Leveraging Children’s Multicultural Literature to Support Students’ Math Identity and Problem Solving

This article explores how multicultural children’s literature for elementary classrooms can be leveraged to develop students’ mathematical understanding and foster positive math identities, particularly for multilingual learners. By integrating diverse stories into mathematics instruction, teachers can create culturally relevant contexts that invite meaningful problem-solving in tandem with rich mathematical discourse. This article features a classroom vignette in which a third-grade teacher uses Too Many Tamales to engage students in an equal share task, demonstrating how students' cultural experiences enhance their conceptual mathematical understanding. Several pedagogical strategies are highlighted as effective ways to support mathematical reasoning and understanding through authentic mathematical discourse. Drawing from classroom practice and supported by research, the authors advocate for the use of multicultural texts to provide meaningful opportunities for students to connect their lived experiences to mathematical ideas, empowering them to see themselves as capable mathematicians.