Integrating Mathematics and
Literacy Standards and Practices in
the Kindergarten Classroom
Lori Dolezal, Elementary Literacy Assessment Coordinator
Tracy Watterson, Elementary Mathematics Assessment
Coordinator
Introductions
Explore methods for integrating math
standards and practices with literacy
standards and practices through
interactive read alouds and math tasks.
Pair up
Parallel Practices
Mathematical Practices
• Make sense of problems and
persevere in solving them.
• Reason abstractly and quantitatively.
• Construct viable arguments and
critique the reasoning of others.
• Model with mathematics.
• Use appropriate tools strategically.
• Attend to precision.
• Look for and make use of structure.
• Look for and express regularity in
repeated reasoning.
Capacities of Literate Individuals
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Demonstrate Independence
Comprehend and Critique
Value Evidence
Use Technology
Understand Perspectives and
Cultures
• Respond to Purpose, Audience,
and Task
• Build Content Knowledge
Questions
• What did you notice when comparing the
practices and capacities?
• Which practices are you currently using?
• Which practices do you hope to use in the
future?
Differences and similarities between reading and math
What must occur for students to be fluent in
ELA? In math?
(Small group discussion)
Using Literature to Teach Mathematical Concepts
What are some ELA features of the book that
deserve attention during the read aloud?
What are the features of the book that help teach
the math concepts?
(Small group discussion)
MATH TASKS
The Mathematics Performance Task
A mathematical performance task has
been defined as a set of problems or a
single complex problem that focuses
students’ attention on a particular
mathematical idea (Stein, Grover, &
Henningsen, 1996).
Benefits of Mathematical
Performance Tasks
Through mathematical performance tasks,
students:
pose and solve problems,
make conjectures,
build knowledge and confidence,
make connections, and
collaborate with others using mathematics
in real-world, intriguing contexts.
Components of a Successful Mathematical
Performance Task
 Revolves around an interesting problem
 Is directed at essential mathematical content
 Requires examination and perseverance
 Begs for discussion
 Builds student understanding
 Warrants reflection and extension opportunities
 Engages students in mathematical thinking
INTERACTIVE READ-ALOUDS
The Interactive Read-Aloud
“A teaching context
in which students
are actively
listening and
responding to an
oral reading of a
text.”
-Fountas, I. & Pinnell, G. The
Continuum of Literacy Learning
Grades K-2. A Guide to Teaching,
page 163.
Benefits of Read-Alouds
Through interactive read alouds, student are
exposed to:
– Comprehension Strategies (through modeling
and instruction)
– Rich Vocabulary
– Fluency (through teacher modeling)
– Written Expression
– Complex Text (for building background
knowledge)
For a successful interactive read
aloud, teachers:
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choose appropriate text.
preview and practice the text.
establish a clear purpose.
model fluent oral reading.
are animated and use expression.
stop periodically and question students about text
specifics.
 make connections to independent reading and
writing.
Source: Fisher, Flood, Lapp, and Frey (2004)
Components of a Successful Read-Aloud
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Relevant Standards and Objectives
Appropriate Text
Attention to Vocabulary
Activating Prior Knowledge
Modeling
Guided Questions and Discussion
Follow Up
Success depends on thorough planning!
Standards and Objectives
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.K.1 With prompting
and support, ask and answer questions
about key details in a text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.K.5 Recognize
common types of texts (e.g., storybooks,
poems).
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.K.7 With prompting
and support, describe the relationship
between illustrations and the story in
which they appear (e.g., what moment in
a story an illustration depicts)
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.K.1 Use a combination
of drawing, dictating, and writing to
compose opinion pieces in which they tell a
reader the topic or the name of the book
they are writing about and state an opinion
or preference about the topic or book
(e.g., My favorite book is...).
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.K.1 Participate in
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.K.10 Actively engage
collaborative conversations with diverse
in group reading activities with purpose
partners about kindergarten topics and
and understanding.
texts with peers and adults in small and
larger groups.
Standards and Objectives
• CCSS.Math.Content.K.OA.A.1 Represent addition and subtraction
with objects, fingers, mental images, drawings1, sounds (e.g., claps),
acting out situations, verbal explanations, expressions, or equations.
• CCSS.Math.Content.K.OA.A.2 Solve addition and subtraction word
problems, and add and subtract within 10, e.g., by using objects or
drawings to represent the problem.
• CCSS.Math.Content.K.CC.A.2 Count forward beginning from a given
number within the known sequence (instead of having to begin at 1).
• CCSS.Math.Content.K.CC.B.4c Understand that each successive
number name refers to a quantity that is one larger.
• CCSS.Math.Content.K.CC.B.5 Count to answer “how many?”
questions about as many as 20 things arranged in a line, a rectangular
array, or a circle, or as many as 10 things in a scattered configuration;
given a number from 1–20, count out that many objects.
The Text
Fish Eyes: A Book You Can
Count On
by Lois Ehlert
Introduces students to counting and basic addition.
Illustrations from FISH EYES by Lois Ehlert. Copyright © 1990 by Lois Ehlert. Used by permission of
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Attention to Vocabulary
• Scales
• Fins
• Fantailed
What type of instruction will you use to convey
meaning?
Activate Prior Knowledge
• Activate students prior
knowledge about: book and
print, rhyme, describing
words, predictions, text
features (Read the page!),
starting at a number and
adding on one more, look for
patterns and structure.
Modeling
 Return to the text using think
aloud and questioning to
demonstrate reading
strategies and explore rhyme,
text features and vocabulary.
 Return to the text to explore
operations, algebraic thinking,
counting and cardinality, using
questions and thinking aloud.
Guided Questions
and Discussion
Engage students in discussion
through thoughtful questioning:
• Ask questions to guide the
discussion and highlight
strategies that good readers
use.
• Plan guiding questions ahead of
time.
• Keep questions connected to
the text and the learning
objectives.
• Ask students to provide
evidence of their thinking.
Dynamic Transactions
• Reading should
be interactive so
take cues from
your students
and tailor your
questions and
discussions
according to
their needs and
responses.
Fish Eyes Interactive Read-Aloud Script:
Text Feature: Note the dialogue happening in
grey print. It is separate from the narrative in
white print. We are going to take this journey
with this fish. It is important that we attend to
this text feature; features add information…
Sample Text and Follow Up Math Task
Follow Up
Math Task
CCSS.Math.Content.K.OA.A.1 Represent addition and
subtraction with objects, fingers, mental images,
drawings1, sounds (e.g., claps), acting out situations,
verbal explanations, expressions, or equations.
CCSS.Math.Content.K.OA.A.2 Solve addition and
subtraction word problems, and add and subtract within
10, e.g., by using objects or drawings to represent the
problem.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.K.1 With prompting and support,
ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
Task Description
• Students participate in shared reading
experience with word problems or math
stories.
• They represent the stories using objects (e.g.,
gold fish crackers) and equations.
References and Resources
Burns, Marilyn, “Building a Teaching Bridge from Reading to Math”, Leadership Compass,
Winter 2005, Volume 3, Number 2.
Ehlert, L. (1990). Fish Eyes. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Fisher, D., Flood, J., Lapp, D., and Frey, N. (2004). Interactive read alouds: Is there a
common set of implementation practices? The Reading Teacher, 58(1), 8-17.
Foster, Shannon, “The Day Math and Reading Got Hitched”, Teaching Children
Mathematics, NCTN, November 2007, pp. 196-201.
Wallace, Faith H., Clark, Karen K., and Cherry, Mary L., “How Come? What If? So What?
Reading in the Mathematics Classroom”, Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School,
September 2006, NCTM, pp. 108-115.
 National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, Council of Chief State School
Officers (2010). Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts/Literacy.
National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, Council of Chief State School
Officers, Washington D.C. http://www.corestandards.org/