At 黑料网鈥檚 School of Education, Dr. Peter Kalenda is bringing math to life through stories. This semester, 28 teacher candidates are using聽10 Gulab Jamuns聽by Sandhya Acharya as a playful entry point to teaching addition with regrouping to first- and second-grade students.
Thanks to support from the聽NEA鈥檚 Learning and Leadership Grant, every teacher candidate received a free copy of the book. The grant, co-authored by Dr. Kalenda and Dr. Kathleen Olmstead of SUNY Brockport, focuses on helping future childhood educators build聽global competency skills聽through storybooks that highlight diverse representation.
In the lesson, students meet Idu and Adu from聽10 Gulab Jamuns聽and are then challenged to count and add a variety of Indian sweet treats鈥攋ust like the characters in the story. This lesson鈥檚 inquiry-based approach not only strengthens math skills but also invites children to explore culture and community through food, storytelling, and play.