Putting Literacy into Math

Hello once again.

Today, I would like to share some thoughts on literacy in math in general.  Although it sounds complicated and hard to integrate literacy into a math class, it really isn't.  I mean, I came up with a whole literacy rich unit in less than three weeks.  Granted, it could be beefed up and polished a bit, but the bones are there.  My point is that if I can do that in such a short amount of time, I think any math teacher can. 

But that is not the problem in my eyes.  The problem I can see and understand is about time.  We all know that time is of the essence for every teacher.  And so teachers have to pick and choose wisely their lessons and assignments.  Since literacy is such an important concept, and educators must do what they can to improve every students literacy skill set and level, the dilemma becomes one of time and choice of what to teach for a content specific teacher.

Luckily, there are small less time consuming literacy strategies that can easily be incorporated into the math classroom.  For instance, journals every Wednesday or Thursday could help deepen the students understanding of the content while also functioning as a formative assessment for the teacher.  And the teacher would be able to address the issues the students are having on Friday as a recap of what they learned that week.  This small task only took five minutes or less, and gave huge benefits in return.

Another thing that could be done in the very first week or day of class is a 'get to know your textbook exercise.'  This literacy strategy forces students to look at their math textbook and analyze the structure and benefits of it.  It also gives the students a chance to ask questions about anything they might find confusing.  With those questions answered, and an orientation of the textbook, students would benefit from that for the rest of the year.

Teaching literacy in math can be easily done. It doesn't have to be a choice of what to teach, because both math and literacy can be taught at the same time.  And many teachers may already be doing it with out making a huge effort.