Why is 6 Afraid of 7?

RoseMary Hunt

Math Teacher, Turtle Lake Elementary, Shoreview

Math Instructional Coach, Mounds View Schools

MCTM Region 4 Director

“Why is 6 afraid of 7?”– Promoting Mathematical Understanding Through Humor”

As we droll through this latter part of winter, I’m thinking a fun topic to ponder is bringing humor to the math classroom. I am sure you’ve heard the question in the title and know the answer. It gets the youngest of students laughing.

While the punch line leaves us chuckling, the richer lesson lies in the answer to: “WHY is it funny?” You have to know a bit about the content in order to appreciate the humor.  The discussion that follows to help answer the “why” question provides an avenue of discourse—a number talk in a sense.

Strategically chosen jokes, puns, or comic strips offer a great way to start the lesson, or to drive a concept home, or to nix a short-cut or misconception. One of my favorites is when we work on multiplication fact extensions (example 30 x 40) students will talk about the short cut of “adding zeros.” A comic I found uses the equation “80,000 + 0 = 800,000” in the context of getting a “zero raise” in salary. Students’ conversations about why this is incorrect mathematical language (adding zeros) helps them use correct language in practice of this concept.

I have a “Math Laffs” board in the classroom where) comics or jokes are posted.  It promotes students looking for math humor on their own, reading, thinking.

A book that I found at the Regional NCTM conference in Minneapolis in November has brought some laughter and discussion to the classroom. It is:

Math Jokes 4 Mathy Folks by G. Patrick Vennebush.  There is much to find online as well.

Be sure the humor is age appropriate in math content as well as general content. And never leave them hanging….the math conversation must go with the joke.

There is a third grader in my math class, who usually leaves me with a math joke on her way out at the end of class. We all can use a good laugh each day!