Literacy Techniques In Math Content

Activity Purpose Application*

Interactive Journal

• A way to have on going interaction between students and teachers

• A way to combine visuals and word

• A place to show notes

At the end of day students can • Summarize the main idea

covered that they • They can give examples that

relate to their lives • They can ask any questions of

doubts they have Circle of Life1

• To engage students • Synthesize everything

learned/covered

Each piece of the circle can represent what they remember about math from each grade. They can also incorporate their feelings at that point. This will allow the mentor to have an insight to the student’s history with math

Nine Square2

• Engage students • Bring in their background • Relate to them

The students will take one the years from the Circle of Life and expand why they have that feeling or describe the different events that lead to it. It works much like a story board or comic strip.

Word Chain3

• Check student’s level of comprehension

Have students make a chain of how one operation relates to another. e.g. Counting leads to adding and adding in groups leads to multiplication.

Q.A.R.’s • Think more critically • Reading comprehension • Students take ownership by

creating the questions

Have students create their own test Review definitions and terms before a test

Messing About/Brain Storming

• Recall/Connect to prior knowledge

• Highlight misconceptions

• At the beginning of a unit to relate the new material to their prior knowledge to further facilitate understanding

• At the end of a section as review

• At the end of a review to clarify misconception

• Fill in any missing information or concepts

Save the Last Word for Me

• Creates a comfortable setting

Read some history of math and have them pick an idea they didn’t realize hadn’t originated in the

• Easier than tackling a whole chapter

• Everyone has something say

United States

Think Aloud (Predicting Activity)

• Gives the reader an approach or insight to the info in text

• Makes chapter friendlier by activating prior knowledge

• Allows the students to understand the structure of the text

Have students read the titles of section and possibly look at examples to give students insight to the math content that hey will cover. They can begin to think of what prior information they will need to tackle the chapter.

Say Something

• Creates a check and balances system, which ensures that students are understanding and that can draw meaning at every step.

• It creates clarity and ties things together

Have students explain a step in a problem they read through and why the step is so important

KWL4

What you know What you want to know What you still want to learn

• Checks prior knowledge • Allows the teacher to correct

any misunderstanding and misconceptions the students have

• The “Learn” can help the teacher gage where the student’s interest lie

At the start of a Unit/concept

Jigsaw • Get the students to read • Team responsibility • Less work for the student

Have students become experts on a type of problem (as a group), then have them rotate the groups so that everyone is sharing a particular type of problem

Gallery Walk

• Critical Thinking • Sharing Ideas • Students are moving • Ownership

Put up various types of word problems and students pick which problem they would want to solve. The problem will become their challenge for the month. They can work on it when they have free time or are bored.

Visual Graphic

• Organize big ideas • Creates groups • Clarifies connections

Have students create tables and group terms by categories. Possibly a table that groups symbols and words

Panel Discussion

• Elicit students’ interest • Different perspective of a

situation

Have groups of students who have completed algebra 1 class talk to students in current algebra 1

classes. They can present their success and their trails and tribulations with math

DRTA • Understanding • Predicting • Active Thinking • Talking by Students

Read through a lengthy word problem and stop at the end of each sentence. Have students decide on the main ideas and relevant information. Have them predict what other information they need. Is it in the problem?

Feature Analysis

• Exploring • Reinforcing • Organizing Vocabulary • Categorization

Have students discuss shapes and their features. They can mark off what features each has. Do they see similarities? Can they draw conclusion? Conjectures?

*These are only examples 1Worksheet available – place link 2 Worksheet available - place link 3 Worksheet available - place link 4 Worksheet available - place link