Mr. Saltos is a teacher at a Title-1 school in Queens NY where 100 percent of his students receive free breakfast and lunch. They all come from many countries in Asia and Latin America. Many of my students do not have a chance to experience many extra-curricular activities. Most of them stay home or at the park after school is over. He said he wanted to be able to provide them with a different activity that is both engaging and fun. He asked to build a math library because he says "One of the things that I noticed about my students is that they love to read. They love to read fiction and non-fiction books. They enjoy reading novels, comic books and even biographies. They even like to read when they finish with their math assignments during class.
I want my students to have access to a different genre of books: math novels.
I would like to introduce my students to math novels that are both educational and entertaining. I want them to read classics like Flatland, or a Japanese comic series called Math Girls, or books about how much mathematics is found in The Simpsons.
My goal for this project is to build an in-class math library and I hope that you help me spark in my students a seed of joy for mathematics." I learned the world history illustrated in Japanese comic book style! It's interesting, so we funded seed money to kick start his campaign here.
"Dear VPL vplstore.com,
My students and I were so thrilled to have received funding for our in-class math library called: Acute Library. I enjoy reading about mathematics and how it relates to the world around me. It was my hope to pass that feeling to my students so that they could see how mathematics is found in the world around them.
One of the ways that I am implementing mathematics reading in the classroom is by dedicating one period a week for reading. Students are encouraged to check out a book of their choice and to read during class. Then, students are asked to share some of the new ideas they have learned. For example, one of my students was reading a book titled Math Girls, and she read about absolute value from a more advanced and formal standpoint. She was very excited to notice a concept that we are learning in math class in the book that she was reading.
Some other students like origami, and they join me during their lunch period to do some origami from the new origami books. Students found out that following directions from an origami book is different from an origami video, but they are quickly adjusting to it, and self-teaching during the process.
Finally, some of my students met the author of How To Bake Pi, and they are most excited about reading this particular book because they have a direct connection to the book.
You have opened such a large door to a new world to my students, and for that I cannot thank you enough.
With gratitude,
Mr. Saltos"
