Twelve Days of Christmas

THOUGHT

The Twelve Days of Christmas can be used as a math activity that can be taken into the classroom.

REFLECTION #1

Until it was mentioned to me, I never thought that the recipient of their "true love" in the popular Christmas song, acquired any more than the ONE partridge in a pear tree. However, on the twelfth day of Christmas, the recipient will have 12 partridges in a pear tree! I hope that bringing this into a classroom would be as shocking a realization as it was for me.

REFLECTION #2

Teachers can use this song, and other forms of pop culture, or situations that are more relevant to the students lives, than just resorting to the math textbook, when teaching math. Students can use the information provided in this song to visually represent, in a chart, graph, or other form, the way that the song displays patterns. The prior knowledge of the song, makes it an excellent resource to use around the winter holiday. When the teacher uses these types of things, students can become more receptive to learning, as they may forget that they are actually learning, once they are engaged in the activity that is somehow relevant and connected to them.