Model disciplinary literacy in the classroom where appropriate
Expose students to keywords early onin their learning journey so they meet the words often and understand the context
Targeted Vocabulary Instruction
Use clear and concise definitions when introducing new words to students, but do not 'dumb down' words in a way that could potentially stifle their learning in future lessons.
Use legitimate techniques, such as Frayer models and interleaving when introducing new vocabulary.
Discussing the etymology of words, especially when breaking the word into parts, can provide a clearer understanding of the meaning (i.e. invariant point - a point which does not vary - a point which stays the same - a point which stays the same after a transformation).
Reading Comprehension
When completing longer problem-solving questions, ensure students read them carefully, underlining and keywords which are important for the context of the question if necessary.
Encourage students to break longer-worded questions into manageable chunks.
Model how to find key information from questions and dedicate time to allow students to practise how this translates into specific calculations.
Academic Talk
Only accept answers from students which are mathematically sound, scaffolding with prompts if appropriate.
Demand students use key mathematical terminology in their explanations (i.e. numerator instead of top, reciprocate instead of flip).
Scaffolded Writing Activities
Ensure students include all relevant information in the longer, more detailed A03 reasoning questions (especially the compare and contract questions at GCSE and A-level).
Model and share success criteria for answers which require more writing, such as algebraic proof.
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