About Let’s Read Math

Americans love to hate math. Changing this attitude is critical if we really want to succeed at STEM education. Let’s Read Math is about building positive attitudes towards math. No more: “I hate math…. I could never do math…. I hate fractions…. No one needs to know algebra.” These are messages that children don’t need to hear.

We work with children and the adults who care for children – their parents, grandparents, teachers, after-school daycare providers, camp counselors, librarians, scout leaders, and others. We want everyone to know that it is truly possible to HAVE FUN WITH MATH!

What is Let’s Read Math?

Let’s Read Math is a serious attempt to help everyone HAVE FUN WITH MATH. Basically, you read children’s books, then do fun activities related to the math. Almost any book can work. There are books that are blatantly about math, and many others that merely suggest some kind of related math.

What grade levels is this for?

Let’s Read Math is a program for elementary grades. The first Let’s Read Math lessons were designed for children in grades K-5. Families who attended our workshops had children of different ages, and we adapted the conversations and activities to the children across the grades. Eventually, materials were developed and published specifically for “primary grades” (PK-2), “elementary grades” (Gr 2-4), and “upper grades (Gr 4-6+). Occasionally, teachers in middle grades decided to use our upper grade lessons to launch independent projects for individual students, or design project-based learning activities for their classes.

Who is Claire Passantino?

Dr. Claire Passantino is the founder of Let’s Read Math and director of the program as used in schools and out-of-school settings. She has many years of teaching experience in grades K-8, followed by years of professional development in various settings - for parents, college students, teachers, librarians, and other professional educators. With CPRE, the Consortium for Policy Education at the University of Pennsylvania, she worked on research and evaluation projects related to the reform of mathematics education. She is committed to the idea that children who have positive experiences with math outside of school have a better chance of succeeding with math in school.

Who does Let’s Read Math?

Anyone who works with children can do Let’s Read Math – parents, teachers, grandparents, scout leaders, day care providers, etc. Let’s Read Math works in school, at home, and in other out-of-school-time (OST) settings like after school centers, libraries, or summer day camps. We designed Let’s Read Math activities and materials to pave the way, and we know that our lessons have been used in over 40 states. Our hope is that it eventually becomes second nature for people to recognize the math in books, newspapers and everyday life. Then they can share mathematical ideas in a natural way with the children they know and love. Lift mathematics learning beyond the textbooks.

How does this work at school?

Classroom teachers tend to use Let’s Read Math as a supplemental program. They pick and choose books and math activities that enhance their curriculum, and insert relevant lessons into their lesson plans. To focus on “reading across the curriculum”, some reading teachers let students pick math-related books as an independent reading project in the genre of mathematics. Special education teachers frequently use the lessons as an alternative teaching strategy for teaching challenging curriculum topics in a new way. Teachers in gifted classrooms are using the materials to enrich the curriculum or for project-based learning. Another main use has been for parent education or family nights, to show and demonstrate standards-based instructional approaches.

How does this work at home?

Parents find math-related books for their children – real books that you can hold in your hand, or online-versions such as the read-alouds found on www.youtube.com. For example, on youtube you can search for “the greedy triangle read aloud.” Then they do math activities together. Parents and children can work together; or older children can work with younger siblings. Help each other. Explain things to each other. Let’s Read Math Funbooks are an easy way to get started. The most important thing that parents can do is to build a positive attitude towards math. Too many children hear adults say “I hate math; I could never do math; I never understood fractions; I never had to use algebra.” Read the books and do the lessons together. Enjoy chatting about math, and engaging in the wide variety of math activities and topics. Remember there is more to math than computation.

How does this work in other OST settings?

Let’s Read Math is used in out-of-school settings as a light approach to serious standards-based learning. The approach is different from math class, but related in the sense that some students are reviewing topics they have already learned in school. Others are being introduced to novel topics not yet encountered in the regular curriculum, being challenged to “think outside the box.” The goal is to build student interest and enthusiasm for math. There is a reading component and a math component. Children are encouraged to work together without focusing on “Do your own work.” What is most important are the interactions of students with the teacher, their friends and family, and the math materials. Ultimately, we hope that adults and children alike will see the math in all kinds of books and in real life situations they encounter every day. Again, we remind OST professionals to remember to HAVE FUN WITH MATH!

Why combine math with story books?

Research shows that good math students are able to connect real-life experiences to related pictures and models. They can also read and write about math, and share ideas with others by having conversations about math. Using children’s books is a way to build these kinds of connections: Children read or listen to the story, interpret the pictures, talk about the embedded math, and then do something related to the math – such as arts and crafts, acting out the story, or collaborating on projects with friends or family. (Go to the Standards tab to read about math topics in the standards, and advice about good mathematics instruction.)

Can I use Let’s Read Math books to teach reading?

Math is our main focus, but you can use almost ANY book – including the Let’s Read Math featured books - to help children learn to read. If the book is used as a “read aloud” children listen to the story teller, and a good story teller stops occasionally to hold conversations and discuss the pictures. Online “read alouds” have added benefits. The story teller is always available, and is extremely patient when it comes to reading a favorite story over and over again. And by the way, don’t limit yourself to Let’s Read Math titles. Read-alouds are available on all kinds of topics! If you happen to have a hard copy of the book, children can read along as the book is being read to them. Or you can do “shared reading” where you read together, and take turns reading each page, or each paragraph. Or children can read the books independently, if the reading level is appropriate. Be conscious of the reading skills that are involved. Help new readers sound out the words, learn new vocabulary, and enjoy the story. Build comprehension skills by talking about the characters, the setting, the plot, the story sequence, etc.

What math topics are covered in the Let’s Read Math books?

There are now thousands of children’s books related to mathematics. Look for topics you want to teach to review familiar math topics or introduce new ideas. For starters, see the Funbooks tab for lists of books and math topics in each of the Let’s Read Math Funbooks. The math topics are largely drawn from the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics adopted by most states across the U.S. See the Standards tab for a chart showing the books, the related math topics, and the current availability of these books as read-alouds on www.youtube.com

What’s the difference between a Funbook lesson and a Workshop lesson?

There are 16 books featured in each Let’s Read Math Funbook. There are two Funbook pages related to each lesson. There are punchouts on the cover to use with many (not all) of the lessons, to assure a level of hands-on interactivity. There are also prompts for talking with each other, or doing extra activities related to the lesson. Teachers are encouraged to embellish Funbook lessons with activities of their own, or with worksheets to practice embedded math skills. Sometimes Funbooks are used by students independently, for reading in the content area of mathematics. Let’s Read Math started with family workshops where children attended with parents, listened to a story book and did fun activities related to the book. We do not use Funbook pages during a workshop. (Funbooks were developed at a later date.) Now, Funbook pages are sometimes used as workshop warmups, or as follow up activities to complete after the workshop is over, but they are not an integral component of a workshop lesson.

What is a workshop lesson?

Workshop lessons can be used for parent or teacher education, or as enrichment lessons for advanced students; but the most common use is for family nights for parents and children together. Each workshop is highly interactive and includes crafts, games, music, play-acting, and other activities that are so much more than a workbook page. Since workshops frequently have children of different ages, there are different levels for many activities. Go to the Workshops tab for a fuller description of the suggested workshop lessons.

Are there any cautions about using Funbooks?

Yes! If you are using Funbooks, it is tempting for kids to immediately remove all the stickers and punchouts. Children need to WAIT until they need these manipulative items for completing the Funbook pages. If temptation is too great, these items are on perforated pages that can be removed from the Funbook until the time is right.

The LRM Funbooks are supposed to be “FUN Workbooks.” Notice that there are no pages for practicing computation. Adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing are critically important topics in elementary grades – first with whole numbers, and later with fractions and decimals. Don’t neglect these computational skills, but remember that there’s so much more to math than mere computation, just as there’s more to reading than learning your ABC’s and how to spell isolated words.

Where can you get the children’s books featured in the lessons?

Reading across the content areas has become an important component of standards-based instruction in the area of English and language arts. This includes reading in the content area of mathematics. You will be surprised how many picture books have embedded math themes! Go to the library and ask the children’s librarian for assistance. Visit a bookstore, or order the books from Amazon. Another good source is to browse websites that sell used books, like www.alibris.com. These sites are also an excellent way to track down books that go out of print.

What about online “read-alouds”?

We believe that there are warm and fuzzy reasons to sit or cuddle with children while reading a physical book that you can touch and hold. However, the good news is that almost all of the Let’s Read Math titles are now available as online “read-alouds.” Go to www.youtube.com and use the search window to type the name of the desired book. You may have to type “read aloud” next to the title of the book. For example, to find a read-aloud of someone reading “The Greedy Triangle,” try typing “The Greedy Triangle read aloud.”

There are actually some advantages to using read-alouds. (1) You can read the book before you decide to buy it. (2) You can sometimes find titles that are out-of-print. (3) There are often several different people who do the read-alouds, so you can evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of different story tellers. (4) If you also have a hard copy of the book, beginning readers can follow along as the story is being read to them. (5) If your child finds a favorite book, the online story teller will patiently read it over and over and over again. (6) Don’t be surprised if you end up reading lots of great books that you just happen to find as you search for the one you are looking for!

What are the important goals?

Enjoy your children. They’re only young once. Relax and look for opportunities to learn EVERYTHING. Don’t make it tedious. Build positive attitudes and happy dispositions towards learning. Of course, we especially hope that you will discover that it is possible to HAVE FUN WITH MATH!

What is the current status of Let’s Read Math?

Let’s Read Math began in Yardley PA with initial funding from the national organization of AAUW, the American Association of University Women. The program spread to AAUW branches across the country and, through other avenues, was ultimately used in at least 40 different states in various school and out-of-school settings.

In 2017, the program relocated to Philadelphia. We were planning a major teacher development project in summer 2021, but Covid changed our plans. As of 2024, the program is largely discontinued.

At this point, we are distributing materials for free or at low cost to groups who believe in our mission to help parents, teachers, and other math educators to use Let’s Read Math in positive ways with the children in their care. They need to believe that it is very possible to HAVE FUN WITH MATH!

Contact us if we can help you get started, or if we can figure out how to resurrect the program that you previously used.

We are also open to discussing your possible acquisition of the company and the published materials, so that you can modify them for your own use. The possibilities are endless for selecting new books and developing new lessons.