Bah Humbug: Literacy in Math

The article "Using Creative Writing and Literature in Mathematics Class" has me wondering about how we decide what and how to teach as well as how we measure the effectiveness of our teaching.  On the one hand, I can envision how story telling in math could end up being useful as a learning tool if done appropriately.  On the other hand, I can imagine how it might also turn into a silly, meaningless exercise.  Reading the examples did not make me confident that the students were focused on the math as much as just figuring out how to cram  a math concept into a familiar story line (I am thinking about the rendition of the Three Billy Goats Gruff in particular)....kind of like fitting a square peg into a round hole.