While partnering with first-grade teacher Beth Smith ('87) during math
instruction, I have seen many great things that students are learning.
One thing that really excited me was that the students were journaling about math. All of the Smith Smarties were writing math problems, exploring multiple ways to find answers, and learning math vocabulary. Mrs. Smith explained the importance of knowing how and why math works. The students were focusing on the process rather than simply providing the answers.
Reading is a vital part of math concepts. It requires students to interpret text and to reason. Thankfully, Mrs. Smith is a master teacher who values literacy as an integral component to teaching math. She recognizes that reading a math problem is very different from other types of reading, such as reading for pleasure. It requires specific strategies unique to mathematics. She models her thinking out loud as she is breaking down the math problem into smaller pieces. “What is it asking us to do?” she asks her students.
Next, she guides the students as they engage in conversations about the processes they are using to solve the problem. Working together with partners and small groups allows the children to explain their interpretation and it allows them to learn from their neighbors. Through journaling, she binds literacy and mathematics together to make her instruction meaningful.
Finally, the students’ excitement about journaling and learning better ways to solve word problems was tangible! Mrs. Smith uses best practices for integrating the teaching of reading and math. The Smith Smarties are developing into strategic math readers from which future learning will build.
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