I am passionate about teaching our students math in student centered ways that help them grow as human beings that are positioned to make a difference in the world. So that means, the work has to be real and relevant.

Today we’re going to talk about the power that math can have when you INTEGRATE math with social studies.

On This Episode 4 Ways to Integrate Math with Social Studies:

• bring in diverse mathematicians to your classroom
• solving real world math problems
• using timelines from social studies for math

Why Integrate Math with Social Studies?

I am passionate about teaching our students math in student centered ways that help them grow as human beings that are positioned to make a difference in the world. So that means, the work has to be real and relevant. The work has to relate to current issues in their lives, their communities, and relate to what they want the future to be. It is our duty as educators to help students see the potential they have, to see how people just like them have made and are currently making a difference. It is also our job to help our students see those not often identified, or that are marginalized. To see them, their contributions, and their brilliance.

We need to hold up the mirror for our students with our math work to help them SEE what they can do- what problems they can solve with math. 

We need to hold up the window to help them see further into the world beyond their community, into other communities and the problems they face. So they can start to innovate and ask questions about what they can do to contribute to other communities.

We need to open the sliding glass door and give our students experiences where they can see those other communities, issues, and experiences up close. Where they can hear from those different from them, ask questions, and consider different perspectives.

Let’s Talk About the Power of Math Integration:

Today we’re going to talk about the power that math can have when you INTEGRATE it with social studies (or any content area for that matter). It is Feb 2024 and that means it is time to celebrate and honor the brilliance of Black Folks. Now, that might mean holding up the mirror for our students or helping them see the world through a lens they don’t often get to look through, seeing brilliance of folks that they might not yet know.

4 Ways to Integrate Math with Social Studies:

1. Learn About Historical Figures and math Connections

Do a quick search on who you’re studying and find out what their relationship was with math. I like to feature one person a week and the kids get a kick out of learning about famous people that also struggled with math or found it really difficult.

2. Consider Bringing Diverse Mathematicians to your Mathematician of the Week

You could use this as an early finisher activity– go read the biography about the mathematician and fill out the “fast facts” graphic organizer. Then, spend 10 minutes on Friday talking about the person. Because hopefully by then several students have read the biography and are ready to share and fill everyone else in on who that mathematician is and what they’re all about. 

3. Solve Real World Math Problems from the Past

They don’t have to be real, but the context can be. Studying the American Revolution? How about the time it took people to travel places back then or the Boston Tea Party. Maybe something about the post office creation and how SLOW mail was. Maybe problems about working on the farm or in the general store. Take the contexts you’re studying and use that in your math word problems. 

4. Timelines

It’s often a social studies skill, with a whole lot of math. If you’ve ever heard of clothesline math… it’s basically where you put numbers on an actual line so students can move them around…. It’s basically a timeline. Create a giant timeline in your classroom and put the years with events on it. Add to it as you study different time periods. Then, talk about proportions… are they evenly spaced? How long is a decade? How many decades ago was this history taking place? How can we represent this on the timeline? Solve some problems about time and use a timeline (hello open number line) to solve! 

Looking for Resources to help Black History Month and Math? 👇

I’ve got you covered! I suggest starting with a beautiful display of Black Mathematicians, then you can add to it!

❤️ Black History Ideas & Resources

🔥 MY TEACHER HOT TAKE 🔥

• Teacher PD should match the TEACHER’S goals, not the schools goals.
• PD should be provided by teachers, that understand what it’s like to teach in this post-covid world.

That’s why I’m providing low cost PD series for you. (ONLY $11!!) 🤩

Each PD is designed with actionable strategies that I used in my own classroom and I know work with students who struggle.

📣 Register for PD HERE!

Have Questions? 📱 My DMs on IG are always open @hellomonamath