A Poem: Calculus Adventures

I'm doing a lot of research and thinking about the use of literature/language in math classrooms. Math classrooms tend to be extremely language poor and taught in an isolated math bubble. I'm trying to discover ways to bridge the gap between math and other areas, especially the humanities. I'm also taking a calculus class right now. So for my writing group piece for class this week I used myself as a guinea pig for an activity I'd like to integrate into my math classroom: trying to convey the math I'm learning through a creative form of expression. Most people would not use the words calculus and fun in the same sentence. Hopefully, after reading this poem, you just might. Let the nerdiness commence:

Calculus Adventures

Katie Gates

4/7/10

On one nice, bright, warm summers day,

Little Johnny goes out to play.

He walks out the door, his adventures begin

As Johnny stands there at the origin.

He starts from zero, with nothing to lose,

He skips right ahead, a spring in his shoes.

To the top of the hill, oh what fun!

Up a constant incline, rise over run.

But oh clumsy Johnny! When he comes to the top,

He doesn’t bother to come to a stop,

He trips, and he falls, down through the ground

Into a mysterious hole, scary and round.

In darkness he falls, for what seems like hours

Then his feet land softly, on grass and flowers.

“Where am I?” he asks, to a creature nearby

“You’re in calculus country!” is it’s cheery reply.

And as Johnny looks up, at the valleys and hills,

At the curves and the dips, the sight is a thrill!

“I’ve never seen anything like this before!”

Johnny cries, and the creature chuckles some more.

“It’s normal for you to not understand,”

“For that there is the tunnel to linear land!”

“Linear land?” says Johnny, confused

“But of course!” it replies, cleary amused.

“But this doesn’t make sense! How can it be?

That your mountains don’t disappear in the sea!

They go up and down, and back and around!

There are no rules by which your functions are bound!”

“Ah but you’re wrong,” it says, with a smile

“For you would notice, if you stayed for a while,

Our slopes are not constant, but don’t be concerned,

Our functions are many! More than you’ve learned!

Your lines are all straight, it’s so boring that way!

You talk about slopes and intercepts all day!

Our lines are fun! Sine curves and square roots!

Exponents! Reciprocals! Exciting pursuits!

“Now look here,” says Johnny, a little prudential

“Your lines may be lovely, but slope is essential!”

“How can you possibly find what it is?

Or are you also a better math whiz?

I don’t mean to brag, but yes, there’s a way!

We can’t just approximate between B and A,

Because, like you said, it changes a lot

So we have to zoom way in on each little dot.

They may be different, but each slope is the same

As the slope of it’s tangent!” the creature proclaims.

“But the slope of it’s tangent…” says Johnny with pride,

“…is linear! You need us! That you can’t hide.”

“We aren’t so different after all.

So let us end this silly brawl.”

“It seems you’re right.” The creature said

“Maybe we should be friends instead.”