today’s class, we spent quite a bit of time talking about the article Using Creative Writing and Literature in Mathematics Classes. It was a very interesting article. Through it, I learned that with creativity, you can incorporate any subject into another subject. All lessons can be interdisciplinary. There was one drawback which was mentioned in class, yet I can’t help but to see the other side—how it can also be a benefit. It was mentioned in class today that for children who have hard time writing, doing a math assignment like this becomes hard to do. Some kids may really love math, but may struggle with writing. It was said that a lesson like this would take away the excitement from students who enjoy math but struggle with writing. I on the other hand, can see how joining a subject that a student loves with one that he/she hates, may actually help the student. If a student loves math but hates writing, an assignment like this may motivate the student to write. It may even get the student to start liking writing.


Still, it seems like a lesson like this would be very time consuming. I am curious to be present in a classroom and see it be done. I also wonder about the younger grade levels. Is it possible to do this assignment with the younger kids? In my second grade class, my students have often been given numbers where they then have to come up with a word story. The article talks about something much more extensive. How can this type of lesson be extended to the younger grades while reaching the same goals the article is talking about?

For classroom practice, I think it can definitely be done in the older grade levels. I personally would love to teach in the younger grade levels. I would really benefit from knowing how this could be broken down for younger grades. I feel it would help motivate students who want to do math and not write, or vice versa. It also works as an assessment for teachers. It stretches children’s mathematical thinking even more. While the kids have to have a vivid imagination to create the story, the story itself has to be mathematically viable and correct.