Reading can be challenging, especially reading mathematical texts. At times, reading a mathematics textbook can feel like reading a foreign language. That's why mathematics teachers need to focus on furthering their students' reading comprehension skills. Students must learn how to interact with mathematical texts in order to discover its meaning and function. With a deeper understanding, students will then be able to apply their knowledge beyond their work. Without strong reading comprehension skills, students will not be able to gather, analyze, or apply information.
Strategies:
Mark Up the Text: Have students mark up the text as they are reading in a specific way. For example, while reading a mathematical text students can use the pneumonic CUBES:
Read-Alouds: This strategies is strictly run by the teacher. The teacher will select a text, read the text aloud to their students (while pointing out the purpose), and model correct reading. The teacher will then facilitate a discussion or independent reading and activity.
Think-Alouds: This strategy is similar to read-alouds, however, this time the teacher demonstrates how students should ask questions about the text and process the text.
Readers' Theater: Students will have to find a piece of text and each take a role to role-play out loud and in front of the class. This gets gets students' minds, bodies and voices directly involved with the substance of the text. Also, it helps the text come alive and also gives them a chance to figure out the different ways lines could be read or interpreted.
Generative Reading: Students will read a text and come up with main ideas, key terms, and questions. This can be modeled first by the teacher in a think aloud type of activity. At the end of the activity the ideas can be written up in a graphic organizer.