Authentic Opportunities for Writing about Math in Middle School

<p>Teach students to write about math so they can improve their conceptual understanding in authentic ways. This resource offers hands-on strategies you can use to help students in grades 6?8 discuss and articulate mathematical ideas, use correct vocabulary, and compose mathematical arguments.</p><p>Part One discusses the importance of emphasizing language to make students? thinking visible and to sharpen communication skills, while attending to precision. Part Two provides a plethora of writing prompts and activities: Visual Prompts; Compare and Contrast; The Answer Is; Topical Questions; Writing About; Journal Prompts; Poetry; Cubing and Think Dots; RAFT; Question Quilts; and Always, Sometimes, Never. Each activity is accompanied by a clear overview plus a variety of examples. Part Three offers a crosswalk of writing strategies and math topics to help you plan, as well as a sample anchor task and lesson plan to demonstrate how the strategies can be integrated.</p><p>Throughout each section, you?ll also find Blackline Masters that can be downloaded for classroom use. With this book?s engaging, standards-based activities, you?ll have your middle school students communicating like fluent mathematicians in no time!</p>