It’s finally summer! Which means it’s time to relax, kick your feet up, and take some well-deserved rest. I’m all for spending the majority of your summer recouping your energy (and maybe even a bit of your sanity). If you’re anything like me, you have a summer reading list ready to go. I have lots of beach reads prepared, but I also like to sneak in a few books made for teachers. These usually focus on math and teaching strategies I want to try out next year.
Books for teachers might sound like a drag, but I think it’s a great way to engage in professional development on your own time. Plus, you can highlight and tab things you like and look back on them when the school year starts. I want to share some of the best books for teaching math I’ve read so far.
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Why You Should Read Math Books for Teachers
I think there are two things we can agree on about college: A) I can hardly remember any of the classes I took, let alone what I learned. B) It can only prepare you so much for the reality of teaching math to elementary students.
The reality is that once you’re in the classroom, you start bumping into real issues that no one taught you how to solve. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been teaching, none of us are pros (and there is always a new wrench being thrown every year).
By reading books for teachers, you can learn new teaching strategies that are built on recent research and address modern issues in elementary math classrooms. Plus, we teach our kids to be lifelong learners, so let’s practice what we preach and increase our content knowledge year after year!
The Best Books for Teaching Math Strategies
What’s Math Got to Do With It? How Teachers and Parents Can Transform Mathematics Learning and Inspire Success by Jo Boaler
The title says it, but this book is great for teachers AND parents! Because of this, I think it takes a more down-to-earth and less jargon-y approach to talking about strategies. Every math teacher can relate to hearing students talk about how hard math is, and this book provides realistic strategies for helping students.
One thing I really like about this book is how it addresses mindset. Many students struggle with math because of mental blocks they have and stories they tell themselves. The author also dives into more modern math strategies, like problem-solving, exploration, and collaborative activities to develop their mathematical thinking and reasoning skills.
I definitely recommend this book for teachers who have ever struggled to think of themselves as a “math person” or hear this sentiment from their students!
Building Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics Grades K-12 by Peter Liljedahl
Research-based teaching strategies? Love them. Reading through an in-depth research paper? Snooze fest. Luckily, this book makes hearing about the research behind teaching math way easier and a lot more inviting.
This book talks about how many students aren’t learning in traditional math classrooms. However, he won’t leave you guessing on how to turn things around. The author provides fourteen practical strategies to use in your math classroom, along with the research to back them up.
A big philosophy behind what he shares is building thinking classrooms where students are actively involved in their learning and collaborate with their peers. I think it makes for a great summer book for teachers because you can start the year with these strategies!
Productive Math Struggle by John J. SanGiovanni, Susie Katt, and Kevin J. Dykema
We don’t like to see our students struggle, but this book will give you a different perspective on what struggling can mean (and look like). Productive struggle is using effort to learn a new concept through challenging problems. If that sounds intimidating, I want you to think about the times when you wanted students to take ownership of their learning or stop trying to do things the easy way.
The authors suggest creating a classroom culture that values effort, perseverance, and the process of learning rather, instead of just focusing on correct answers. They provide strategies to design and facilitate problem-solving tasks that are appropriately challenging for students.
If you read this over the summer, you’ll have a lot of great ideas to kick off the new school year!
Books for Teachers that Build Math Content Knowledge
Making Sense of Mathematics for Teaching Grades 3-5 by Juli K. Dixon, Edward C. Nolan, Thomasenia Lott Adams, Jennifer M. Tobias, Guy Barmoha
Whether you’re switching grade levels or just want to increase your content knowledge, I think you’ll enjoy this book. The authors provide an overview of number sense, operations, fractions, geometry, measurement, and data analysis for 3rd-5th grade teachers.
And they won’t leave you guessing! Each section provides instructional strategies to help you solidify the concept for students. I don’t think you have to devour this book all at once. You can refer to it throughout the year as you start a new unit, but summer is a great time to review the concepts for the start of the year.
A Focus on Multiplication & Division: Bringing Research to the Classroom by Elizabeth T. Hulbert, Marjorie M. Petit, Caroline B. Ebby, Elizabeth P. Cunningham, Robert E. Laird
This book for teachers is actually part of a series, but this is my favorite of the bunch! Multiplication and division are huge concepts in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade, so helping students build a strong conceptual understanding of them is essential.
The authors break down the progression of knowledge when learning multiplication and division. They really stress the importance of looking at student work to find where students are, then moving them to the next part of the progression when they are ready. Basically, making sure students master each step.
This book is perfect for all 3rd through 5th grade teachers! Even if you are strong in your content knowledge, I have a feeling this book will still blow your mind.
These math books for teachers are some of the best I’ve found. However, don’t overload your plate. Make sure you still take time for rest and relaxation this summer. I suggest picking one or two books you’re interested in and starting small!
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