David Whitin

David J. Whitin is Professor of Elementary Education at Wayne State University. A member of the NCTE Consulting Network, He has also taught at the University of South Carolina and Queens College in New York City. Prior to his university teaching, he was an elementary school teacher and principal.

David has collaborated with Phyllis Whitin for many years. Their joint interests include inquiry learning and the connections between language and mathematics. They have written several books that reflect these interests: Inquiry at the Window (Heinemann); and two co-published by NCTM and NCTE: Math is Language Too, and New Visions for Linking Literature and Mathematics. David is a member of NCTE.

Lessons on ReadWriteThink

Bridging Literature and Mathematics by Visualizing Mathematical Concepts (3-5)
By bridging children’s literature and mathematics, this lesson builds students’ reading, writing, mathematical and scientific proficiency. During interactive read-aloud sessions, students identify and analyze elements of author’s craft in conveying mathematical information about the size and abilities of a wide range of animals. Then, by studying and following the examples in the books, students conduct a research project of their own, focusing on the same mathematical concepts.

Exploring Sets through Math-Related Book Pairs (K-2)
After reading and discussing a book pair of two math-related books, students investigate their home and school environments to find examples of objects that come in sets of twos, threes, fours, fives and sixes. Working either collaboratively or individually, students then create their own books on sets, highlighting their inquiry study.

Talking, Writing, and Reasoning: Making Thinking Visible with Math Journals (3-5)
By talking, writing, and reasoning in math journals, students shift the emphasis of their work from finding the “right” answer to a metacognitive exploration of how their problem-solving works in ways that encourage them to apply, extend, and adapt their strategies to new situations. This lesson, which uses the Magic Triangle puzzle as an example, includes sample journal prompts and FAQs about math journals.

What If We Changed the Book? Problem-Posing with Sixteen Cows (3-5)
After participating in the reading of Sixteen Cows, children are invited to respond to the story. Their responses are both literary and mathematical in nature. Based on their observations and comments, students work together to create mathematical problems based on the literature. The problem-posing and well as the problem-solving integrates both literacy skills and mathematical knowledge.