Customer Reviews

Writing in Math Class: A Resource for Grades 2-8

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Writing in Math Class is a great resource for any teacher interested in teaching writing across the curriculum. I have used many of the ideas in this book, including how to use math journals, but I think my favorite is asking students to write their own math authobiography, what their math life has been like before coming to me. In North Carolina our 4th graders take an open ended test in the fall where they do math problems and then explain what they did--this book will help teachers get students ready for this test and teach the children some very important skills in the process!

As a future math and science teacher I want my students to explain their thinking in writing to help gage their comprehension of abstract concepts. Inspired by how writing helps students "...think more deeply and clearly about mathematical ideas and their own learning," Writing in Math Class is an accessible and practical book for elementary and middle school instructors. Marilyn Burns shows how writing and mathematics, often considered disparate disciplines, share a similar process: "gathering, organizing, and clarifying thoughts." Extensive samples of student work provide readers a window into student thinking. Burns conveys a seasoned teacher's perspective in her responses to student writing and summarizing commentary.

Part 1 of the book addresses the goals of mathematics instruction and explains the benefits of writing for both students and teachers. Writing supports student learning by promoting active involvement, developing reasoning skills, encouraging reflection, and ultimately fostering a deeper understanding of mathematical concepts. Assessing students' writing allows teachers to evaluate the effectiveness of instructional programs and reveals individual students' progress and gaps in understanding. Burns reminds us that our "...teaching explanations are only valuable when students can reconstruct the thinking for themselves."

Part 2 describes specific types of math writing assignments from journals to creative writing, and suggests assignment uses, guidelines, and timing. I appreciate the author's commitment to academic rigor. After asking students to solve problems, she consistently challenges weak arguments, asks for more details, and pushes for evidence-based explanations.

In Part 3 Burns offers tips and suggestions to encourage and improve student writing. Strategies from this section will help new teachers, or those new to integrating writing, implement the assignments from Part 2. Since writing in math class is typically expository, something students typically receive less practice in, most students will require explicit guidance. The last chapter of Part 3 focuses on giving "encouraging, substantive, honest, and specific" feedback. Much more than simple praise, the author's feedback pushes students to strengthen their arguments and clarify their thinking.

Burn's concludes the book with student testimonials. In this brief section, a group of third graders "go meta" on writing in math class. These students convey how writing helped them generate new ideas, remember important concepts, communicate with the teacher, and think in general. An effective balance of student examples and analytical commentary, Writing in Math Class, is an insightful resource for every math teacher serious about incorporating language arts into their classroom.

Professional Text Review

Writing in Math Class is an easy and quick read that will provide it's reader with many ideas and strategies to incorporate writing into a math classroom. The book is divided into three parts. The first part gives a brief introduction as to why the reform of math curriculum has become important, how using writing can support student learning, and how writing provides an easy and convenient form of assessment. Part 2 of the book gives examples of the types of writing assignments that can be brought into a classroom. These range from journals to students writing explanations and procedures to creative writing. The final part of the book gives tips and strategies for teachers who have not implemented writing into their classes.

One of the most helpful parts of this book is the amount of student artifacts; not only are the actual copies of student work photocopied onto the pages but also written out in the text. This enables easier reading in case a student does not have the best handwriting, and also can provide a teacher with possible student responses for their soon-to-be lessons with writing. There are a lot of ideas given throughout the book of activities that the author herself used and other teachers. These just add further tools to a teacher's toolbox.

I cannot wait to use some of these strategies in my own classroom. One of my favorite techniques was a prompt given to students after a unit: "What I know about percentages." After reading these papers the author was able to see student comprehension and misconceptions; she was then able to address the misconceptions in class before moving onto the next unit. I also love the idea of creative writing in math. Instead of having kids just write about their procedure to solving a problem, have them write a poem or create a story about how it feels to me an addition sign.

I think this book is a quality buy for any teacher, not just math, who is just beginning to incorporate writing into their classroom. There are so many prompt and activity ideas throughout each page and all appear to not take too much prep time to initiate. I really enjoyed this book with all the actual student writing and multitude of ideas. Oh, and it is such an easy read....I sat down and read it in one sitting!

Excellent book. It helps the students focus on what they really are trying to show.