Math Talk: Mathematical Ideas in Poems for Two Voices

by Theoni Pappas

Who would have ever thought there was a direct way to connect mathematical concepts to poetry?
Creative juices were certainly at work when this book of mathematical dialogues was created by Theoni Pappas. It presents a
new way to enjoy and learn mathematical ideas via poetic dialogues read by two people. A new twist to mathematical themes.

—24 delightful and informative poetic dialogues for exploring math ideas.—
- TOPIC POEMS INCLUDE-
· Mathematics · Circles · Proper fractions · Fractals
· Fibonacci numbers · One · Operations · Imaginary numbers
· Möbius strip · Zero · Squares · Operations
· Variables · Radicals · Triangles · · Primes · Dimensions
· Golden Mean · e, & i (for three voices)
· Integers · Tessellations · Even numbers
· Googols · We are numbers.

Genres: Poetry, Mathematics, Young Adult, Childrens

72 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

Theoni Pappas is committed to giving mathematics greater exposure and making it more approachable. Pappas encourages mathematics teachers to share and develop new teaching ideas, methods, and approaches. Her gift to the Mathematics Education Trust (MET) helps teachers in grades 9—12 develop mathematics enrichment materials and lessons complementing a teaching unit implemented in the classroom.

Currently, Pappas is a mathematics educator and consultant. She received her B.A. from the University of California at Berkeley and her M.A. from Stanford University. She became a member of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) in 1967, when she began teaching high school mathematics. Over the years, she has taught basic math, prealgebra, algebra, trigonometry, geometry, precalculus, and calculus.

Through her studies and research, Pappas has developed products that address mathematical ideas, and she has written numerous books, both for the general public and for educational audiences. Her books include More Joy of Mathematics; The Joy of Mathematics; Mathematics Appreciation; Math Talk; Greek Cooking for Everyone; Fractals, Googols, and Other Mathematical Tales; Mathematical Footprints; The Magic of Mathematics; Math-A-Day; The Music of Reason; Mathematical Scandals; The Adventures of Penrose–the Mathematical Cat; and Math for Kids & Other People Too!
from http://www.nctm.org/resources/content...

Reviews

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm totally going to share this with our math teachers (didn't know it was sitting on our shelves until I happened upon it!) because many of our math classes are co-taught and this would be a fabulous addition!

While I don't understand some of the poems, the flow can absolutely be worked on to deliver maximum excitement about math.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a performance piece. Poems in two voices. Love it. When we hit it right the performances gives us chills. I highly recommend getting a couple of copies and giving these poems a try. Wonderful language, wonderful math!

[Paul Hankins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Expecting this collection of poems to take on a funny twist toward math, I was pleasantly surprised to find a book that presents math-themed poems for two voices (think JOYFUL NOISE). But the poems don't stop at simplicity in form or message. The pieces are full of mathematical terms that will serve as a sort of review even for those who are pretty good at math (I found myself wondering if I ever knew the term "secant." This would make a great bell-ringer book for the math classroom or a means to bridge math and ELA coursework. The poems might serve as mentor text for students to write their own pieces based upon the work they are doing in math.

[Jo Oehrlein · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the book. I was reading it to myself, but I would love to hear it chorally.

There's one factual issue that bothered me -- pentagons CAN tile, but regular pentagons can't. I know most people only think of regular pentagons, but there are other types.

I also thought one statement was confusing. About triangles "Two sides' lengths always longer than the third side's". It's the sum of the lengths of 2 sides that is always longer than the 3rd. Obviously in an equilateral triangle, all sides are the same length.

I think this would be good for upper elementary students on up. It talks about One and Zero, Even, Prime, Pi, Operators, Squares, Infinity, and so much more.

It would be fun to have 2 students (or 3, there's 1 poem for 3 voices) read a poem relevant to the topic at hand on a regular basis.

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have no idea why this book exists, never mind how it ended up in my house. And yet, it makes me happy that someone decided writing poetry about math seemed like fun. And the illustrations are fun too.

[Colin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disappointing

I really dislike giving one star reviews, but this feels extremely formulaic and of little value as maths or as poetry. I got very little from this.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Math Talk is a short book -- less than 70 pages, but I suspect is packed full of great potential conversations, writing, and thinking for anyone interested in math concepts. I am definitely not an expert in math, but I know enough about circles and spheres and integers to be intrigued with these poems. Because it is poetry, there are no long explanations, but lots of word-play--words that give the reader a peak into these foundational math concepts. It sent me to the dictionary and to the Internet to learn more....and to brush up on concepts like "imaginary numbers," which I don't think I ever really understood when I was in math classes. Besides the intriguing content, this is a fun poetry book--with poems meant to be performed, not to be read silently. And it's poems for two voices, so it's not intended to be a solitary read. So What? So this is an invitation to some really active learning and some fun. I can see it as a springboard to all kinds of engaging learning experiences in math classes. And an opportunity to help students see the power of language -- even in math class. Now What? The most obvious instructional idea, of course, is to let pairs of students choose one of the poems and rehearse it and perform it. These are not for one-time reading. I think we can get the most benefit from reading them over and over and then performing them. Maybe kids could come up with costumes or signs to hold or movements to accompany the words. And then they could record the performances to share with the world. . . It really gives students an opportunity to take an AESTHETIC STANCE toward math, of all things!

[Corey Lynch]

This book contains a collection of math themed poetry that talk about many different mathematical concepts. The poetry takes the form of two voices and contains pictures to go along with each poem. I picked out one poem in particular to discuss possible classroom applications for the poetry contained within the collection. The poem, titled We Are Numbers, starts with a series of counting lines up from one to six before switching to the relation between mathematical terms such as large/small and gigantic/minute. I think that this could be used as an opportunity for teachers to immerse their students in poetry while at the same time teaching them terms and number relations they may see in word problems or on a standardized test. The information located within this poetry collection is appropriate for multiple age levels and can contribute to poetry immersion and math learning for many different grade levels.

[Jolene Aho]

“Math Talk: Mathematical Ideas in Poems for Two Voices” is a collection of twenty-five poems about math topics. The poems are meant to be read aloud by two people. Some of the mathematical concepts are too difficult for elementary students, but many could be used for this age group. Some appropriate ones include: “We are Numbers”, “Circles”, “One”, “Zero”, “Squares”, “The Even Numbers”, and “Proper Fractions”.

The poems in this book are free verse poetry because they are unrhymed. The poems are written in two columns meant to be read simultaneously by two people.

This book could be used in a poetry unit as an example of poems for two voices. Poems could also be used in math lessons that they correspond to. They could be used to introduce a lesson. While they are written for two voices, the poems could be modified to be read aloud by the teacher. I was unable to find a reading level for this book, but it would be most appropriate for upper elementary age and older students.

[Janet Luch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the idea of this book! The poems can be read by two people or by two groups. Sometimes the two voices read words separately and other times the same or different words are read together. This makes for a great reading experience. In addition, because the poems are about math concepts, the readers and listeners can question the meaning of the ideas presented or enjoy hearing readings about things they now understand. I would think that reading poems before and after studying a concept would benefit students.

[J-Lynn Van Pelt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't speak for the accuracy of the math concepts in this book, but I love mixing math and literacy. These poems are well written and interactive since they are in two voices. The could provide a whole different look at mathematical concepts for students who are stronger in English and art. I know that if I had access to math poems as a kid, I might have developed a more favorable attitude toward math.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting poems. I plan to use this book to inspire my students to write some mathematical poems of their. Hopefully through using their own words and creativity it will give the mathematical concepts more meaning and help students remember them.

[Ubalstecha]

What a great way to through literature and reader's theater into the math classroom. This is an essential book for teachers. It will at a twist to your lessons that students won't see coming.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great addition to just about any math classroom.

[Tatelyn Graves · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is so clever not only is it trying to have you solve math problems but it is talking in poems! its so fun!