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Math Reads: Curriculum Resources and Children’s Literature

Posted on November 7, 2022 by mahetaji

The OISE Library in September compiled a list of math-related teaching material and picture books to celebrate Science Literacy week. We’ve highlighted a few of these resources here.

Curriculum Resources to Merge Storytelling and Math

cover of Cowboys Count, Monkeys Measure, and Princesses Problem Solve by Jane M. Wilburne and Mary Napoli

Educators can explore the relationship between storytelling and foundational math concepts in Jane M. Wilburne and Mary Napoli’s 2011 educator guide Cowboys Count, Monkeys Measure, and Princesses Problem Solve. The authors provide a list of over 40 stories along with example lessons and a lesson planning template, equipping teachers with tools to readily introduce this math–language arts approach to students in pre-K to grade three.

In The Power of Picture Books in Teaching Math and Science, Lynn Columbia (2017) recommends a similar story-driven method for teaching math concepts—ranging from arithmetic to geometry—to pre-kindergarten to grade 8 students. Lynn offers over 50 math and science lessons that depend on stories, including Paul Fleischman’s Weslandia (1999) in which an imaginative boy builds a civilization and Graeme Base’s The Water Hole (2001) which examines habitats and endangered species. Blending literacy and numeracy, the integrated curriculum described in Lynn’s text helps students meaningfully connect with math and science.

cover of The Power of Picture Books in Teaching Math and Science by Lynn Columbia

cover of Exploring Maths through Stories and Rhymes: Active Learning in the Early Years by Janet Rees

Janet Rees is equally enthusiastic about incorporating picture books into math lessons in Exploring Maths through Stories and Rhymes: Active Learning in the Early Years (2019). Just as valuable as stories are nursery rhymes as both can make math less daunting. Storybooks and nursery rhymes, according to Janet, are welcoming environments for strengthening problem-solving skills and investigating key math topics, such as counting, addition and subtraction, measurement, and shapes.

Picture Books to Integrate with Math Lessons

Blockhead: The Life of Fibonacci (2010) by Joseph D’Agnese recounts the life history of Italian mathematician Leonardo Fibonacci. Readers come to know Fibonacci as a curious and misunderstood boy who daydreams about numbers. His passion for numbers eventually leads to the discovery of the Fibonacci sequence—a mathematical series found in nature from flower petals to seashells. Blockhead is wonderfully illustrated by John O’Brien with pictures of the Fibonacci sequence that invite readers to actively participate as mathematicians and naturalists in the learning process.

cover of Blockhead: The Life of Fibonacci by Joseph D’Agnese

cover of The Doorbell Rang by Pat Hutchins

In Pat Hutchins’ The Doorbell Rang (1986), Sam and Victoria are preparing to eat freshly baked cookies when the neighbourhood children arrive. Sam and Victoria decide to share their 12 cookies. As more and more children ring the doorbell, it becomes increasingly difficult to divide the cookies. Readers along with Sam and Victoria apply their understanding of division to distribute the cookies fairly. Hutchins’ picture book not only invites young readers to try using math operations, but it also encourages sharing. The book benefits from repetitive language, a simple plot, and what is likely a familiar scenario.

Anno’s Mysterious Multiplying Jar (1982) is about “one jar and what was inside it.” Readers realize that this jar and its contents explain multiplication and products, specifically factorials. Mitsumasa Anno and Masaichiro Anno make factorials interesting by using detailed, mesmerizing illustrations of islands, mountains, kingdoms, villages, houses, rooms, cupboards, boxes, and jars. They unpack factorials, a topic that can seem complex, with explanations that are engaging and effective.

cover of Anno's Mysterious Multiplying Jar by Mitsumasa Anno and Masaichiro Anno

Check out these books using the links or our catalogue. For more recommendations, refer to our OISE Library Math Literacy Collections page on the 2022 Science Literacy Library Guide.

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Halloween Children’s Literature

Posted on October 19, 2022 by Lenora Huynh

This month in October, our Children’s Literature display features a selection of books that are appropriate for teaching children about Halloween! Each novel in this display references diverse themes of celebration, courage, and joy through exploration of identity and new adventures. All ages of children can read these novels, as each book contains illustrations that are vibrant and expressive.

A few of the books that we have featured are:

Behind the Mask (2006) by Yangsook Choi is about a young Korean-American boy named Kimin who struggled to decide what he wanted to be for Halloween. When Kimin’s mother encourages him to explore old trunks of his late grandfather’s belongings, he discovers a wonderful surprise.

Black and Bittern was Night (2013), written by Robert Heidbreder and Illustrated by John Martz is a playful, nonsensical rhyme and picture book that depicts animated skeletons that are trying to scare adults into cancelling Halloween. Thankfully, the children have a plan to save it!

Scaredy Squirrel prepares for Halloween: A Safety Guide for Scaredies (2013) by Mélanie Watt humorously educates children on how they could celebrate and survive spooky Halloween festivities. Ranging from advice surrounding pumpkin carving to house decorating, Scaredy Squirrel becomes the friendly guide who helps children learn how to cope with fearful situations.

Herbert’s First Halloween (2017) by Cynthia Rylant and Illustrated by Steven Henry follows the journey of a pig named Herbert who is uncertain about celebrating Halloween. His father however, loves getting into the spirit of Halloween and helps ease Herbert’s doubts by helping him find confidence as a tiger.

This display is located on the 3rd floor of the OISE Library. Please do not hesitate to check out these books, or ask the Reference and Circulation Desk on the Ground Floor for assistance.

Black and Indigenous Feminisms

Posted on October 18, 2022 by Lenora Huynh

*Indigenous Ground Floor display located across the circulation desk.*

This month in October, our Indigenous Ground Floor display features books on Black and Indigenous Feminisms. Black Feminism is grounded in Black women’s lived experiences through oppression in various forms of racism and sexism, and Indigenous Feminism moreover aims to empower Indigenous women through focusing on decolonisation and sovereignty.

Each book in this display was curated with the intent to inform and centre Black and Indigenous voices within the lens of intersectionality; to further celebrate and honour the resilience of their respective communities.

Talking Back: Thinking Feminist, Thinking Black (1988) by bell hooks is a collection of anecdotal and theoretical essays which investigate the lived experiences of Black women in North America. Beginning with recounted childhood memories in Hooks’ journey to finding her own voice, she “was taught that “talking back” meant speaking as an equal to an authority figure and daring to disagree and/or have an opinion.” As Hooks interrogates this notion, she addresses the racist and sexist stereotypes Black women often encounter when speaking up. Despite these challenges, Hooks encourages Black women to break their silences in order to find healing and empowerment in communicating their truths.

Living for the Revolution: Black Feminist Organizations, 1968-1980 (2005) by Kimberly Springer examines social movement theory in the context of Black Feminist activism and organizations that were first founded in 1968 and later defunct by 1980. Springer begins her analysis by highlighting how Black women realised their voices were unheard within the Civil Rights and Women’s Rights movements. As a result, Black women began to establish their own collective identities through creating formal organizations that focused on Black Feminist consciousness. Through the use of oral interviews and archival materials, Springer helps fill in historical gaps with authentic and reliable evidence of the revolution to empower Black Feminist voices.

Indigenous Women and Feminism: Politics, Activism, Culture (2010) edited by Cheryl Suzack, Shari M. Huhndorf, Jeanne Perreault, and Jean Barman explores a curated variety of works between women activists, artists, community organisers, and scholars. In this collection of essays, each author thoughtfully engages in the political and social positions of Indigenous women within North America. By juxtaposing observations surrounding the historical and contemporary roles of Indigenous women, the effects of colonisation becomes more apparent. Each essay highlights how the Indigenous women were confronted by imposed patriarchal systems of oppression, resulting in the dismissal of their voices, thoughts, and authority in our society today.

Finding a Way to the Heart: Feminist Writings on Aboriginal and Women’s History in Canada (2012) edited by Jarvis Brownlie and Valerie Korinek, who are both University of Toronto alumni— is a collection of writings by Feminist scholars who examine gender, race, identity, and colonisation within Canada in the early 19th to late 20th century. As a tribute to Sylvia Van Kirk’s earlier work, Many Tender Ties: Women in fur-trade society in Western Canada, 1670-1870, each essay centres Indigenous women and their voices when exploring the history of transnational relations and conflicts that were rooted in imperialism during the fur trade.

Please do not hesitate to open up the case and check out these books, or ask the Reference and Circulation Desk for assistance.

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OISE Library Tours – Fall 2022

Posted on September 8, 2022 by Emily Hector

Are you new to OISE? Or are you a returning OISE student who’s just begun in-person learning? Join us for a 30-minute tour of the OISE Library! We’ll show you our collections, introduce you to our study spaces, and answer questions about library services. Sign up to attend a tour at the links below: Monday, September 12, from 12:15-12:45pm Tuesday, September 13, from 12:15-12:45pm Wednesday, September 14, from 4:30-5:00pm Thursday, September 15, from 4:30-5:00pm Friday, September 16, from 12:15-12:45pm Meet us on the ground floor of the OISE Library at the tour start time. See you then!

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Commemorate Pride Month with OISE Library

Posted on June 29, 2022 by Corrina Taccone

Learn:

When we think of the word “pride”, it is usually associated with queer history and the Stonewall riots in America. Canada however has its own rich history and turning points in the obstacles that led to the eventual celebration of rights and freedoms for the queer community. In 1971, over 100 people gathered around parliament hill for Canada’s first Gay Liberation Protest. People came from all over Ontario and Quebec, especially Toronto and Montreal. The people presented a petition to the government which listed demands for equal rights and protections. In the years that followed, the movement gained momentum. The Bathhouse Raids that took place in 1981 in Toronto proved to be a turning point in the relationship between Toronto police and the queer community as unnecessary arrests led to charges being dropped and training programs being implemented for police. Still, the progress did not end there as incidents that took place in the years that followed, such as the GLAD Day Bookshop Raid and Montreals Katakombes Bar Raids, proved the struggle for equality was ongoing.

Pride Month is a time when we celebrate the diversity of the LGBTQ+ communities. It is a time for healing and a reminder of the importance of living out loud and everyone being their authentic selves. In the month of June, we celebrate being proud of the various identities that exist, however it is something we should be doing year-round. Despite the many victories and growing acceptance of the community, there is still a lot that we must do as any hard-fought rights and freedoms can be taken away.

To help you get started with that work OISE Library has put together a selection of books and films that explore that LGBTQ+ experience from a widespread diversity of perspectives. We encourage all staff, students, faculty and community members to learn from and take with you to your classrooms these resources that encompass a rich LGBTQIA2S+ history and their many cultural contributions.

Discover

Struggling to select keywords in your LGBTQ studies research? The following tips might prove useful to you:

Using initials such as “LGBT” or “LGBTQIA” as search terms might not give the results you are seeking in the library catalog or available databases due to some scholarship focusing on specific identity groups as opposed to a spectrum of identities.
The above initials have been used since the 1990s and reflect the naming conventions of the decades that follow, though the order and the acronym change often.
Keep in mind while searching that several terms and subject classifications utilized in academic literature may differ from the language that is used in everyday language and/or activist movements.
To enhance your search through the library database(s), ensure you are using Boolean Operators to structure your search terms and maximize results. For example, if your research is based on laws that protect LGBTQ people from discrimination, you might search “legal status” AND “lesbian” OR “bisexual” OR “transgender”.
Historic terms which are offensive, outdated or inaccurate may need to be used as search terms. We understand that some of the subject headings are going to be challenging, however it may be important to use these terms, i.e. “homosexual”, “transvestite”, which were concurrent at the time to find historically contemporaneous research.

Example Searches: