# data[].attributes.body
Many examples of how to add writing to your classroom instruction.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The 2002 and 2007 reports of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) writing as ses sment (National Center for Education Statistics, 2008), administered to 8th and 12th graders, show an increase in writing scores. Applebee and Langer's (2006) analysis of NAEP data as well as other sources published during the decade preceding their review revealed that the more frequently students reported writing one or more paragraphs in science and social studies, the higher their writing achievement.

The results, however, were lower in mathematics. "It may be that at the classroom level, the role of writing in mathematics instruction has not been well conceptualized" (Applebee & Langer, 2006, p. 14). Indeed, many teachers find it more natural to integrate writing and science (e.g., Varelas, Pappas, Kokkino, & Ortiz, 2008) or writing and social studies (e.g., Jones & Thomas, 2006). Wolsey (2010) examined the complexity of student writing and vocabulary learning in a cross-disciplinary writing project involving English, science, and social studies. Where was mathematics?

That we see so few examples of the integration of writing and mathematics in educational literature seems surprising, considering that the mathematics education community has affirmed the importance of such integration for many years. As early as 1989, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) identified learning to communicate mathematically as a major goal for students.

In 1992, Countryman's book, Writing to Learn Mathematics: Strategies That Work, K-12, captured the attention of mathematics educators amid a flurry of interest and ideas (e.g., Quinn & Wilson, 1997; Sipka, 1990). Almost a decade later, NCTM (2000) specifically stressed writing as "an essential part of mathematics and mathematics education" (p. 60) in the landmark document Principles and Standards for School Mathematics.

Still, many teachers struggle to link writing and mathematics and honor the integrity of both disciplines at the same time. Teachers of writing might say that if students are assigned to describe the process they used in solving a problem with no revision or editing, the quality of integration is drawn into question. Teachers of mathematics might say that if students are asked to write a report on a famous mathematician they may not be engaged in developing mathematical reasoning no matter how many drafts they write. Although the appropriate balance may be elusive, the endeavor is nevertheless worthy of being undertaken (e.g., Applebee, 1984; Bossé & Faulconer, 2008; Newell, 2008).

There are two levels of integration that teachers may use as a beginning point. Writing without revision, the first level, can be readily worked into mathematics instruction. Writing with revision, the second level, may take more time but enables teachers to connect the writing process more fully with mathematics instruction. Each level can be appropriate under differing circumstances.

In Carter's (2009) description of writing tasks in her mathematics instruction, both levels are reflected. She had her students write in what she called "mathematical notebooks" (p. 607), which required little or no revision. She also had her students write about mathematics in a process-oriented way during writing workshop. Some wrote stories such as "The Hexagon Adventure" and "The Magical Subtracting Frying Pan." Others wrote autobiographies such as "How I Learned to Do Math in Kindergarten and Beyond."

Although Carter's (2009) reflective mathematical journals and stories about mathematical concepts in writing workshop may not represent an ideal solution, they demonstrate one teacher's exploration of the possibilities. This article presents six additional examples, including student work, in which teachers have attended to the goals of both writing and mathematics. By no means are these ideas new. Teachers may have been introduced to them before, but perhaps not in the context of mathematics. Although the following suggestions are not exhaustive, teachers have found them to be a promising place to begin.

Writing without revision

Learning logs

As students start class, they are given a prompt to which they respond for a few minutes in writing. The task is not designed as a mathematics problem per se, but rather to encourage students to focus on mathematics.

One fifth-grade teacher typically used learning logs to review previously learned material. On one occasion, the prompt she posed was, What did we learn about mean, median, and mode? Most students wrote at least a half page filled with definitions and examples (see Figure 1A). While studying probability, one student wrote the following definition: "The 'probability' of something is how likly your gonna get, pick, or find something." He then gave an example using shapes and colored cards (see Figure 1B).

Figure 1A: Learning log entries by fifth graders - definitions and examples of mean, median, and mode

Figure 1B: Learning log entries by fifth graders - definition and examples of probability

This teacher found that the quality of the learning logs improved as students shared their work: "[When a student shared] a log that showed clear understanding, this provided others with an example to follow." Along with finding learning logs to be an effective way to introduce or close a lesson, the teacher observed that the quality of student discussion of mathematics during lessons was richer when students were expected to write.

Learning logs honor the integrity of writing when students write their own connections and examples. At the same time, they foster mathematical understanding by engaging the minds of students in transforming information from facts to be memorized to the construction of meaning (e.g., Newell, 2008).

Think-write-share

Teachers often ask questions and count on having at least one or two students raise their hands. One 2011fourth-grade teacher tried to involve everyone in the class by allowing think time and expecting students to write before sharing. For one think-write-share, she asked, "What is an equivalent fraction?" She gave the students a few minutes to think and then asked them to write their responses before calling on students to share, using a document camera. In reflecting on the use of this strategy, the teacher commented,

I assumed that everyone understood [what an equivalent fraction is], because we've done it for a while. However, as we shared, I soon realized that some of my students thought that equivalent fractions were [only] fractions that were the same, for example, 1&#8260;4 = 1&#8260;4.

To address this misconception, the teacher strategically selected students to share based on the thinking she had seen demonstrated: "Kids who were getting it wrong, kids who were getting it a little, and those who knew it well." Once several clear responses had been shared and discussed (see Figure 2A), the teacher invited all students to write again, revising their original work to reflect their increased understanding (see Figure 2B).

Figure 2A: Think-write-shares by fourth graders - example showing a clear understanding of equivalent fractions

Figure 2B: Think-write-shares by fourth graders - example of equivalent fractions, before and after revision

The think-write-share strategy heightens student engagement in writing. Concurrently, students are held accountable for their own mathematical understanding.

Note-taking/note-making

Students may be accustomed to taking notes, but now ask them to make notes as well. Along with listing the main points of a lesson, students can write their own reflections and perceptions. One fifth-grade teacher used the strategy of note-taking/note-making in mathematics to extend the notion of whole numbers to integers, including the concept of negative number.

She asked her students to fold their papers in half vertically. On the left side, she directed students to define integers and construct number lines to demonstrate relative size of integer pairs. On the right side, students wrote their own reactions and observations. One student wrote, "I will remember that on the negitive side the bigger it gets the smaller it is. I thought that was cool." Another student wrote, "It is weird that -2 is greater than -5." This same student went on to create his own analogy: "It is like a piano, lower to higher with middle C. Smaller to larger with zero. Zero and C aren't small, big, high, or low" (see Figure 3).

Figure 3: Note-taking/Note-making: A fifth grader's conception of integers

Note-taking/note-making honors both writing and mathematics. It encourages students to make connections between new concepts and previously learned material and their personal experiences.

Writing with revision

Shared writing

A third-grade teacher used shared writing with her students to review what they had learned in their geometry unit. Using chart paper, the teacher recorded a student-generated word bank that included face, edge, vertex, congruent figures, and polygons. On subsequent sheets, the teacher used a black pen to record in sentences what the students shared about their learning. Next she guided them to suggest revisions and additions to their shared writing and recorded those suggestions with a different colored pen.

Some changes related to word choice ("learning about geometry" became "learning and exploring geometry"), while other changes related to geometry concepts. In the shared writing, students had listed 3-D shapes such as spheres, cones, cubes, and cylinders and had given real-life examples. During revision, students added the following sentence that went beyond visualization to include attributes: "Some 3-D figures will have vertexes (corners), edges, and faces." Students then suggested three titles and voted on which title was best (see Figure 4).

Figure 4: A shared writing about geometry composed and revised by third graders and their teacher

This teacher valued shared writing as an engaging strategy to help students internalize mathematics:

I feel that this experience has helped them go beyond recording the information in their math journals and just doing our assignments.... I think it helped to make it more personal and [validate] what was important to them.

As students engaged in revising, they improved the writing while extending their mathematical thinking (see Whitin & Whitin, 2000). Because the mathematical ideas are constructed through group interaction, students help one another learn to communicate mathematically.

Class book

Using a similar process, a teacher can make a class book with students. Once a shared writing is completed on chart paper, the teacher numbers the sentences and assigns each student a numbered part to write as a final draft for a page in the class book. Very little time is required for the teacher to move from student to student and edit sentences. As the teacher edits, students are encouraged to create representations for the idea on their page.

When the students are finished, the teacher gathers the pages in order and adds a cover with a title. When the shared writing has only a few sentences, the teacher assigns several students the same number and creates several covers. In this way, students produce multiple copies of the same book. One could be kept in the classroom and others given to teachers of younger grades for their reading centers.

A fourth-grade teacher used a variation of this strategy with her students. This teacher's prompt was to create and illustrate a word problem using fractional parts of a set of 24 (see Figure 5). Every student's work became a page in the class book.

Figure 5: A class book page about word problems written and illustrated by fourth graders

Class books provide a sense of audience as well as an opportunity for students to revise and edit their writing. Simultaneously, the format invites students to "create and use representations to organize, record, and communicate mathematical ideas" (NCTM, 2000, p. 67).

Alphabet books

One fifth-grade teacher helped her students create alphabet books to develop mathematics vocabulary. She assigned students letters of the alphabet and sent them on a search for new and complex words in their mathematics textbook, notes, thesaurus, and mathematics dictionary (e.g., Monroe, 2006). Students were assigned to use each word in a meaningful sentence, draw an appropriate representation, or write a real-world connection (see Figure 6). The teacher explained,

Because the format of an alphabet book requires brevity, I can readily respond to what students have written individually in short conferences, offering both compliments and suggestions for improvement. I can discuss their mathematical thinking and their writing in the same conference.

Figure 6: A class book page about word problems written and illustrated by fourth graders

Students then revise and edit as they prepare a final draft for publication. This teacher prefers to have the book professionally printed, using an inexpensive online publishing tool (e.g., mightyauthors.com).

Alphabet books not only introduce students to a delightful genre, but also allow students to experience every phase of the writing process. At the same time, they honor the integrity of mathematics by helping students develop vocabulary essential for mathematical thinking. The format invites the use of meaningful communication through words, graphic representations, and symbols.

A call for additional strategies

These six ideas represent only a place to begin. Creative teachers will use these ideas as springboards to additional strategies for integrating their writing and mathematics instruction. Numerous and varied opportunities for this integration support students as they learn to think their way into mathematics and make it their own (Zinsser, 1988) and also become more aware of the range of writing possibilities available to them (Newell, 2008). Such opportunities are not superfluous or simply nice to do if there is enough time. They are too important to ignore.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The 2002 and 2007 reports of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) writing as ses sment (National Center for Education Statistics, 2008), administered to 8th and 12th graders, show an increase in writing scores.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Strategies to support the development of math writing skills

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Teachers incorporate writing in math class to help students reflect on their learning, deepen their understanding of important concepts by explaining and providing examples of those concepts, and make important connections to real-life applications of the math they are learning.

# data[].attributes.headline
NCSM Learning to Write about Mathematics

# data[].attributes.subject
NCSM Learning to Write about Mathematics

# data[].attributes.body
Orchestrating Mathematical Discourse

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
| | Filed Under: Math, Math Centers, Word Problems

Writing in math is more common and important in the elementary years than ever before. When I was in school, I barely remember writing more than a sentence in math class. Now, students are required and expected to write several sentences and even paragraphs explaining their math and justifying their answer. This can definitely be tricky as many students still think writing doesn't belong in math. I want to share with you TEN ways to get your students writing in math on a regular basis.

Just the same way as we model a new think alouds in reading or a new writing strategy, we should also model writing in math. I like to do this through a problem of the day, using these steps:

1. Read the problem together and circle key information (not key words - read more about why key words are not helpful in upper elementary here).

2. Discuss the situation of the problem and ensure all students have an access point.

3. Allow the students a few minutes to work on the problem independently.

4. Monitor the students while they are working and note any misconceptions or great thinking points.

5. Remind the students that when they have solved the problem that they are to prove their answer is correct or explain how they got it.

6. Come back together as a class and solve the problem together, calling on students to help you (this is where the monitoring helps- you can specifically jot down students that you want to call on).

7. As a class, write the answer, explain the math that was used and why, and justify that the answer is correct.

Click here to grab this poster (typo on Step 2 has been corrected) that breaks down steps for your students to follow while sharing their ideas.
One of the reasons many students are hesitant to write in math is because they are not confident with what they will say or are not sure how to put their thoughts in words. I like to have my students share their thoughts with partners before writing them down. This oral rehearsal before they write helps them get their thoughts straight in their head. It also provides a scaffold as their partner is able to scaffold them or ask questions for clarification.

The easiest way to get students to write more in math is to provide them with more opportunities for writing on a consistent basis. Instead of giving equations or multiple choice word problems as practice all the time, try giving constructed response tasks.

I use these constructed response math tasks that I created specifically aligned to my standards (common core). They require the students to answer the question and explain their answer. These work as extra practice and even assessments. You can see the 4th grade ones by clicking here and the 5th grade ones by clicking here.

My students love gallery walks because they incorporate movement and peer collaboration. They are also a perfect way to get students writing more AND reading and analyzing other students' writing. Follow these steps:

1. Set up tasks around the room written on anchor charts.

2. In groups, have the students solve, explain, and justify their answers on a recording sheet or piece of paper.

3. As the students are solving the tasks, walk around and choose one group for each task. This group will complete their work on the chart when all groups have worked the problems.

4. Have the assigned groups solve the tasks, explain their answers, and justify their math on the chart.

5. Do one final walk-through, allowing all the groups to analyze the students' work on the charts, compare it to their own, and add to it.

Want to see this in action? Click here to read my blog post from a couple of years ago with examples and more details about how to implement a gallery walk in your classroom.

I am a huge fan of using sentence stems to provide support to students in all areas of the curriculum even in the upper grades. Sentence stems can easily be provided for math instruction as well. With those stems, the students will have a scaffold to explain their thinking. Click here to read a post with the sentence stems I use to help my students justify their answers in math.

In addition to using generic sentence stems, I also use math tasks that have specific stems for the particular task. I use my multi-part word problems that are differentiated with a level that includes sentence stems. The sentence stems are helpful in getting the students used to writing their answers in complete sentences. They are also helpful in providing models for how to turn questions into sentences. Click here to check out the bundle of Multi-Part Word Problems in my TpT store.
To read more about this strategy, grab a poster, and some free word problems, click here.
Five years ago was when the shift to constructed responses and open ended questions first really started to drive my assessments and instruction. My students were not used to this. When they were given a word problem, they would work out the math and then just leave the math on the paper. They didn't even circle the answer. I knew I needed to come up with something and fast. That was when I created a structure to help the students remember how appropriately answer word problems. This structure has made all the difference with their writing in math. My students use the acronym LOVE to help them ensure they have adequately answered a word problem and written support. Here is the breakdown of LOVE:

L - Label - all numbers and models should be clearly labeled.

O - Our Thinking - this is where the writing comes in. The students write the answer in a sentence and their explanation and justification.

V - Visuals - the students include a visual to support their answer.

E - Equation - the students ensure they have all the equations included.

This is probably one of the easiest ways that you can get students writing more in math. You can use journal or prompt writing as a warm up for the math lesson or even as a separate station. There are two main types of math journal prompts I use: Grade-Level/Skill Specific Prompts and General Math Prompts.

Grade-Level/Skill Specific Prompts
You can see my 5th Grade standard specific math journal prompts by clicking here or on the image above.
These type of prompts are specific to the skills I am teaching. They are perfect for:

Checking for understanding

Deeping students' understanding in math

Providing practice with using academic vocabulary in math

General Math Prompts

In addition to the skill-specific prompts, I like to also have my students write about math in general, math processes, and how they think about math. To do this, I primarily use my Math Practice Prompts. These prompts specifically target the Common Core Math Practice Standards. I sprinkle these in throughout the year when they best align to the skills I am teaching and what I see my students need.

You can grab the Math Practice Journal Prompts I use for FREE when you join my email list by entering your information below. The prompts will be emailed to you.
Click here to download the spinner for FREE.
More Math Prompts - Reflection Spinner

In addition the journal prompts, you could also use generic prompts for the students to select from after solving a math task or math word problem. This spinner with generic prompts would be a perfect extension to any center. The students solve the problem, spin the spinner for a prompt, and then write to the prompt.

Similar to journal writing, this strategy is a great way to get students writing in math and a great way to assess their knowledge of a concept. On a weekly basis, I like to give my students a math concept and have them write for 3 minutes about everything they know about the concept. This strategy has two purposes - it gets them writing and it gives yo a glimpse into their thinking. You can do this before you teach a skill as a pre-assessment, in the middle of a unit to check their mastery and determine how to proceed through the rest of the unit, or at the end of a unit as a summative assessment. Click here to grab a template to use . Simply print the page, write in the math concept or idea, and make your copies.

Math read alouds can be very engaging to the students and a great way to get some writing in. As you read the picture book, ask the students questions and have them defend their answers with explanations that include math and details from the read aloud. They will love this so much that they will forget they are even doing so much math and writing.

Math is the least often integrated skill into literacy. We easily integrate science and social studies. If you want your students to write more in math, try integrating math into your writing instruction. Here are a few ideas:

When teaching how-to writing, have your students choose a math procedure or skill and write a paper about how-to do the math. This can be done several times with new math skills.

When teaching narrative writing, have the students write about a day without math. I recommend doing a brainstorming chart before hand to scaffold them.

When teaching opinion writing, the students can write opinions on different math skills they have learned - which is easiest to learn, which is the most difficult, which will help them the most in life, etc.

Which of these strategies or ideas do you use already to get your students writing in math? Do you have another strategy not listed in this post? Let me know in the comments. I am always looking for more ideas and ways to get my students writing in math more.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Writing in math is more important now than ever before. This post shows 6 ways to get your students writing in math on a daily basis.

# data[].attributes.body
1) Put the think-share-compare question in the middle of a piece of paper.
2) Give each student a post-it to solve the problem
3) Put all post-its on the common paper
4) Discuss

# data[].attributes.body
label terms of the expression as they relate to the contextual problems

Error analysis problems (ex: PPS pg. 186 #8, pg.187 #5, pg.190 #7

Explain your thinking problems (PPS. pg.183 #3, 188 #8-9)

# data[].attributes.headline
WTL/AC Protocols - Kentucky Writing Project

# data[].attributes.subject
WTL/AC Protocols - Kentucky Writing Project

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Writing to Learn is a great teaching strategy that helps encourage deep understanding of concepts with students. Here are some thoughts on how teachers can use Writing to Learn with their own lessons.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Low-Stakes Writing: Writing to Learn, Not Learning to Write

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Designing Engaging Writing Assignments-Writing to Learn

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Designing Engaging Writing Assignments - Writing to Learn Created by Alyssa Pratt & Laura Elmer (elmersites.wix.com/lbelmer) The third video in the digital symposium "Designing Engaging Writing Assignments" focuses on how to use writing to teach content in the college classroom (also known as "Writing to Learn").

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Get access to files anywhere through secure cloud storage and file backup for your photos, videos, files and more with Google Drive.