Reading stories to work on problem solving skills.

As a part of a research on “mediation trough stories” in mathematics class, we present a didactic engineering (Artigue, 1988) built on two storybooks about problem solving activity. To characterise proper reading and understanding of mathematic problem, we define a “reading-contract of problem instructions”(based on Brousseau’s didactic contract (1998) and Eco’s fictional reading contract (1994)). We assume that studying plot and alternative worlds, described in stories about problem solving, leads children to work on their problem solving skills. Our work is backed by the findings of an experiment lead on a fifth grade class (primary school). The storybook approach allows us to point out benefits of mediation through stories in problem solving.