Reading in the Mathematics Classroom

Supporting mathematical reasoning through reading and writing in mathematics : making the implicit explicit

“…Fuentes 1998;Shanahan & Shanahan, 2008;Shepherd et al, 2012). For example, in school mathematics, texts are generally written in a short, unimaginative style, where few contextual clues are given to help the readers decode the meaning of specialized words (Reehm & Long, 1996). It is also common for these texts to have more than one concept per sentence and per paragraph than other kinds of texts, such as in history or social science Shuard & Rothery, 1988).…”

“…Nevertheless, the students also need to recognize the symbols used in mathematics and be able to translate from symbols to words and from words to symbols as they search for solution and meaning (Reehm & Long, 1996). Symbols often indicate that a specific operation needs to be performed in school mathematics texts (Adams, 2003).…”

Acquisition of mathematical vocabulary using constant time delay with individuals with moderate and severe disabilities.

“…Mathematics has been recognized as the most difficult of the content areas for students to read (Monroe, 1998;Reehm & Long, 1996;Schell, 1982). Schell (1982) describes mathematics as having, " more concepts per word, per sentence, and per paragraph than any other area" (p. 544).…”

“…Mathematics is a language of symbols that represent fundamental concepts (Adams, Thangata, & King, 2005;Miller, 1993;Oldfield, 1996;Reehm & Long, 1996 (Fisher & Frey, 2008).…”

“…For example, students might readily be able to define "yard" as a piece of land, but the student might not be able to define "yard" as a unit of measure. Multiple meanings of mathematical terms within the mathematics content further blur student comprehension (Adams, Thangata, & King, 2005;Miller, 1993;Reehm & Long, 1996;Rubenstein & Thompson, 2002;Thompson & Rubenstein,2000). For instance, a 'square' is "a four-sided polygon with equal side and four 90-degree angles, and multiply a number by itself (Miller, 1993, p. 311).…”