Math Curse

Authors: Jon Scieszka & Lane Smith

Recommended Grade Level: 3-5

NCTM Standards:
Number and Operations, Algebra, Measurement, & Data Analysis & Probability

Summary:
This highly amusing story is about a girl who has become the “victim of a math curse.” It all begins on Monday in math class when her teacher, Mrs. Fibonacci, says, “You know, you can think of almost everything as a math problem.” By Tuesday, EVERYTHING in the girl’s life has transformed into a mathematical problem. While getting ready in the morning, she finds herself wondering if she will make it to the bus on time. Then, while taking the milk out for her cereal she asks, “How many quarts in a gallon? How many pints in a quart?” Each page of the book is covered with these types of problems related to mathematics in everyday life. All of the problems involve number and operations, algebra, measurement, and data analysis and probability. At the end of the story, the heroine falls asleep and dreams that she is “trapped in a room with no doors and no windows and the room is covered with a lifetime of problems.” In order to finally break the math curse, the heroine uses fractions!

Suggestions for Using Book with Students:
We live in a mathematical world; it is important for students to understand connections between mathematical ideas and to recognize mathematics in contexts outside of the classroom. A teacher could read this book to students, perhaps a page at a time (as Aliyah suggested), to help them become aware of these connections. After reading the entire book, the teacher could tell students that he/she is putting a “math curse” on them and ask them to keep a journal for one day in which they record all of the mathematical problems/things that they notice in their everyday lives. To break the curse, the teacher should provide the class with a problem that they must work together to solve.
Reading this book to students would be a fun way to help students develop number sense and provide them with an opportunity to practice solving problems related to each of the content areas. After reading each page, I would have the class work together to solve the problems. I would encourage students to make use of different methods each day (e.g., mental calculations, estimation, paper-and-pencil, using manipulatives, or calculator). The answers to the problems are located on the back cover of the book.
After reading the page with the chart (a bar graph depicting the number of birthdays each month), the teacher could have the students work together to create their own class birthday chart. He/she could ask the students to identify which months have the most and the least number of birthdays.
A teacher could read the pages about fractions either before or after introducing students to fractions. Fractions seem to be a very difficult concept for many young students; this book would help to make fractions seem more tolerable! The teacher could then bring in some type of (non-allergenic) food that the class will have to figure out how to share amongst themselves (using fractions). (The teacher can hide extras behind his/her desk to make sure that everyone gets a whole piece at the end of the activity. Make sure that there is enough for everyone!)