The diagnostic showed me that our biggest gap, as a class, is remembering the terminology that has a specific meaning in math class. Before we start any new content, we will fix that together.
What we will do
I will hand out a set of word cards for the key terms from Grade 9 math, MTH1W. Each card gives a term in English and in Mandarin, Spanish, German, Japanese and Korean, so that everyone in the room can connect the English word to one they already know. The Print button on this page opens the full set of cards.
Working in groups, you will choose terms from the set and, for each one, make a poster that shows:
- the term, in English and in the other languages on its card
- a drawing, example or small diagram that captures what the term means, with no written definition
A good poster lets someone who has forgotten the word recall its meaning at a glance. A table of values should look like a table of values. A point of intersection should show two lines crossing.
We will put the finished posters up around the room as our word wall and keep them there all year. When a term comes up in a discussion, look to the wall before you ask.
Curriculum connection
Mathematical processes
Representing
create a variety of representations of mathematical ideas (e.g., numeric, geometric, algebraic, graphical, pictorial representations; onscreen dynamic representations), connect and compare them, and select and apply the appropriate representations to solve problems;
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Communicating
communicate mathematical thinking orally, visually, and in writing, using mathematical vocabulary and a variety of appropriate representations, and observing mathematical conventions.
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