1. The picture book I have selected aims to teach probability. It is titled "Probably Pistachio," by Stuart J. Murphy. The book follows a day in the life of the main character Jack. From the beginning of the book Jack is having an awful day where nothing is going his way. It begins with Jack waking up for school and he cannot find his favorite sneakers. Next he wonders whether or not he will get pastrami or tuna fish for lunch. He realizes he has a certain chance of getting what he really wants for lunch, which is pastrami. Once he gets to school he wonders whether his friend Emma will have pastrami for lunch, he notices that she will probably have pastrami because she has it usually 4 times a week excluding Thursdays. The story continues throughout Jack's day as his luck gets worse and worse. Until finally he arrives home and his mother has gone grocery shopping. He hopes that she has gotten his favorite kind of ice cream, pistachio. Jack realizes his mother has either gotten his ice cream or has not. Finally it turns out she has gotten pistachio ice cream, adding one piece of good fortune to Jack's miserable day.
2. This children's book involves a clever way of teaching kids the concepts of probability. Through using probability vocabulary such as "usually", "sometimes," "probably," and "never" it makes it seem less confusing than using real numbers. Throughout Jack's day each event he encounters involves some sort of probability such as finding his favorite sneakers or getting pastrami or tuna fish for his lunch. He knows that he has 50% chance of getting either pastrami or tuna fish for his lunch. Sadly, he gets tuna fish. Next, once he gets to school he starts thinking about what Emma will have for lunch. He uses probability vocabulary, "probably," in order to understand that there is a 4 in 5 chance she will have pastrami that day. Finally, the book is resolved with the final event of whether or not Jack will get his favorite ice cream. In this instance he realizes he has a 50% chance of getting pistachio ice cream for dessert. Although the probability used in this book is very basic it gives an introduction into probability concepts for young kids.
3. Literature is an effective way to teach young kinds math concepts, because it uses both words, pictures, and numbers in order teach concepts. The incorporation of the three make math easier to understand, because at a young age only dealing with numbers is difficult. In this book specifically the events used in order to teach probability like wondering what will be for lunch, or dessert are events young kids are familiar with and deal with on a daily basis. Due to this they have background knowledge making the concepts that much easier to process.
I really liked the story you chose! I've never heard of it before but it sounds adorable, and was perfect for this assignment! Probability can often be challenging to explain, so the idea that the author had about using simple, real life examples to explain it is very clever! I agree with you that literature can aid in teaching math, and I liked your point that numbers are often difficult for children to understand yet a story can aid in simplifying things! Well done!
ReplyDeleteGreat summary of the book really detailed. Solid Choice I agree that it is important to teach kids concepts like probability at a young age and doing it through literature is a good way to help them learn. Seems like a interesting book.
ReplyDeleteGreat summary of the book really detailed. Solid Choice I agree that it is important to teach kids concepts like probability at a young age and doing it through literature is a good way to help them learn. Seems like a interesting book.
ReplyDeleteI love that you thought outside of the box and chose a book about probability! I think that this sounds like a really cool book. Probability can be difficult for children to understand, and it sounds like this book does a great job of teaching it to them. Just another example of how learning through literature is so effective!
ReplyDeletekate,
ReplyDeletei love this book! nice job of summing in up! i really like how you focused on math vocabulary for this title. it's so important and this text addresses this vocabulary in a simple way. you are right about how literature effectively uses words, pictures, and numbers. great job!
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