Cross-curricular maths
Enabling environments
Stories
Aims
• To develop an understanding of the
importance of a maths environment
• To understand the role of cross-curricular
approaches to maths
• To examine the use of stories as a vehicle
for mathematical thinking and
investigation.
Maths environments
• Describe the maths environment in your
setting.
• What are the intentions?
• ‘Made’ mathematical environments
• Inherent mathematical environments
‘Made’ mathematical environments
• Topic or maths strand related
• Resources chosen and presentation
planned
• Related to intended learning
• Pros and cons?
Inherent mathematical environments
• Illuminate intended learning in a topic
or maths strand
• What mathematics can be identified in
this environment?
• Advantages?
Cross curricular approaches
Research indicates that when children’s
literature and numeracy are connected in
an interactive and meaningful way,
students will understand the
mathematics concepts readily and will
sustain the knowledge. (Raymond, 1995)
Cross curricular approaches – The National
Curriculum aims:
• become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics, including
through varied and frequent practice with increasingly complex
problems over time, so that pupils have conceptual
understanding and are able to recall and apply their knowledge
rapidly and accurately to problems
• reason mathematically by following a line of enquiry,
conjecturing relationships and generalisations, and developing an
argument, justification or proof using mathematical language
• can solve problems by applying their mathematics to a variety of
routine and non-routine problems with increasing
sophistication, including breaking down problems
into a series of simpler steps and persevering in
seeking solutions.
Cross curricular approaches
Curriculum areas:
Science Humanities Languages Art
Design Music PE RE Computing
Maths strands:
Number: place value, four operations, fractions
position and direction, geometry,
measurement,
Stories
as a vehicle for thinking
Stories as a vehicle for
mathematical thinking and
investigation
Age group?
Some favourites …..
Stories as a vehicle for mathematical
thinking and investigation
Practicalities:
• Know what you want children to learn. Keep in
mind that the story is a vehicle for learning
• Fit your approach, tasks and resources to your
children; not the other way round. Beware
Sparkleboxitis.
• Make intended learning explicit
Useful websites
NCETM www.ncetm.org
NRICH: www.nrich.org
Cross curricular approaches
Research indicates that when children’s
literature and numeracy are connected in
an interactive and meaningful way,
students will understand the
mathematics concepts readily and will
sustain the knowledge. (Raymond, 1995)