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Every Picture Tells a Story, Don't It? Well, Math Storymats do!

Hi All,

Kids like stories. Kids like touching and moving things around. Here's a way to use both those "likes" to enjoy some math exploration: Storymats!

Storymats are simple templates where students can use manipulatives to "act out" a story and actively solve word problems. For example, the storymat attached here has two ladybugs side by side. Neither has spots. I know you already see where this is going, you teacher-types!

 

 https://drive.google.com/file/d/1j5v_iu0n0FXFVgwvk3HWtB0laIzdJ06b/view?usp=sharing

I usually begin by making a copy of the storymat for each student and letting them color in their mats and put their names on them. Just caution them not to add dots. This step is a good free-time or home activity. 

Now you have some choices. You can laminate the mats and give kids dry erase markers to use or provide each student with either a set of black dots that have been cut out or small circular manipulatives like bingo chips or bottle caps.

Once they have these materials, tell a simple story problem for them to act out/manipulate and solve. For example:

Adding: The first ladybug had 3 dots. The second ladybug had 4 spots. How many spots did they have all together?

Subtracting: The first ladybug had 5 dots. The second ladybug had 6 spots, but then she lost 2. How many spots do they have all together?

Logical Thinking/Open-Ended: The two ladybugs had 9 dots in all. The ladybug on the right had fewer than the the ladybug on the left. How many dots could each ladybug have?

The manipulatives or dots students draw provide them with a way to solve, learn, explore the problem, and show proof that their solutions are correct.

The more elaborate and interesting your story, the more fun the experience can be. You can always add distractors such as:

The ladybugs had 6 legs all together. The second ladybug had 1 spot more than the fingers on your hand. Each one also had 4 antennae. The first ladybug had 3 spots. How many spots did they have all together?

If you poke around you can find some books that consist entirely of storymats. One of my favorites is Instant Math Storymats by Mary Beth Spann (Scholastic, 1999) https://www.amazon.com/Instant-Math-Storymats-Grades-K-2/dp/0590603396

You'll find storymats that feature barnyards, classrooms, street scenes, and so on. You can easily make your own simple storymats to fit whatever themes you might be working on or interest your class.

Have fun! All the best to you and your students!

Bob

Ladybug Storymat from Fresh and Fun: Summer by Pamela Chanko (Scholastic, 2000)

PS - Did you know? That in the UK, ladybugs are called ladybirds? There is a well-known series of books for early readers called Ladybird Books. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ladybird_Books


 

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