Reading A Math Textbook

I would love to take the time to have students read the math textbook but I've found few students who arrive in high school knowing how to do it.  In fact, most students try to read the math textbook the same way they do an English or Social Studies textbook.  I suspect that is because they are not taught how to do it.  The school I've been working at uses a set of textbooks in Elementary that are more a book full of worksheet so they never really learn so when they get to middle school, they don't have that skill.

Unfortunately, the skills needed to read a math textbook are different than those used for English or Social Studies. Although in a math textbook, it combines passages of English explanations are combined with examples, diagrams, and drawings.  This means the student cannot scan the text the way they do in English, or History.  It is necessary to read every single word in order.

In addition, it is important to pause to make sense of the material in small chunks.  Instead of reading the section straight through, it is important to read a paragraph, pause to think about it, then take time to understand exactly what it is saying.  If a student does not understand it, they may need to break it down into smaller units, or they might need to look up the mathematical vocabulary.  The student may need ro reread the passage multiple times to get the meaning and once they understand it, they may move on.

When they hit any examples, they need to read each step and the associated explanation. They need to see why each step is there and what is happening during each step.  It is important that they do not skip any steps or explanations because what follows the skipped material makes it harder to understand what is going on. 

Furthermore, they should work each example out on their own beginning with having the book open so they can refer to the example if they get stuck.  Once they are comfortable working the problem, close the book and try the problem. When they can work the example problem through with the book closed, they are ready to move on to the next example.  

This is important because the problems at the end of the section, on quizzes, and in exams, are going to be similar to the problems the author worked out.  If a student can work out all the examples on their own, they will do well with homework assignments, quizzes, and exams.  

Students need to read all the notes contained in the margins of the section. Often these notes offer additional information to clarify or remind students of things.  Too often, students ignore these pieces of information and it may be exactly what they need to piece all the pieces together.

Finally, students need to carefully study each and every picture, diagram, or drawing in the section.  They need to read all the written titles and explanations associated with them so they know what is going on.  It is important to understand the information being conveyed by any and all illustrations since many help clarify the concept.

In other years, I took time to teach students how to read a math textbook on the days we had really short classes such as on Fridays after lunch.  The 20 minute class was great for practicing one of the skills they needed to learn so they could effectively read a math textbook. Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.  Enjoy your weekend.