The Grapes of Math by
Greg Tang
The Grapes of Math is
a clever and fruitful compilation of mathematical rhymes. The book contains colorful illustrations and
insightful riddles to help the readers solve each of the math problems. Each
set of pictures has its own riddle and unique and easy ways of solving the
daunting math problem. Each set of colorful pictures challenges the readers to
think creatively so that solving the problems is more enjoyable. The lighthearted tones and the adorable
imagery of the book make the reader forget that they are counting large
numbers!
The Grapes of Math
addresses the mathematical concept of symmetry. Each illustration requires the
reader to find a creative way to quickly count larger numbers. The book mainly
illustrates the mathematical concept of symmetry. For example, in the pizza pie
picture the riddle asks how many mushrooms there are. Since it would take too
long to count all of the mushrooms, the riddle says “ Just do have and count it
twice”. Since the pizza is symmetrical, doing this would take half the time
than it would to count out all of the mushrooms. By looking for patterns and symmetries,
solving the problems becomes much less difficult. Since we have been discussing
the symmetry of graphs lately in class, this story relates to that topic. It
reminded me that even though some math concepts can be tricky, there’s always
an easier way to solve them.
I think using literature to explain mathematical concepts is
a great idea. Math, for me at least, is a daunting subject and I have always
struggled with it. Explaining somewhat difficult concepts through colorful and
fun illustrations makes math seem much easier. Sometimes younger students become
disenchanted with math because it can be very difficult and the process of
learning math is not always fun. Learning math through a textbook does not
really help visual learners most of the time. Storybooks like The Grapes of Math appeals greatly to
visual learners. For younger students learning things without knowing that you
are learning them will make the students more receptive to the concepts.
Wow symmetry through rhymes and riddles that sounds like fun! I feel like the use of rhymes would definitely be a good tactic in teaching kids because they will remember rhymes for a long time. Even when they are in college math class like us they might remember the little rhymes and riddles that they learned in a story book as a kid.
ReplyDeleteI love the clever name of the book. Riddles are always a very effective way to memorize and also a fun way to understand math.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you say about literature and mathematical concepts!
ReplyDeletegreat job, victoria! this is one of my favorite math picture books. i like what you said about learning a concept but not realizing that you are learning it. this is so true. nice job of explaining this text and its mathematical concepts.
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