Let’s go beyond "Once upon a time": children's literature, mathematics and ethnic-racial issues in the early years

Abstract

This article aims to understand the potential of working with mathematics connected to children's literature  and ethnic-racial  issues  in  the  early  years  of  elementary  school.  Based  on  a  qualitative methodology, the production of data was carried out in a class of the first year of a public school, in a city of the Mato Grosso do Sul (MS). The data were recorded through videos, photos and notes in the researcher's field diary. In the research, a didactic sequence developed over three days was analyzed, which worked on contents related to quantities and measurements from the book: "Mama Panya’s Pancakes", by Mary and RichChamberlin. The results indicate that students became more participatory when the mathematical concept is introduced through a history of children's literature, allowing integer and fractional numbers to be taught from a significant context in which each one had a referent in the recipe of the book. The presence of black characters in history, including as a protagonist, in a positive context contributes to the construction of a positive cultural identity, to the recognition and appreciation of cultural diversity.