Content Literacy in Math Using Literacy Strategies in the Math Classroom

TIPS!  Make Content Literacy a priority!!! Vocabulary, Writing, Reading  Take it slow—Don’t try to implement everything at one time!!  Make sure what you choose to do has a purpose and is meaningful!!  Make vocabulary an everyday part of your classroom—Not just one special day of the week or month.  If you want students to write in math, you have to teach them how to do so!

Vocabulary  Book– Teaching Mathematics Vocabulary in Context by: Miki Murray  Word Wall/ Personal Word Walls  Once every two weeks: Vocabulary Notecards Vocabulary Notecards Vocabulary Activity Vocabulary Activity ***Use Everyday in Math DISCUSSIONS!*** *** Use in writing!! ***

VOCABULARY NOTECARDS DEFINITIONEXAMPLE NON-EXAMPLEPICTURE

Word Examples  Prime--- a number with two factors  Composite– a number with more than 2 factors  Distributive Property– a ( b + c) – ab + ac  Rational Number- a number that can be written as a fraction

Vocabulary Activities  Crossword Puzzles  Word Scrambles (Example)  Fictional Stories (Guidelines/Differentiate) Life as a Variable Write a letter to a holiday character (**Provide a Rubric**)  Fibonacci Poem (1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 5, 3, 2, 1, 1)  4 Circles (Differentiate)

Fibonacci Poem DIVISIBILITY 1MATH 1HOUSE 2DIVIDE 3WHOLE NUMBERS 5REMAINDER ZERO 8WHEN THE LAST DIGIT IS EVEN 5THEN DIVIDE BY TWO 3THE ANSWER 2SHOULD BE 1A 1WHOLE

Four Circles  Give a list of vocabulary words, and four circles. Students must group the words into the four circles and give each circle a title! Words: VariableVariable Expression Sum Product QuotientDifference Evaluate Integers Rational Irrational Distributive Terminating Decimal Repeating Decimals Absolute Value Opposites Natural Constant TermCoefficient Whole Additive Inverse Commutative Associative

VOCABULARY GAMES!  NAME THAT VOCABULARY WORD  TABOO– WITH MATH WORDS!  I HAVE--- WHO HAS  BINGO

WRITING IN MATH!!! TRUE UNDERSTANDING HAPPENS WHEN ONE CAN EXPLAIN A CONCEPT TO ANOTHER!!!!

Writing Guidelines (According to Matkovich)  Start from Day 1  It will be a journey!!!  Model– Model– Model (show examples— good and bad)  Encourage the use of Vocabulary Words in writing!!

Writing Activities  Math Story (Given as HW Day 1)  Team Journal (Interdisciplinary Journal)  Lesson Summaries

TEAM JOURNAL  About one every 1 ½ to 2 weeks  They are checked for completion-but not collected and actually graded  Have groups read their journals to each other, and pick the best one to share  Randomly pick students to read (popsicle sticks)  Have group contest—which group uses the most vocabulary words.

Journal Prompt #1  Suzy just moved to our school from Washington. She needs you to explain how to complete the following problem. Do not leave out one step or she will be lost: 2 ½ ÷ ¾

Journal Entry #2  Pretend you are a division sign. Tell me about a typical day for a division sign. Try to include 15 vocabulary words from the word wall.  Describe the difference between an expression and an equation.

LESSON SUMMARIES!! TAKE NOTES SUMMARY!! 5 SENTENCES ABOUT THE LESSON! ENCOURAGE TO INCLUDE VOCABULARY WORDS!! CHECK FOR COMPLETION—CHOOSEN RANDOMLY TO READ! MAKE NOTES QUESTIONS ABOUT THE NOTES!!!

TEXTBOOK SCAVENGER HUNT! Teach students how to use their Math textbook!!