Math Curse
Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith
Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith
Summary of the Book (Mathinc)
Math Curse is about a boy who, after a math lesson on word problems, realizes that all of life can be related to a math problem. This causes a silly hysteria filled day full of ponderings and hypotheticals. Problems range from what fraction of a pizza should he eat for lunch to how many minutes he needs to get ready in the morning. This book is a delightful read which is sure to get children thinking about math in a new light.
Math Curse is about a boy who, after a math lesson on word problems, realizes that all of life can be related to a math problem. This causes a silly hysteria filled day full of ponderings and hypotheticals. Problems range from what fraction of a pizza should he eat for lunch to how many minutes he needs to get ready in the morning. This book is a delightful read which is sure to get children thinking about math in a new light.
December Book of the Month Suggested Activities
1. As an extension students could create a digital reading of the book and it could be posted on the library website.
2. Read-Think-Write provides a lesson that is all written out with activity sheets and even a rubric. The lesson is great for 6th graders. However, 7th & 8th grade teachers should take a look to see if it could work for their students. As stated by readwritethink.org this lesson uses the four modalities of reading (reading, writing, listening, and speaking) on a math word problem to bridge the gap between reading and math. After a read-aloud, students create their own word problems with answers. Students also solve each other's problems. As they reread the word problems, fluency and comprehension increase. Finally, students use the skills they've learned creating word problems to complete a crossword puzzle. As students read the math concept words presented in the puzzle and write the correct answers, their reading and writing math vocabulary skills increase. CLICK HERE to access readwritethink.org.
3. Create a “Math Curse” book for your class. Each student creates one page for the book explaining how math problems are a part of his/her daily day. The page should include a word problem and a picture. Click on the link below to access Teachers-Pay-Teachers to download the “Math Curse Project”. The resource suggests having the book bound by OfficeMax. I would use card stock paper, 3-whole punch each paper, and bind it with ribbons. CLICK HERE to assess Teachers-Pay-Teachers.
4. Have students create their own book. However, if you have technology available, students could also create a Google slide show, which could be posted on the library website. Click the link below to access Math Geek Mama to download the packet titled “Math-Curse Activities”. The author of this packet provides a simple to use template. CLICK HERE to access Math Geek Mama.