Ms Algebra's Tutoring

  Wednesday, February 7, 2024 by Darlene Anthony | Communication

Happy Black History Month!!! This year is just moving right along. We have made it through January and #ColdMaggedon24. Punxsutawney Phil the Ground Hog has predicted an early spring this year. According to FoxWeather.com, "Phil has predicted 108 continued winters and only 21 early springs as of 2024." Stormax Almanac says this is a 39% accuracy rate for Phil. I don't know about everyone here in Texas, but as for me, I would not mind just a little more cooler weather than we normally get. Last summer was just HOT!!! It seems the prediction is that we will have more of the same hot, dry Texas summer weather.

 Accolades for Mrs. Anthony - A moment in Black History 

Last year or the year before, our staff thought of "gnominating" peers each week to recognize something special that others may not get to see.  Every Friday, the teacher that was "Gnominated" gets to choose the next week's recipient. My neighbor and sweet friend Momma Cos had these sweet words to say and I am grateful for her and her friendship.

I am a firm believer in Changing your Words to Change your Mindset. However, those changes must also come with changes in actions as well. Many of the students I serve also struggle with reading comprehension skills. I love to incorporate some of the things they are learning and using in reading to help them in the math classroom.  As a teacher of the Agile Minds Intensified Algebra curriculum, we see a lot of real world situations and the characters are embedded throughout each lesson. They may get introduced to a family in unit 3 and now that we are wrapping up unit 7, they are revisited to expand the learning for a new concept. 

Reading in Math

Many of the students don't realize that skills learned in one class can be transferred to another such as Algebra. There are many strategies that I use in my class to help make the math more comprehensible for both my struggling readers and Emerging Bilingual students. Today, I would like to share a few with you.

Use Visual Aids

Algebra is such an abstract concept. Visual representations such as diagrams, graphs, charts, and models can provide concrete examples to students for a better understanding of abstract algebraic concepts. 

Provide Scaffolded Text

Sometimes when asked to read a math problem, students will read as if they are just reading for the sake of reading. However, when reading math, there must be a plan to determine what information is relevant or needed. As students read a article or excerpt in reading there are strategies used to make sense of the information. Likewise, in math student must break down the problem into more chunks. The use of what we call the PAT list (pay attention to list) helps to draw attention to important information. In this modern world, hashtags # have become a thing. #smaller #PATlist #manageable

Model Think-Alouds

One of my favorite and beneficial strategies is the think-aloud. This strategy allows me to model for the students the process I use when I approach a problem for the first time. I model the annotations to use as I am reading through the problem. There is a specific cadence that I have while reading that allows me to digest the information that I have read. This has definitely engaged my students in think-alouds as they work on problems within their small groups or individually. 

Encourage Active Reading Strategies 

Have students explore active reading strategies such as summarizing, questioning, predicting, and reasonableness. As they are working through the problem to find the solution, students should engage with the text by asking questions about unfamiliar vocabulary, making predictions about the outcome and the reasonableness of their answers. 

Build Confidence and Persistence

Students that struggle with reading comprehension in the math classroom can benefit from fostering a growth mindset. This can be accomplished by emphasizing the importance of effort, perseverance and resilience...grit. Throughout this process, it is extremely important to celebrate successes, encourage them to embrace the struggles, and help them learn from mistakes. 

Incorporating these reading strategies into my algebra instruction, I am able to help my struggling students improve their reading comprehension skills while also building their confidence in algebraic problem-solving one solution at a time. 

Until next time, Be Right, Be Wrong, Don't Be Nothing! 

~Ms. Algebra