In our group’s unit plan for EDUC 400, we have a variety of lessons which have integrated subject areas with an interwoven theme focusing on the Indigenous tale of how trickster deity, the Raven stole the sun and gave it to the people of the world. As part of our learning unit, my lesson plans relate directly to the subject of math. While numeracy is the key element of math, we cannot understate how important literacy skills are when learning elementary math. First many of the math words are specialized terminology and are considered to be tier three words, which are “tightly associated with a content area” (Beck, 2013, Chp.1, p.37). Beck argues that such specialized math terms need to be taught as they:
describe very specific mathematical features and actions. Learning the meanings
of the words is not the point. Rather, students need to recognize the concepts and procedures
that the words refer to when they encounter them in word problem contexts. (2013, Chp. 2, p.49)
I agree with Beck but many specialized math words have additional importance outside of their specialized math field. As these math words have valuable roots in other parts of the English language by deepening the word understanding those roots can help bring context to them.
Reading comprehension in other subjects can improve when students start to understand the roots behind math words. For example, looking at the prefixes we can teach that “tri-” means three, “poly-” means many, “oct-” means eight, and the suffix “-oid” means to be like something. So teaching what these word parts mean can help students understand similar words outside of the context of math. How many wheels does a tricycle have? What kind of subjects do you think a polytechnic school teaches? How many people play musical instruments in an octet? What does a humanoid robot, also called an android, look like? All of these questions can be predicted once students understand the roots of the words used in math such a triangle, octagon or cuboid. Knowing these word origins can also help students understand some of the math concepts as well. How many sides are there in polygons such as a pentagon or octagon? When students know the word “penta” means five or that “octa” means eight, the math words themselves become a mnemonic for learning.
It is also important to teach tier two words which “are of high utility for mature language users and are found across a variety of domains” (Beck, 2013, Chp. 2, p.49). When we expand students’ includes tier two words such as synonyms or idiomatic language, then understanding differently worded math word problems becomes easier. When students have a large vocabulary, it is easier for them to explain their reasoning on why a math solution works.
In addition to expanding vocabulary, the concept of summarizing also can aid in helping students form a sentence that explains their answers in math. In the Writing Revolution, students are encouraged to practice summarizing as the skill is associated with comprehension and it is used in real life situations like relating a situation or process, giving directions, or presenting a critical review (Hochman, 2017, Chp.6, p.379). In terms of math, all of these aspects of summarizing are useful but describing a process is especially important. When I write an exit ticket for math, I like to use a fill in the blank format with sentences. This format allows students of all levels to quickly and easily fill out the answers, and for students who have literacy difficulties it has an another benefit: it explicitly models how to write and summarize the mathematical process. As students become more familiar with the language used to explain their answers, less prompting will be needed, and they can write their own explanations. It will be important to be consistent at the start, but as the students learn more vocabulary they can begin to synthesize alternative ways of explaining their own math solutions. Literacy and numeracy are braided in understanding and explaining math concepts, so in my math lessons I will be explicitly teaching both.
References
Beck, I. (2013). Bringing words to life : robust vocabulary instruction. The Guilford Press. New York, NY. [ebook]
Hochman, J. (2017). The writing revolution: a guide to advancing thinking through writing in all subjects and grades.
San Francisco, CA : Jossey-Bass, a Wiley Brand. [Ebook]
