Grades 3-5 Math Problem Solving in Action_ Getting Students to Love Word Problems

The Language of Word Problems ◆ 79

2. Some words are specific math words. For example: addend, minu-
   end, quotient.


3. Some words have more than one meaning in math. For example:
   “A circle is round” or “Let’s round 145 to the nearest ten.”


4. Some words are homophones to everyday English words. For
   example: sum and some.


5. Some mathematical concepts are verbalized in more than one way.
   For example: one-quarter versus one-fourth.


6. Some words are learned in pairs that are confusing for students.
   For example: multiple and factor or area and perimeter.


7. Students sometimes use everyday words (informal words) instead
   of math words (formal). For example: “diamond” for rhombus
   and “corner” for vertex.


8. Modifiers matter. For example: fraction vs. improper fraction and
   denominator vs. common denominator.

Math has many semantic features that confuse students. Here are a
few more examples (adapted from http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/scmsAd-
min/uploads/004/738/NYU_PTE_Math_Module_For_ELLS_Oct_8_2009.
pdf):

Synonyms: subtract, minus, take away, decrease

Homophones: weigh, way

Prepositions: divided into vs. divided by

Passive structures: Seven dogs were sold

Teachers need to explicitly teach the math vocabulary. Students need
multiple opportunities to practice the words through writing, games and
talking. “Math vocabulary is inextricably bound to students’ conceptual
understanding of mathematics” (Dunston & Tyminski, 2013, p. 40). If
students don’t understand the words, then they won’t understand the
concepts.

2. Wording Matters

Researchers have resoundingly found that language matters when it comes
to understanding and solving word problems. Many researchers have
found that rewording the text of word problems so that students under-
stand the problem and the words reflect the problem structure greatly
improves problem-solving success (De Corte, Verschaffel and De Win
(1985) and De Corte and Verschaffel (1987)).
Wording matters. Hudson (1983) posed this problem to some children:
“There are 5 birds and 3 worms. How many more birds are there than