Creating a Language-Rich Math Class: Strategies and Activities for Building Conceptual Understanding

What meanings do your students have for key mathematics concepts? What meanings do you wish them to have? Creating a Language-Rich Math Class offers practical approaches for developing conceptual understandings by connecting concrete, pictorial, verbal, and symbolic representations. The focus is on making mathematics memorable instead of on memorizing.

You’ll learn strategies for introducing students to math language that gives meaning to the terms and symbols they use every day; for building flexibility and precision in students’ use of math language; and for structuring activities to make them more language-rich. This second edition also provides strategies for helping students to at times be quiet and listen to their peers; for purposefully using language to introduce students to more complex mathematical symbolism and algebraic properties; and for using writing prompts to zoom in on the meanings that individual students have given to the language-rich experiences.

Appropriate for elementary teachers and instructional coaches, the book also includes features such as Investigations to Try and Questions for Reflection to help you incorporate these ideas into your practice. In addition, there are Blackline masters of game cards and puzzles, which can also be found on our website for free download at http://www.routledge.com/9780367759957.

Sandra L. Atkins is committed to finding those "AHA moments" when mathematical connections are made by teachers and students. She currently works with school districts across the United States and with International Independent Schools through her company, Creating AHAs.