The Importance of Math LiteracyMath Literacy is defined as the ability to problem-solve, reason, and analyze information. This is the second key step for all students, beyond language literacy. Students gain the ability to use numbers to help solve real-world problems. Additionally, math literacy is the ability to understand the "language" of math as mathematics contains a healthy library of unique vocabulary terms. Math literacy helps students decipher what a question is actually asking by being able to understand the terminology. As math concepts continue to increase in difficulty for students, the need to be literate in math is of upmost importance for Georgia students.
Below are five key literacy strategies designed especially for math. You will find an explanation of each strategy along with directions for implementation and an example for reference. |
K-N-W-S |
Overview
This strategy allows students to use word problems to determine what facts they know (K), what information is not relevant (N), what the problem wants them to find out (W), and what strategy can be used to solve the problem (S). The K-N-W-S strategy helps students to plan, organize, and analyze how to solve word problems which teachers can evaluate students' understanding and possible misconceptions about word problems. Guidelines for Use of K-N-W-S
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Overview
This six-step strategy (survey, question, read, question, compute (construct), question) is intended to assist students in reading and learning mathematica, in particular, solving word problems in mathematics. It allows students to organize in a logical order the steps necessary to solve a word problem. SQRQCQ can help students focus on a process to decide what a problem is asking, what information is needed, and what approach to use to solve the problem while also having students reflect on what they are doing throughout the process. Guidelines for Use of SQRQCQ
Overview
A three-level guide is a teacher-constructed graphic organizer that serves as the basis of a strategy that students can use to solve and get deeper understanding of the word problem-solving process. Students must evaluate facts, concepts, rules, mathematical ideas, and possible approaches to solving a given word problem. Teachers must first do a process and content analysis to construct the three-level guide. They think through their objectives for the problem, namely, what students should learn from the problem and what students should know and be able to do. Then they identify in the problem the essential information, the mathematical concepts and relationships, inferences from the relationships, and potential student difficulties. The questions or statements in the guide should help students to develop and appreciate three levels of understanding: the given and relevant information identified explicitly in the problem, the relationships and inferences implicit in solving the problem, and the conclusions or applications involved in solving the problem. Guidelines for Use of the Three-Level Guide
Overview
Word Problem Roulette is designed to give students an opportunity to collaborate on solving a word problem and then to communicate as a group the thought processes that went into finding a solution to the problem. The group presents a solution to the problem both orally and in writing. Guidelines for Use of Word Problem Roulette
Overview This strategy uses a writing-math worksheet in which students explain the word problem and the steps they will take to solve the problem. The worksheet guides students with question prompts that lead them through the problem-solving process without dictating a method or the steps students use to solve the problem. Students write about their thinking during the problem-solving process. The questions they answer create a dialogue between what they know and what they are learning about the problem. In this way, they clarify their thinking about the problem and the mathematics involved, they translate mathematical ideas and procedures into ordinary language, and they practice communicating about mathematics and reasoning in problem solving. Guidelines for Use of Process Logs Prepare a writing-math worksheet for students with a word problem activity and an extra challenge. You can include additional question prompts as you consider other idea you would like in a student's log. You might give students these directions on how to use this worksheet:
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