Review

A class of third graders and a class of fourth graders were fortunate to participate in a wonderful fraction experience. Holly Young visited our classes where she read her book The Underachievers. The story was engaging and packed with fractions concepts. Mrs. Young wove a best practice learning opportunity into the book's plot. The students were engaged and really thinking. After the lesson each class asked for the book and to continue working. My students were privileged to have a math experience that was fun and relevant. Well done!

- Pamela C. Belch MEd, Manassas City Public Schools

About the Author

Holly Young is a mathematics teacher and trainer in Sparks, Nevada. She is passionate about using writing as a means for processing mathematics, just ask her students who have written soap operas starring quadratic equations! Using a children’s book as a motivator to learn a difficult concept is a frequent occurrence in her classroom, as is acting out a play written in math vocabulary. She believes that every child has an inner mathematician and writer. It is up to a great story to unlock that power!