Adding Adding and Subtracting

Adding, Adding and Subtracting


3 bright birds sleep in a nest;
2 bright birds fly in to rest.
If you were to climb that tree,
How many bright birds would you see?

Adding

7 kittens play with string.
3 more kittens join the ring.
Every kitten likes to play,
But how many play today?

Adding

5 stones in a sand filled dish.
Choose 1 stone and make a wish.
When the stone is in your hand,
How many lay in the sand?

and Subtracting

6 gold leaves drop to a wall.
When the wind blows, 3 more fall.
Count the leaves and tell me please,
How many fell from the trees?

Adding

Stars shine on a cloudy night,
But clouds hide them from our sight.
You see 4. 5 more peek through.
How many stars shine on you?

Adding

8 blue pens fill up a box.
Hide 2 pencils in your socks.
When you need a pen to write,
How many are still in sight?

and Subtracting

M. W. Penn said...

CUMMUTATIVE PROPERTY
7 + 4 or 4 + 7?Each will add up to 11.
5 + 4 will equal 9.So will 4 + 5. That’s fine.
Both 2 + 6 and 6 + 2
Will equal 8. It’s always true.

When adding numbers I have found
They can commute, or move around.

(Shh, here’s a secret. It’s a fact.
This doesn’t work when you subtract.)

Thought for budding poets and mathematicians:A mathematician who is not also something of a poet will never be a complete mathematician. Karl Wilhem Theodor Weirestrass (1815-1897) ‘The father of modern analysis’.

Teacher's Comment

"It is not always easy to get children excited about numbers. But the story Sidney the Silly Who Only Eats 6 not only got my children excited about numbers and reading, but it is the most sought after book in the classroom library! Your reading of the text brought it to life for the children and your simple love of the "beauty of numbers" made this fun, silly book have meaning." Teacher, Sprague School,Waterbury
June 25, 2008 2:43 PM

Artist in Residence

M. W. Penn will be artist in residence at Webster Hill School, West Hartford, Connecticut, during the week beginning October 20, 2008. She will lecture to the assembled students and visit individual classes to read her poetry and explore some of the seminal ideas of mathematics. She will also share her experiences in publishing: writing over 50 magazine articles and, most recently, children's books.

For information about having M. W. Penn visit your classroom please contact Pat Vita at patvita@cox.net.

M. W. Penn

My first picture book, Sidney the Silly Who Only Eats 6, was published by Gumboot Books of Vancouver and was awarded best children’s book of 2007 by the Connecticut Press Club. The tale of an impish young king who eats 6 of anything, never more or less, blends math concepts into the storyline. The book will be accompanied by an interdisciplinary activity book and a teacher’s guide. Filthy Franny and The 4 Faery Fleas, a jolly journey through the digits, will be published by Gumboot in the fall of 2008; it is in illustration. Gumboots is also planning to publish Jolly John Stotes Who Plays Just 3 Notes, a tale combining poetry, music and permutation. My math poetry has appeared in Highlights for Children and two anthologies.

Dr. Edward Zigler, founder of the Zigler Institute of Child Development at Yale University and the ‘father’ of the Head Start program, has said of my work, “Penn’s creative use of rhyme and number is a model of how to help the young child begin the demanding tasks of mastering literacy and numeracy.” Maria Diamantis, Ph. D., Chairperson, Department of Education, Southern Connecticut State University and President of the Associated Teachers of Mathematics New England also praised Sidney: “The integration of story and mathematics is awesome, captivating; it invites the reader to explore problem solving and number sense!”

I visit elementary schools (grades K-4) and libraries to read poetry and stories and introduce children to some of the seminal ideas of mathematics, e.g. symmetry, pattern, number and problem solving. I have endorsements from school districts, district math specialists, librarians and teachers. Also, I have presented a session at the Associated Teachers of Mathematics in Connecticut (ATOMIC) conference in 2007 and visit mathematics methods and writing classes at universities.