Book #1 Chrysanthemum

Book #1
Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes
Henkes, K. (1991). Chrysanthemum. New York, NY: Scholastic.

Summary:
Chrysanthemum is a mouse. Her parents love their little girl with all of their heart and think she is perfect. So they gave her a name that they also think is perfect, Chrysanthemum. The child loves her name and thinks it’s absolutely perfect too, until she starts school. Her classmates make fun of her name for being too long and having the same name as a flower. Chrysanthemum is very sad until one day her music teacher compliments her name and tells her that she was considering naming her daughter Chrysanthemum. She also gets a role in a play as a daisy, which her classmates find hilarious. Her classmates have a change of heart and begin to love her name as she did before school began.

Standards:
SC.2-1 Mathematical Processes: The student will understand and utilize the mathematical processes of problem solving, reasoning and proof, communication, connections, and representation.

2-2.1 Apply substantive mathematical problem-solving strategies.

2-1.3 Explain and justify answers to simple problems.

SC.2-2 Numbers and Operations: The student will demonstrate through the mathematical processes an understanding of the base-ten numeration system; place values; and accurate, efficient, and generalizable methods of adding and subtracting whole numbers.

2-2.8 Generate addition and subtraction strategies to find missing addends and subtrahends in number combinations through 20.

Objectives:
The student will be able to use addition and subtraction to make comparisons.

Materials:
Interlocking Cubes
Henkes, K. (1991). Chrysanthemum. New York, NY: Scholastic.

Procedures:
After reading the book write Chrysanthemum on the board. Point to the letters and have the children count along with you to verify that the name has 13 letters. Then underneath Chrysanthemum, write the author’s first name, Kevin. Ask, “How many more letters are there in Chrysanthemum then in the author’s name?” After students have had a few minutes to think, have them share their ideas with a partner. Then follow up with a class discussion about the different ways students figured out the answer, recording their solutions and strategies on the board. (Adding or subtracting or noting extra letters) Model how to solve the problem correctly with interlocking cubes by making trains so children can compare and count. Then show how to represent the problem with addition and subtraction number sentences, relating each to the train of cubes. Next give an individual assignment by asking the children to write their own name on a sheet of paper can compare the letters to the number of letters in Chrysanthemum. Then they can compare the number of letters in their name to the number of letters in their classmate’s names. To help them record their thinking, write a prompt on the board: Chrysanthemum (or a classmates name) has______more letters than my name. I figured it out by______________.