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Writing in Math:It’s More than Just
Numbers These Days
Ashley SettleHolly Springs-Motlow Elementary
“Students have always written in math class – they have written the
answers! But writing to learn mathematics means much more than
the physical act of forming numbers or letters on paper. The writing process
[in math] involves composing, expressing and communicating ideas.”
Writing to Learn Mathematics, p. 34
RoadblocksOTeacher: “I can barely get my
students to show their work. How am I going to get them to write about what they’re doing?”
OStudent: “This isn’t ELA, why do we have to write?”
Math and writing, like oil and water, seemed to have little in common.” – Marilyn Burns
Essential Questions
• Why should I use writing in my math classroom?
• What types of writing can be used in math?
• How can I begin to incorporate writing into my math classroom?
A Math Autobiography
Describe your experience with math in grade school. What were your triumphs? What were your disasters?
What is your honest opinion of math?
Take a few minutes to discuss with your group.
“Teachers who ask their students to write their math histories early in the year report that they know considerably more about their students much earlier in the year than they did previously.”
“Math autobiographies set the tone for yearlong conversations between my students and me about their interests, performance, and learning styles.”
(Joan Countryman, p. 24 & 25)
A Math Autobiography
Why should I use writing in my math classroom?
Student Benefits:O Writing helps students think more deeply and
clearly about mathematics (Writing in Math, Marilyn Burns).
O Writing in math class supports learning because it requires students to organize, clarify, and reflect on their ideas (Burns).
O “Writing helps students make sense of mathematics. Mathematics helps students make sense of the world” (Writing to Learn Mathematics, Joan Countryman, p. vii).
Why should I use writing in my math classroom?
Teacher Benefits:O “I have information about students’ understanding that I
didn’t have access to before” (Writing in Math Class, Marilyn Burns, p.29).
O “Students’ papers provide feedback and direction that provide teachers with useful information for thinking about changing, refining, and enhancing instruction choices” (p.30).
O “You will get to know your students in ways you never have before, and you will most certainly know who is and isn’t learning mathematics content” (Urquhart, p.5).
O Students’ writing is an invaluable tool to assess their learning – their papers provide a window into their understandings, their misconceptions, and their feelings about the content they’re learning (Writing in Math, Marilyn Burns).
“What does mathematical understanding look like? One hallmark of mathematical understanding is the ability to justify, in a way appropriate to the student’s mathematical maturity, why a particular mathematical statement is true or where a mathematical rule comes from. There is a world of difference between a student who can summon a mnemonic device to expand a product such as (a + b)(x + y) and a student who can explain where the mnemonic comes from. The student who can explain the rule understands the mathematics, and may have a better chance to succeed at a less familiar task. Mathematical understanding and procedural skill are equally important, and both are assessable using mathematical tasks of sufficient richness.”
Common Core Standards for Mathematics (p. 4)
What do the CCSS say?
5 Types of Math Writingfrom Writing in Math Class by Marilyn Burns
1. Keeping Journals or LogsA way for students to keep ongoing records about what they’re doing and learning in math class
2. Solving Math ProblemsConvince the reader that their solutions are correct and also to reveal how they arrived at their solutions
3. Explaining Mathematical Concepts/IdeasStudents write what they know about a concept of idea
4. Creative WritingStudents write stories or poems related to what they’re studying
5. General Writing AssignmentsFocus on how students feel about some aspect of their mathematics learning
Type of Writing Prompt Type of Math Writing Examples
Content PromptDeal with mathematical
concepts and relationships
Creative Writing
- If I was one centimeter tall…- Haiku Poems- Write a letter to an absent classmate.
Explaining Mathematical
Concepts and Ideas
- Multiplication is ________.- What I know about ______.- What I learned about _______.- The difference between _______ and _______ is _________.
Journals or Logs
- Write about what you did.- Write about what you learned.- Write about what you’re not sure about or wondering about.- The easiest/hardest problem from the homework was ______.
Affective PromptCenter on students’
attitudes and feelings
General Writing
Assignment
- Math Autobiographies- Math is important because…- What makes a good math partner?
Process Prompt
Focus on algorithms and problem solving
Solving Math Problems
- My answer is _______. I figured it out by _______.- I think the answer is _______ because ________.- A written step by step process for solving a problem.
Compiled from Writing in Math Class and Writing in Math by Marilyn BurnsUsing Writing in Mathematics to Deepen Student Learning by Vicki Urquhart
9 Classroom StrategiesAdapted from Writing in Math by Marilyn Burns
1. Establish the purpose for writing in math class – Students need to hear why it’s important to make writing a part of their math assignments
2. Establish yourself (the teacher) as the audience – Let students know that you are the eager audience for their writing; that reading their writing helps you become a better teacher
3. Ask students to include details and to explain their thinking as thoroughly as possible – use words, numbers, and even pictures
9 Classroom Strategies4. Have students discuss their ideas before
writing – talking is often easier than writing, allows students to gather their thoughts before putting them in writing
5. Post useful mathematics vocabulary – create a math word wall
6. Write a prompt on the board to get students started on a writing assignment – particularly in the beginning of the school year
9 Classroom Strategies7. Have students share their writing in pairs
or small groups – enables students to hear other points of view
8. Give individual assistance as needed – check that the student understands the assignment; ask the student to tell you their thinking; or refocus the assignment
9. Use students’ writing in subsequent instruction – useful for extending lessons, shows students that you value their writing
Keep in mind…
“Writing in math class isn’t meant to produce a product suitable for publication, but rather to provide a way for
students to reflect on their own learning and to explore, extend,
and cement their ideas about the mathematics they study.”
(Marilyn Burns, Writing in Math)
Try This!
DSTP Sample Item: Grade 3
Are you up for the challenge?
“As you hone your repertoire of instructional strategies, you’ll find that students come to accept writing as a reasonable extension of what they’re doing in class and, finally, as a
natural and integral part of their math learning.” – Marilyn Burns
Questions?
ResourcesO Burns, Marilyn. Writing in Math Class: A Resource for Grades
2 – 8. Math Solutions Publications, 1995.O Burns, Marilyn. 2004. “Writing in Math.” Educational
Leadership, 62:30-33.O Common Core State Standards for Mathematics
http://www.corestandards.org/assets/CCSSI_Math%20Standards.pdfO Countryman, Joan. Writing to Learn Mathematics: Strategies
That Work. Heinemann, 1992.O Delaware Department of Education http
://www.doe.k12.de.us/aab/Mathematics/Mathematics_item_samplers.shtml
O Glencoe Mathematics Professional Series. “Writing to Learn Mathematics.” Ch. 4:34-38.
O Urquhart, Vicki. “Using Writing in Mathematics to Deepen Students Learning.” McREL, 2009.
