ACL

Association of Children's Librarians

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • About
  • Calendar
    • Institute 2020
    • Past Institutes
    • Performers’ Showcase
  • Resources
    • Storytime Ideas
    • Read-alikes
    • Reviews
    • Programming Ideas
    • Professional Development
    • Distinguished Books Lists
    • More…
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Join

Storytime

Math Storytime, Part 3

Mathematical Storytime, Part 3

Playing games in storytime isn’t just fun and engaging; it isn’t just something that even gets adults to put down their phones. It’s actually a powerful way to teach math.

Think of math as the study of patterns in the universe. Zero to Three has identified pattern recognition as one of the key early math skills, but math actually is the study of patterns. Patterns are things—numbers, shapes, images—that repeat in a logical way. Patterns help children learn to make predictions, to understand what comes next, to make logical connections, and to use reasoning skills.

An example of teaching pattern recognition is the sock matching game, which you can find on Flannel Friday. I made one of these but made the dryer out of a mylar bag; a bag is much easier to store than a box. Since glue does not stick to mylar, I just stapled the dryer pieces onto the bag. You can use fewer or more pairs of socks depending on the age of the children in storytime. Below you will find the files for the song that I sing when whenever we get a match.

What Color are My Socks_

https://www.bayviews.org/wp-content/uploads/What-Color-are-My-Socks_.wav

As we have seen in the last two posts, we can be teachers of early math skills. In fact we already have been doing so all along, just as we have all along been teachers of the five early literacy skills — singing, talking, reading, writing, and playing. Now we can teach these with more awareness and intention.

“I’m not a math person” is a phrase I have heard many people say, even when talking about math activities for young children. As librarians we believe that it’s never too late to become a reader. Yet math is somehow different; we have been taught to believe that you have ability or you don’t.

But it turns out that this is not true. The brain actually continues to have the capacity to grow throughout one’s life. Dr. Jo Boaler, professor at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Education, believes that everyone has the ability to learn to do math at the highest level. If you feel skeptical, I recommend everyone to take her free online class for students (six 15-minute segments) at YouCubed.org.

Your beliefs about this matter really do make a difference. For example, in Mathematical Mindsets, Dr. Boaler cites a study that shows that girls in a class do more poorly in math than boys when they have a female teacher that says she is not good at math. But believing in your mathematical self can actually help you get better at math. In fact, making mistakes can cause more brain growth than getting the right answer.

Just as we envision a reader in every child, so must we envision a mathematician in every child. You can make a difference in a child’s life with storytime activities. But to do so, we have to start with ourselves.

Published on Jan 27, 2020
Posted by: pennypeck
Storytime Categories: Science
Storytime Ages: Toddler/Preschool
Math Storytime, Part 4 »
« Math Storytime, Part 2

Recent Posts

  • Pigeons Storytime – revised
  • Ladybugs Storytime – revised
  • Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre Review
  • SFPL Offers Special Author Events
  • Gone to the Woods Read-Alikes

Sign up to receive our blog and other updates by email.

Blog updates
Sending

Categories

  • ACL Events
  • Awards
  • Board Book Round Up
  • Media Watch
  • Message from ACL
  • News
  • Obituary
  • Out of the Ordinary
  • Outstanding Books of the Month
  • Professional Development
  • Programming Ideas
  • Review
  • San Francisco Public Library
  • storytime
  • Updates
  • Website of the Month

Tags

2018 Summer Reading 2019 Summer Reading ACL BayNews ACL Institute ACL Meeting ALA Conference ALSC American Library Association Arne Nixon Center Bay Area Storytelling Festival BayNews Beatty Award Board books Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards Caldecott Medal Children's Fairyland CLA Common Core Do-It-Yourself Programs Dorothy Helfeld Fellowships Dr. Seuss Edgar Awards fantasy Flap books Infopeople Jacqueline Woodson Kate DiCamillo Mary Ann Scheuer Maurice Sendak Michael Cart National Book Award National Book Awards Newbery Medal Oakland Public Library outstanding Performers' Showcase Pop-up books School Library Journal Storytelling Storytime Summer Reading Summer Reading Program Sydney Taylor Awards Walter Dean Myers We Need Diverse Books

Archives

  • 2021
    • February
    • January
  • 2020
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2019
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2018
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2017
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2016
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2015
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2014
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2013
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2012
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2011
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2010
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2009
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2008
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2007
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • July
    • June
    • April
    • February
    • January
  • 2006
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • March
    • February
  • 2005
    • December
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • March
  • 2004
    • December
    • September
    • January
  • 2003
    • October
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • February
    • January
  • 2002
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • May
  • 2001
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • March
    • February
  • 2000
    • December
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • June
    • May
    • March
    • January
  • 1999
    • December
    • November

© Copyright 1999 - 2021 Association of Children's Librarians of Northern California · All Rights Reserved · Log In