Claudia Carranza

A mock curriculum proposal written as part of ENG3325 - Children/Adolescent Literature, UTPA, Fall 2011, Dr. Broz.

Theme: Humanity of Math – Addressing and Overcoming Math Phobia

Grade Level: 9^th Grade Reading, Mathematics (but also suitable throughout)

OVERVIEW OF PROPOSAL:

The mathematics department would like to propose the following interdisciplinary reading unit in order to kick-off the up-coming school year in order to address and assist our high school's entering freshman class identify and overcome anxiety and fear caused by mathematics. The study of mathematics is often viewed as a 'nerdy' thing, a 'smart people' thing, or (most frequently) something students have to suffer through until they no longer have to go to school. With this unit, the mathematics department hopes to address math phobia by making mathematics more accessible to students by presenting literary examples of mathematics, literary heroes that either overcome math phobia or use mathematics as a tool for success.

The materials proposed for purchase are 30 copies of an anchor book to be used for common reading by all students, and 6 copies of 5 other books to be used for extending the unit through reading group activities or individual student choice reading. These book titles are fiction.

ANCHOR BOOK: An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

ANCHOR BOOK SOURCED EVALUATION:

The purposed anchor book for this reading unit is the fiction title An Abundance of Katherines by John Green, published by Dutton Books in 2006. This book is about a recent high school graduate who has been dumped by nineteen different girls, all of whom are named Katherine. The main character in the story sets off on a post-graduation road trip to find a new direction in life while trying to create a mathematical formula. He hopes that this formula will explain his past relationships as well predict the duration of future ones. This book has been named as a Best Book by the following: Book Sense Children's Picks, American Booksellers Association, Fall 2006; Books for Youth, Editor's Choice, 2006; The Capitol Choices Committee, 2007; Core Collection : Math in Fiction, 2007; Horn Book Fanfare, 2006; Kirkus Best Children's Books, 2006; Senior High Core Collections, Seventeeth Edition, The H.W.Wilson So., 2007; and YALSA Best Books for Youth Adults, American Library Association, 2007. This book was a finalist in the Young Adult Fiction category of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, 2006. This book has also won two awards: the Michael L. Printz Honor Book Award and the Thumbs Up! Honor Book Award, both in 2007. This book has been on State and Provincial Reading Lists from 2007 to 2010, for the following states/provinces: Illinois, Indiana, Arizona, Vermont, Iowa, Texas, Tennessee, and the Pacific Northwest.

Reviewing the book for VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates) in October 2006 (Vol. 29, No.4), Lorraine Squires says,

Dialogue and plot flow together beautifully, enlivened by foreign languages, equations, and expository footnotes. It also includes an entertaining appendix explaining the theorem. …[I]t is an enjoyable, thoughtful novel that will attract readers interested in romance, math, or just good storytelling.

A Kirkus Reviews starred review (August 15, 2006, Vol. 74, No. 16) calls An Abundance of Katherines "fully fun, challengingly complex, and entirely entertaining". All of the reviews recommended this book for grades 9-12, ages 13 and up.

ANCHOR BOOK AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY:

John Green worked for Booklist Magazine as a book reviewer. His reviewing specialty included literary fiction. He is also author of Will Grayson, Will Grayson; Paper Towns; and Looking for Alaska. He is the co-author of Let it Snow: Three Holiday Romances. He is the recipient of the Michael L. Printz Award for both An Abundance of Katherines and Looking for Alaska. His collaboration with fellow young adult authors Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle, Let it Snow, "reached number 10 on the New York Times bestseller list for paperback children's books. Paper Towns was awarded the 2009 Edgar Award for Best Young Adult Novel and the 2010 Corine Literature Prize." (John Green - Wikipedia) He has also written three short stories: The Approximate Cost of Loving Caroline, The Great American Morp, and Freak the Geek.

MY PROFESSIONAL RECCOMENDATION, based on my reading of the anchor book, I am very glad I chose it to lead off this section. It worried me, at first, some of the language and topics. I was very back and forth with this book about the age level it should go to. Since it is a story about high school graduates, with road trips and college and romances, I thought that it would only be a good read for high school juniors or seniors. But then, in recalling my own reading level at that age, I grew more from the reading of books that were not seemingly appropriate for my age-group. As with the teaching of mathematics, much of the problem is that math professors now-a-days think it's too complicated for our youth, and so they water the topics down so much that it stops becoming real mathematics and starts becoming a farce of mathematics. This book is the same way. My knee jerk reaction was to say that it is too mature, too above 9^th graders, but I'm not going to fall into the trap of watering things down. It does no justice to the intelligence of our youth, and instead adds to the feeling that they aren't good enough to amount to anything so why even try. There is more to learn from this book than just 'math can be used in a fun way' and that's what literature is supposed to do.

LIST OF FIVE SUPPLEMENTAL BOOKS AND RATIONALE FOR SELECTION

The five supplemental books recommended for this thematic unit on mathematics are all fiction titles.

1. The Number Devil: A Mathematical Adventure, Hans Magnus Enzensberger, 1998 (fiction)

2. A Higher Geometry, Sharelle Byars Moranville, 2006 (fiction)

3. A Mango Shaped Space, Wendy Moss, 2003 (fiction)

4. My Life as a Rhombus, Varian Johnson, 2007 (fiction)

5. The Great Number Rumble: A Story of Math in Surprising Places, Cora Lee and Gillian O'Reilly, 2007 (fiction)

These five books make up the recommended supplemental titles for the proposed mathematics unit. See attached materials for sourced evaluations and bibliographical information for the supplemental books and ordering information for all six books.

Attached Material:

Annotated Bibliography and Sourced Evaluations for Supplemental Books:

The Number Devil: A Mathematical Adventure, Hans Magnus Enzensberger, 1998

Best Books:

Adventuring with Books: A Booklist for PreK-Grade 6, 12th Edition, 1999 ; National Council of Teachers of English; United States
Kirkus Book Review Stars, 1998 ; United States
Notable Children's Books, 1999 ; ALSC American Library Association; United States
Publishers Weekly Book Review Stars, November 1998 ; Cahners; United States
Senior High School Library Catalog, Sixteenth Edition, 2002 ; H.W. Wilson; United States

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, 1998)
Robert's not too happy when a diminutive number devil visits him in a dream--"If you give me some homework in my dream, I'll scream bloody murder! That's child abuse!"--but his opinion changes over the course of a dozen nights, as the devil shows him how to make numbers hop, introduces "unreasonable," "prima-donna," and "Bonacci" numbers, draws number triangles with all sorts of marvelous qualities, discusses one, zero, and infinity, and at the end delivers a dinner invitation to Number Heaven (which is also Number Hell), where Robert meets such mathematical eminences as Lord Rustle (as in Bertrand) and Dr. Happy Little (Felix Klein, inventor of the Klein Bottle), then has dessert--pie, of course. Berner adds plenty of full-color cartoon vignettes and charts; the author supplies several additional exercises for readers, and ends with translations of his quirky terminology and a long index of the concepts he so cleverly introduces. A natural follow-up to Norton Juster's The Phantom Tollbooth (1961) and Jon Scieszka's Math Curse (1995), covering more mathematical territory--with less plot--than either, but sharing the same daffy sensibility. 1998, Metropolitan/Henry Holt, $22.00. Starred Review. © 1998 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

***** ***** *****

A Higher Geometry, Sharelle Byars Moranville, 2006

Best Books:

Best Children's Books of the Year, 2007 ; Bank Street College of Education; United States
Core Collection: Math in Fiction, 2007 ; Booklist; United States
Senior High Core Collection, Seventeenth Edition, 2007 ; The H. W. Wilson Co.; United States
Top 10 Youth Romances, 2006 ; American Library Association; United States

Leslie Carter (VOYA, August 2006 (Vol. 29, No. 3))
This pleasing novel is set in the post-Sputnik late 1950s. Although her parents embrace the values of small-town America, which would put her on the path to marriage and family after high school, Anna dreams of more for herself. She has a fierce interest and capability in math, and she wants more than anything to go to college. Into her life bounds Mike, who sweeps her off her feet. Their growing relationship causes Anna to think about the future in a different way, but when she is chosen to enter a state math contest and wins it, even her stern father is forced to reassess his traditional plans for her. A second trip, this time to Chicago for a test with the Academy of Mathematics and Sciences, proves beyond a doubt that Anna is truly gifted. Although Anna and Mike do become sexually active during the story, there are no explicit situations. Although not great literature, the novel is very readable, and most juvenile girls will enjoy it. The author does a credible job of immersing the reader into the culture of 1959, and her characters, although not completely full-blown, are believable. VOYA CODES: 3Q 4P M J (Readable without serious defects; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 2006, Henry Holt, 212p., $16.95. Ages 11 to 15.

***** ***** *****

A Mango Shaped Space, Wendy Moss, 2003

Best Books:

Children's Book Sense Picks, Winter 2005-2006 ; Independent Booksellers Association; United States
Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults, 2006 ; American Library Association-YALSA; United States

Best Children's Books of the Year, 2004 ; Bank Street College of Education; United States
Middle and Junior High School Library Catalog, Ninth Edition, 2005 ; H.W. Wilson; United States
Middle and Junior High School Library Catalog, Supplement to the Eighth Edition, 2004 ; H.W. Wilson; United States

Awards, Honors, Prizes:

Great Lakes Great Books Award, 2005 Winner Grades 6-8 Michigan
Schneider Family Book Award, 2004 Winner Middle School United States

State and Provincial Reading Lists:

Great Lakes Great Books Award, 2005 ; Nominee; Grades 6-8; Michigan
Great Stone Face Award, 2004-2005 ; Nominee; Grades 4-6; New Hampshire
Iowa Teen Award, 2005-2006 ; Nominee; Iowa
Louisiana Young Readers' Choice Award, 2006 ; Nominee; Grades 6-8; Louisiana
Nevada Young Readers' Award, 2006 ; Nominee; Intermediate; Nevada
South Carolina Young Adult Book Award, 2006 ; Nominee; South Carolina
Virginia Young Readers Program, 2005-2006 ; Nominee; Middle School Level; Virginia

Angela Carstensen (VOYA, April 2003 (Vol. 26, No. 1))
Mia was humiliated in third grade when her whole class ridiculed her for presenting a math problem using colored chalk because it made sense to her to write each number in its own color. When the teacher sent her to the principal's office and even her parents failed to understand, she decided never to mention the incident or her unique ability again. Now in eighth grade, Mia is having trouble in math and Spanish and is forced to tell her parents. Not only does Mia see each number and letter in its own particular color, but sounds produce colors and shapes in front of her. Her cat is even named Mango because his meow produces mango-colored puffs. Mia's parents take her to a string of doctors until they find a neurologist who explains that Mia has a harmless condition called synesthesia. "It means 'senses coming together.' Imagine that the wires in your brain are crossed... your visual and hearing senses are linked." After meeting other synesthetes and armed with new understanding, Mia moves from hiding her colors in shame to accepting them as a gift. Mia is devastated when Mango dies, believing that she was so busy worrying about her condition that she neglected to notice his strange behavior. Eventually her parents are able to reassure her, and readers with similar concerns could find great comfort in these passages. Despite her special condition, Mia's narrative shows her to be a typical teen with best friend troubles, sibling rivalries, and potential boyfriends. Although this book is probably not one that teens will pick up without coaxing, they will enjoy this unique look at a fascinating condition. It is highly recommended for the middle school crowd. VOYA CODES: 4Q 3P M J (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Will appeal with pushing; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 2003, Little Brown, 219p, $16.95. Ages 11 to 15.

***** ***** *****

My Life as a Rhombus, Varian Johnson, 2007

Best Books:

Core Collection: Math in Fiction, 2007 ; Booklist; United States
Stuff for the Teen Age, 2009 ; New York Public Library; United States

Awards, Honors, Prizes:

Cybil Award, 2008 Finalist Young Adult Novels United States

State and Provincial Reading Lists:

Tayshas High School Reading List, 2009 ; Texas

Barbara Johnson (VOYA, April 2008 (Vol. 31, No. 1))
Rhonda is a senior at Piedmont Academy where money defines status. Focused on getting an engineering scholarship to Georgia Tech, Rhonda has created her own rigid behavior rules that distance her from the popular clique. She balks at tutoring cheerleader Sarah Gamble in math but concludes that Sarah's mother, a Supreme Court judge and Georgia Tech grad, could provide a powerful scholarship recommendation. While tutoring, Rhonda discovers that Sarah is pregnant and Rhonda discloses her own pregnancy at fifteen. Forced by her father to have an abortion, Rhonda is now estranged from him and afraid of any romantic connection with the opposite sex. The girls eventually travel to Atlanta for Sarah's abortion, but Sarah backs out. Her pregnancy opens the door for Rhonda to confront her father, her former boyfriend, and her emotions and sexuality, now aroused by Sarah's brother David. Although the main protagonists are black, their friends and problems are multiracial. The f-bomb and scenes of teen drinking pepper the dialogue and action. Rhonda and Sarah come alive but fall short of grabbing any heartstrings. The use of mathematical terms as chapter titles is clever and humor lightens the serious issue of teen pregnancy; however, Johnson's message is crystal-clear. Rhonda's abortion left her with serious emotional scars while Sarah's decision to keep her baby gives her the potential for future happiness. Although not an essential purchase, this novel will help reinforce the importance of responsible sex and underscore the ramifications of abortion. VOYA CODES: 3Q 3P S A/YA (Readable without serious defects; Will appeal with pushing; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12; Adult-marketed book recommended for Young Adults). 2008, Flux/Llewellyn, 294p., $9.95 Trade pb. Ages 15 to Adult.

***** ***** *****

The Great Number Rumble: A Story of Math in Surprising Places, Cora Lee and Gillian O'Reilly, 2007

Best Books:

Best Books for Kids and Teens, 2008 ; Canadian Children's Book Centre; Canada

Awards, Honors, Prizes:

AIP Science Writing Award, 2009 Winner Children United States

Thomas Falkenberg (CM Magazine, April 13, 2007 (Vol. XIII, No. 17))
As the subtitle promises, The Great Number Rumble: A Story of Math in Surprising Places is a book about the surprising places in which mathematical ideas can be found in nature, sport, the arts, music, and other places of human living. These discoveries are embedded in a fictional story of a contest between the Director of Education, Lawrence Lake, and Sam, the new friend of Jeremy, who is the narrator of the story. Sam is - in Jeremy's words - "a regular guy who saw the world differently - as numbers, shapes, and patterns" (p. 2), and who calls himself a "mathnik". So when one day Lawrence Lake, as the Director of Education, declares that "mathematics will be removed from the school curriculum, effective immediately", Sam suggests a debate between him and the Director in which Sam plans to challenge the Director's view that mathematics has very little use, value and meaning in students' and, for that matter, adults' lives beyond basic arithmetic. Sam is so convinced of his case that he bets with the Director that he is "going to convince [him] and everyone [in the audience] that math is not only important, but exciting too, and part of everything we do. And if [he] can't make [the Director] change [his] mind, [he] promise[s] to work for [him] every day after school for the whole year" (p. 10), for which he asks the Director to "pay [him] one cent a day for the first day, then double it to two cents the second, four cents the third, eight cents the fourth, and so on". The Director agrees to these conditions and claims that Sam "certainly won't get rich that way", a move that the Director will bitterly regret - because he did not see the mathematics behind the bet. ... The book is rich in illustrations, several on each page, and also includes some photos. The illustrations are well designed to help the young reader to 'see the surprising places' where mathematics can be found. However, it is also because of the illustrations that I need to raise some caution about the book. One illustration shows a dead Greek in the sea with blood on his chest and a 'square-rooted' sword that is still sticking in his wound. This is an illustration for one of the featurettes in which the reader is told that the (Ancient Greek) Pythagoreans killed one of theirs after he had proven to them that square root of two is an irrational number. The other illustration that might be of concern portrays Sam with his hands separated from his underarms, showing a clear, blood-red cut at both wrists with the hands separated from them. The image is to illustrate the idiom used by Sam: 'before my hands drop off.' Poor choice, I would say. A glossary for mathematical terms used in the book, an index, and a "Further Reading" section with annotated references to nonfiction and fiction books for young readers on mathematical topics as well as a reference to a television series "featuring math as a crime-solving tool" are also part of the book. To help students see the world (sometimes) in mathematical terms is not an easy endeavor. I highly recommend The Great Number Rumble as an excellent resource for this endeavor. It is conceptualized as and - I am sure - will be experienced by the curious student reader as a gold mine for places in our lives in which mathematical ideas are 'surprisingly hidden.' The experiential areas where those places can be found are clearly within the experiential realm of late early and middle year students. The fictitious framing of this goldmine will be an additional bonus for the student reader, especially since the narrator, Jeremy, provides a good figure with which to identify: he is critical, funny, loyal to his friend, and comes out at the end on the side of 'the winner.' Although many of the discussed topics are generally not part of what students experience in the school mathematics classroom, the way in which those topics are discussed should allow students to make connection to their classroom learning of mathematics - depending on their grade-level. Not all students within the recommended age-range might be able to follow Sam's explanations fully, but, as it is with the rich language the book uses (parabola, calculus, logarithmic spirals, dead reckoning, Pascal's Triangle, and so on), the book immerses the reader into mathematical ideas and terminology whose understanding and use by the reader can evolve over time - the seed is planted. The 'places' explored for their mathematics are so rich that I would also recommend the book to teachers as their resource to enrich their teaching and to help them do for their students what Sam has done for his audience. Highly Recommended. Rating: *** ½ /4. Grades 4-7. 2007, Annick Press, 104 pp., pbk. & cl., $9.95 (pbk.) and $18.95 (cl.). Ages 9 to 12.

Ordering Information for All Books
*An Abundance of Katherines*	by	John Green
(2006) Dutton Books	#pgs	ISBN: 9781605148090
Price per Book:	$ 6.48
Quantity Required:	30
Total Cost:	$ 194.40
Book Priced on :	Amazon
*The Number Devil*	by	Hans Magnus Enzensberger
(1998) Henry Holt	#pgs	ISBN:
Price per Book:	$ 13.59
Quantity Required:	5
Total Cost:	$ 67.95
Book Priced on :	Amazon
*A Higher Geometry*	by	Sharelle Byars Moranville
(2006) Henry Holt	#pgs	ISBN:
Price per Book:	$ 14.49
Quantity Required:	5
Total Cost:	$ 72.45
Book Priced on :	Amazon
*A Mango-Shaped Space*	by	Wendy Mass
(2003) Brown Litte	#pgs	ISBN:
Price per Book:	$ 6.29
Quantity Required:	5
Total Cost:	$ 31.45
Book Priced on:	Barnes & Noble
*My Life as a Rhombus*	by	Varian Johnson
(2007) Flux	#pgs	ISBN:
Price per Book:	$ 8.95
Quantity Required:	5
Total Cost:	$ 44.75
Book Priced on:	Barnes & Noble
*The Great Number Rumble*	by	Cora Lee & Gillian O'Reilly
(2007) Annick Press	#pgs	ISBN:
Price per Book:	$ 10.17
Quantity Required:	5
Total Cost:	$ 50.85
Book Priced on:	Amazon

Expense Over View for Reading Unit
Book Title	Cost per Book	Qty of Books	Tot Cost
An Abundance of Katherines	$ 6.48	30	$194.40
The Number Devil	$ 13.59	5	$ 67.95
A Higher Geometry	$ 14.49	5	$ 72.45
A Mango-Shaped Space	$ 6.29	5	$ 31.45
My Life as a Rhombus	$ 8.95	5	$ 44.75
The Great Number Rumble	$ 10.17	5	$ 50.85
		*Grand Total*	*$461.85*

SOURCES FOR THIS PROPOSAL:

Information for Author Biography came from:

· Teenreads.com – Author Profile: John Green, http://www.teenreads.com/authors/au-green-john.asp, Accessed 11/22/2010.

· John Green (author) – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Green_%28author%29, Accessed 11/22/2010.

Book cost and ordering information came from:

· Amazon, amazon.com

· Barnes & Noble Online, bn.com

Book review quotes, awards, and booklists information came from:

The Children's Literature Comprehensive Database.

ADDITIONAL BOOKS OF INTEREST:

Below is a listing of other interesting titles that were reviewed on the Children's Literature Comprehensive Database. While they are not fitting for the thematic unit as proposed, they remain titles that should be considered for book talks for the students to read on their own.

Ancient computing : from counting to calendars

Michael Woods and Mary B. Woods.
Minneapolis : Runestone Press, c2000.

Math curse

Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith.
New York, N.Y. : Viking, 1995.

101 things everyone should know about math

Marc Zev, Kevin B. Segal and Nathan Levy.
Washington, DC : Science, Naturally!, c2009.

Sir Cumference and the sword in the cone

Cindy Neuschwander ; illustrated by Wayne Geehan.
Watertown, MA : Charlesbridge, c2003.

Kiss my Math : Showing Pre-Algebra Who's Boss

Danica McKellar.
New York : Hudson Street Press, c2008.

The Unknowns

Benedict Carey

New York: Amulet Books, 2009.

Marvels of Math: Fascinating Reads and Awesome Activities

Kendall Haven

Englewood, Colo : Teacher Ideas Press, 1998.

Math Doesn't Suck: How to Survive Middle School Math Without Losing Your Mind or Breaking a Nail

Danica McKeller

New York : Hudson Street Press, c2007.

Claudia Carranza

Thank you in advance.

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