Reading in Mathematics

The opening of another school year is coming fast! Time to contemplate various goals. What area or areas do I want to focus on? Our students take so many important standardized tests, how can I help them be more successful? I believe if our math students did a better job of reading the test questions, they would have a greater chance of answering the question correctly. Many times I hear students say they just didn't understand what the question was asking.

Consequently, we need to help our students develop solid reading skills within the context of mathematics. Active reading strategies of underlining text and circling key words help, but is there more we can do? I recently came across a K-N-W-S strategy / template. Tom Stull, a high school math teacher from Ludlow High School, has developed this guide. Students use the guide to assist them when analyzing word problems.

K - What facts students KNOW
N - What information is NOT NEEDED
W - WHAT the problem is asking them to find
S - What STRATEGY they will use

Tom has quite a few reading strategies that he shares which can be found on the More Reading Strategies in Action - Mathematics High School. For those of you interested in other levels or other areas, the More Reading Strategies in Action website has some great resources available.