Grounding Math Lessons in Picture Books

As elementary educators, we understand the benefits of using picture books and read-alouds in class to help students make personal connections to content. However, many educators assume these books are only useful in an English language arts (ELA) setting. Instead, I have relied on picture books during my math lessons to not only boost engagement, but help my students make real-world connections to the content.

Starting my third-grade math lessons with interactive read-alouds of picture books has provided relevancy and ownership of student learning. While some books directly align with current standards, many others tie into broader themes, seamlessly enhancing our learning. For example, A Three Hat Day, by Laura Geringer, illustrated by Arnold Lobel, provides a great introduction to multiplication by three, while Rollercoaster, by Marla Frazee, supports our exploration of estimating and rounding numbers.

Susan O’Connell’s Math by the Book highlights the power of children’s literature in fostering meaningful learning experiences that deepen students’ mathematical understanding. O’Connell’s work has not only ignited my creativity as a math instructor, but also transformed our math workshop time into a dynamic space full of endless learning opportunities. As a result, these read-alouds have become an eagerly anticipated part of class.

How Does It Work? Unpacking the Process

In this approach to math instruction, a lesson’s hook is dependent upon a children’s book. Integrating literacy not only enhances students’ understanding of subject matter in a deeper and more meaningful way, but also offers them increased opportunities to practice and strengthen their reading skills outside of an ELA-specific lesson.

As part of our math workshop, lessons always begin with an engaging interactive read-aloud. These read-alouds are carefully selected, either to align directly with the math concept we’re learning that day or to complement a broader theme or unit of study, which we later tie back to the math. As we read, I focus on building vocabulary and ask thought-provoking questions, just as in any interactive read-aloud. Afterward, we make meaningful connections between the story and the math concept, helping students see the real-world relevance of what they’re learning.

Story problems become more meaningful when they are connected to students’ own experiences. Since a read-aloud is an interactive experience, linking the story or word problems to the book helps students make immediate, relatable connections, deepening their understanding of the math concept and providing further engagement.

For example, creating story problems with the characters from Mango, Abuela, and Me, written by Meg Medina and illustrated by Angela Dominguez, to teach multiplication through arrays helps students visualize the concept more clearly while also giving them something meaningful to connect with. A problem asking students to figure out how many meat pies Mia and Abuela made together is far more engaging and relevant than a generic scenario with random characters. This connection to the story adds depth and context, making the math more memorable.

As in any effective math workshop, our literacy-integrated lessons progress through a gradual release model, where students first explore the math together using manipulatives and then transition into small groups for more targeted, differentiated instruction. Within these groups, students continue to engage with the math concepts through the lens of the story’s characters. For example, after reading Two of Everything, by Lily Toy Hong, students used counter chips to practice doubling and multiplying by two, bringing the math to life in a hands-on, meaningful way.

Inspired by Sue O’Connell’s lesson activities, I now often incorporate an arts-integrated final product for students to demonstrate their mastery of new skills. After reading One Is a Snail, Ten Is a Crab, by April Pulley Sayre and Jeff Sayre, illustrated by Randy Cecil, students selected a sea animal with a specific number of body parts (e.g., squid with three hearts, starfish with five arms) and illustrated 10 of that animal to show their understanding of multiplying by 10.

Using Picture Books for Math Instruction Across Grade Levels

Using picture books for math instruction can be impactful across grade levels—the key is to pick the right book. Feast for 10, by Cathryn Falwell, is an ideal choice for teaching preschoolers the fun and rhythm of counting to 10. In Round Is a Tortilla, by Roseanne Greenfield Thong, illustrated by John Parra, kindergartners can go on a shape hunt. A Chair for My Mother, by Vera B. Williams, offers a heartwarming introduction to money for first graders, while also fostering empathy. A Remainder of One, by Elinor J. Pinczes, illustrated by Bonnie MacKain, is both delightful and humorous, making it a perfect way to introduce division with remainders to fifth graders.

Utilizing these stories not only makes the content more relevant for our students but also connects them with characters facing relatable problems, regardless of their age or grade level. This approach allows us to present word problems that are meaningfully integrated into the narrative.

What to Do When the Book Choice Isn’t So Obvious

In a perfect world, a paired read-aloud exists for every math skill in every grade level, but more often than not, things do not work out that way. O’Connell’s work has left me inspired to tap into my own creative approaches when planning for a new standard or skill, and with practice, I have found this task to be less and less challenging.

In preparation for a forecasted snowy day earlier this year, we read Ezra Jack Keats’s The Snowy Day and then created our own story problems about how many snowballs Peter and his friend made together, when learning how to add whole numbers within 1,000. We subtracted to find the difference in number of books in the fiction section of a fictionalized library to the nonfiction section after reading The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned to Read, by Rita Lorraine Hubbard, illustrated by Oge Mora, as part of our celebration of Black History. We will read Enemy Pie, by Derek Munson, illustrated by Tara King, as we bring fractions to life through recipes later this school year, and we will review what we know about two-dimensional shapes in City Shapes, by Diana Murray, illustrated by Bryan Collier.

Children’s literature is a magical and powerful tool that enhances our teaching. Using books in math instruction sparks creativity, not just for our students, but for us as educators as well. By blending literacy with math, we can make learning both meaningful and memorable.