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Chelsea Garmon
CIL 610
May 4 , 2016
Including Read-Alouds into the Math Curriculum
My goal in researching for this assignment was to include read-alouds in my math
curriculum. Since the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) were implemented teachers are
challenged to incorporate literacy into several subjects. Adding read- alouds into your math
curriculum provides students with the opportunity to improve their reading skills along with their
math skills. Read-alouds are a significant component of literacy instruction. (Fisher, Flood,
Lapp, & Frey, 2004) Read-alouds can also be a powerful way to promote language and literacy
development through interactive discussion and response. (Hoffman, 2011; Sipe, 2002) Could
you imagine what a teacher could do if they incorporated read-alouds into their math curriculum?
Not only would students reading skills improve but possibly their math skills. These connections
are essential to making mathematics accessible and for helping students use literature and
mathematics to make sense of their lives. (Lo Cicero, Fuson, & Allexsaht-Snider, 1999) Using
read-alouds in math can also help students make real world connections. By showing students
how we can use math to help them understand stories or specific problems in a story we are
providing examples of how math can be used in real life situations. When we mathematizing
books commonly available in classroom collections and reading them aloud, teachers provide
students with opportunities to explore ideas, discuss mathematical concepts, and make
connections to their own lives. (Hintz & Smith, 2003) Just think of all the benefits that students
can get from a teacher incorporating read-alouds into their math curriculum.
Before I discuss the themes I noticed in my research I feel it is important to discuss what
a read-aloud is. A read-aloud is essentially what sounds is like. It is a chance for a child to listen

a story out loud however in a classroom setting it is usually more structured and a lesson tends to
follow. Reading aloud allows teachers to model sense making and strategy use while also
providing engaging literacy experiences that increase student motivation and foster a love of
reading. (Hoffman, Roser, & Battle, 1993) When a great story is read aloud, listeners discover
that vocabulary is easier to understand. The flow and grammar of language becomes more
familiar. In addition, solid foundations of expectations are laid down regarding what might come
next in a sentence what might come next in the book, and how the story might end, all of which
help children to confirm their guesses by then looking at the print. In other words, it helps them
in a profound way to learn to read. (Fox 2013) Read-alouds in literacy instruction have proven to
be very effective in teaching students basic reading skills. I know from my own experience I can
always tell which parents have actually read to their students and which ones do not. The
students who have been exposed to books at a young age seem to grasp the concepts much
quicker. Now if we could take a read-aloud and apply it to the math curriculum imagine what our
students could learn.
One common theme that stood out as I was researching was how many books are out
there that teachers can use in their math lessons. Almost all the articles that I came across had
several example of books that can be used to help teach math concepts. The majority of authors
these days are also creating books that can be used specifically for math instruction. I had also
learned in class by the readings we had done how teachers can use graphic novels to help teach
math concepts. For example in The Grapes of Math by Greg Tang, gives short poems that are
actually math problems for students to solve. This is just another way that teachers can
incorporate literacy into their math own curriculum. There really is a lot of resources out there

for teachers to use I just do not think that teachers are aware of them. I was not aware until I
began to research.
One article that really stuck out to me was Mathematizing Read-Alouds in Three Easy
Steps by Allison Hintz and Anthony Smith. I really enjoyed reading this article. In it the authors
discuss how a teacher used The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle to teach recording
strategies. As the teacher was reading the students would keep track of all the things the
caterpillar ate on a small caterpillar they had drawn. Some students had made tally marks, some
kept track by the day, and some just simply wrote numbers. When the teacher was done reading
as a class they would all then discuss how each student kept track of all the food. In my opinion
this is a perfect example of how a teacher can incorporate a read-aloud into their math lessons.
Weaving together read-aloud, mathematics, and discussion to deepen student learning (Hintz &
Smith, 2013) Read-alouds can really help improve student literacy and math skills as well as
meet the CCSS that each teacher must teach.
The final theme that was discussed in the articles was how important it is for teachers to
include extension activities after each read-aloud. It is not simply enough for teachers to read a
story and move onto whatever math skill the class is working on for the day. Teachers need to
also include some sort of text-extending activity. Text-extending activities also provide teachers
with assessment information on students understanding of the literacy and mathematical
concepts targeted in the read aloud. (Hintz & Smith, 2013) As a teacher I want my students to
truly grasp the concept by the end of the lesson. The last thing that I want is to finish the lesson
and my students have not retained any of the information that I have taught. By providing textextending activities students get more opportunities to practice a skill in order for the information

to stick. They also give me a quick formative assessment to let me know who I need to pull for
small group instruction and who is ready to work independently. Without a text-extending
activities you truly would not have a lesson.
After completing my research I have concluded that utilizing read-alouds into my math
curriculum can be a valuable tool when teaching the CCSS. In my first three years of teaching I
was in second grade and at a school where we were required to use the curriculum provided. The
curriculum was not bad I just found it to be very boring for my students. Since coming down to
kindergarten I have now made it my mission to make learning more fun and interesting.
Especially since my kindergarten students cannot sit still for more than ten minutes. I feel that if
I include read-alouds into my math curriculum that my students will grasp the concept better and
will also improve their reading skills. My first step is to begin to create a collection of books that
can be used in math as well as meet the state standards. All of the articles I have read discuss the
significance of finding the right book. The goal is to find those text-dependent books that feature
mathematical concepts to the degree that the plot or ideas in them cannot be understood without
also understanding the math. (Hintz & Smith, 2013) It is important for teachers not only to
choose excellent pieces of childrens literature to share with their students but also to help
students make connections to their lives and connections to other content areas while
constructing meaning from those books. (Hyde, 2006) It is also important to note that the books
that are chosen can also be used to help teach comprehension. Books as well as read-alouds are
not only used during math they can be used for any subject. My second step would be to develop
a lesson based on the text that I have chosen as well as the CCSS that I have chosen. Hintz &
Smith, 2013 recommend revisiting a text or reading the text multiple times, discussions are one
way to explore concepts without distracting students from the story or main ideas. There must be

a balance between asking questions for discussion and persevering the read-alouds momentum.
(Hintz & Smith, 2013) My goal with a read-aloud would be to introduce a concept or to help
understand a concept like the teacher did the earlier example with The Very Hungry Caterpillar
by Eric Carle. I ultimately think incorporating read-alouds into my math curriculum would be a
great way to replace the usual math worksheets or the same old boring curriculum. It is import to
remember though that when planning a math read-aloud that teachers should choose extension
activities that provide authentic hands-on exploration of the connections between literacy and
mathematics throughout the curriculum. (Morrow & Gamble, 2004) I truly believe that in doing
this I will increase not only my students math scores but also their reading scores.
After researching I have come to realize how important it is to incorporate read-alouds
into my math curriculum. I feel that it could also be beneficial to incorporate them into every
subject. In the primary grades students need to be exposed to huge amounts of literacy.
Mathamizing your read-alouds gives you another way to present students with different types of
literature. Math can be a hard subject to teach and I remember as a student that it was never my
favorite subject. If my teacher had used stories to teach math I probably would have received
much more enjoyment out of it. In this new era of teaching with the CCSS teachers need to
transform read-alouds into engaging experiences that are also mathematically powerful for
students. (Hintz & Smith 2013) It is my personal goal to mathamize my read-alouds to help
increase student achievement in both reading and math.

References
Allison Hintz, A. S. (2013). Mathematizing Read-Alouds in Three Easy Steps. The Reading
Teacher, 67(2), 103-108.
Fox, M. (2013). What Next in the Read-Aloud Battle? The Reading Teacher, 67(1), 4-8.
Shatzer, J. (2008). Picture Book Power: Connecting Children's Literature and Mathematics. The
Reading Teacher, 61(8), 649-653.