Exploring Measurement Concepts through Literature: Natural Links across Disciplines

Abstract

Literature Provides a Natural OPPortunity to motivate middle school students in their mathematics study. Stories are not only a springboard into measurement activities but are also a bridge between the mathematics of measurement and other curricular areas. As middle school teachers increasingly team with teachers of other disciplines, literature offers an opportunity to coordinate lesson content across a variety of fields. The authors' experiences in middle school classrooms have convinced them that middle school students respond positively to stories and to mathematical investigations that are based on the story presentation (Austin and Thompson 1997; Thompson, Austin, and Beckmann 2002).