Taylor Romero

Text Project

TEKS: 6th Grade

(8) Expressions, equations, and relationships. The student applies mathematical process
standards to use geometry to represent relationships and solve problems. The student is expected
to: (A) extend previous knowledge of triangles and their properties to include the sum of angles
of a triangle, the relationship between the lengths of sides and measures of angles in a triangle,
and determining when three lengths form a triangle; (B) model area formulas for parallelograms,
trapezoids, and triangles by decomposing and rearranging parts of these shapes; (C) write
equations that represent problems related to the area of rectangles, parallelograms, trapezoids,
and triangles and volume of right rectangular prisms where dimensions are positive rational
numbers; and (D) determine solutions for problems involving the area of rectangles,
parallelograms, trapezoids, and triangles and volume of right rectangular prisms where
dimensions are positive rational numbers.

Taylor Romero

Books, Annotations, and Citations

Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi is a childrens book whose purpose is to
introduce the concept of pi and how it relates to all circles. Helps students in the
understanding of what can be a difficult concept in a more easily readable
presentation. It is part of a series of educational books that follow the knight Sir
Cumference as he discovers the many different concepts of geometry in fun
exciting adventures.
Neuschwander, C., & Geehan, W. (1999). Sir Cumference and the Dragon of pi: A Math
Adventure. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge Publishing.

Math by all Means is a student resource book to help students have a more hands
on experience in learning the area and perimeter formulas. It uses creative lessons
to teach the students an outside the box type of learning style. Helping the students
grasp a better understanding of area, perimeter, and the relationship between them.
Rectanus, C. (1997). Math by all means: Area and perimeter, grades 5-6. Sausalito, CA:
Math Solutions Publications.

Covering and
concepts of two
circumference, and
school math
and is a less creative
for students for

Surrounding is a text book resource that goes over the

dimensional measurement which include are, perimeter,
many other concepts that are taught throughout the middle
classrooms. It is a more direct type of teaching for students,
presentation of the material, but it is still useful as a resource
practice and overview of concepts.

Lappan, G.
measurement. Palo Alto,

(1998). Covering and surrounding: Two-dimensional

CA: Dale Seymour Publications.

Whats your Angle, Pythagoras? is another childrens book that presents the idea of
the Pythagorean theorem and how it can be discovered in each triangle we see.
This is a another more exciting attention grabber for students as they learn all the
new formulas that go along with the different shapes.
Ellis, J., & Hornung, P. (2004). What's Your Angle, Pythagoras? Watertown, MA:
Charlesbridge Publishing.

The Librarian Who Measured the Earth is a childrens biography of the Greek philosopher
who was able to accurately measure the circumference of the earth. This book not only
introduces the concept of circumference but also ties in other subjects such as history,
science, math, and obviously language arts. A attention grabber that is based on a real
person that is part of mathematics history making it a great resource for students.
Lasky, K., & Hawkes, K. (1994). The librarian who measured the earth. Boston: Joy Street
Books.

Taylor Romero

Readability
Book

100 Word Sample

Sir Cumference and

the Dragon of Pi; a
Math Adventure

Radius ran back to the doctors

workroom. He looked at drawings and
notes. He peeked inside boxes and
bags. He searched through book after
book. Finally he spotted a curiouslooking container with a set of spoons
and a poem. It might be the cure. The
Circles Measure; measure the middle
and the circle around. Divide so a
number can be found. Every circle,
great and small- the number is the
same for all. Its also the dose, so be
clever or a dragon he will stay forever.
Measure the middle and circle
around thought Radius. Ill bet
Geo of Metry can help! Carpenters
measure things every day.
Whether you make a floor plan for a
bumper-car ride or a house, there
are many options. You should consider
the cost of materials and the use of a
space to find the best possible plan. In
Investigation 1, you saw that floor
plans with the same area could have
different perimeters. Sometimes you
want the largest, or maximum,
possible area or perimeter. At other
times, you want the smallest, or
minimum, area or perimeter. This
investigation explores these two kinds
of problems. You will find the
maximum and minimum perimeter for
a fixed area. You will also find the
maximum and minimum area for a
fixed perimeter. Fixed area or
perimeter means that the measurement
is given and does not change.

Covering and
Surrounding; Two
Dimensional
Measurement

Reading Level

Taylor Romero
The Librarian Who
Measured the Earth

More than two thousand years ago, a

very smart baby was born. His name
was Eratosthenes. His parents were
Greek, and they lived in Cyrene, a
Greek city on the coast of Africa in
the country that is now called Libya.
Even as a baby, Eratosthenes was
curious and full of wonder. He would
crawl across the kitchen floor to
follow the path of ants. He wondered
why there were beads of water on the
cistern ion the morning. And in the
evening, when he looked out the
window of his bedroom, he wondered
why the stars stayed in the sky. When
he could speak, he began asking
hundreds and even thousands of
questions

Taylor Romero

Reflection
After researching Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi I see that as a childrens book it
has a readability level of around 4th grade which may be below some students level in 6th grade,
however it could still be a useful tool. The concept of circumference and pi can be tricky for
students to understand and if I were to use this book as a resource I think it would help put the
subject in simpler terms so they could grasp a basic understanding before using it for work
problems and such.
For Math by all Means I would sue this in my 6th grade classroom so that I could have
more hands on lesson plans for my students. I feel this is a great resource for opening up my
students minds to see how area and perimeter are used every day and not just in problems given
in the classroom. And, like I said about hands on, this will help the students who learn more from
doing it themselves and seeing more examples in their life than if I were to directly teach them
the concepts.
Covering and Surrounding; Two Dimensional Measurement is a textbook that would be
used in the classroom and based on its readability would probably be more useful in a 8th grade
classroom rather than a 6th grade one. However, as a teacher I could still take away some parts of
this book to help give a deeper understanding to 6th graders in my classroom. Also it could still
be a resource for those students that are on a higher readability level, although it could still prove
challenging.
Although Whats your Angle, Pythagoras? is a slightly lower level of reading for middle
schoolers it is still a valuable resource for teacher introducing the concept of the Pythagorean
theorem. It shows a real world use for it which is important for students to see when they are
learning new concepts. This would be something I would use with 6th graders as an entertaining
introduction but probably not for any grade levels higher than that.
The childrens book The Librarian Who Measured the Earth is a great book that ties in
all subject while still introducing an important concept for mathematics. The readability level for
this book is 6th grade so it would not be something below or above a students reading level that
is in the 6th grade math classroom. And even though it is a childrens book it remains a valuable
resource for teachers in guiding their students towards certain topics.