Writings

Students' writing, such as a journal or items included in a portfolio, is a valuable means of assessment. Writing projects can be as simple as asking students to describe what they learned in a particular day, what they like about mathematics, or what they did or did not understand about an assignment. A letter to a friend about mathematics class or a poem about triangles is a creative tool by which a teacher can assess students' knowledge of and attitudes about mathematics in general.

Journal writing is a series of writings in which a student reflects on his or her learning. Since journals can include diagrams, graphs, labels, and symbols, journal writing can be a more inclusive form of communication than an oral response. In many cases writing also deepens students' understanding because it requires them to organize their thoughts differently.

A teacher must respect the privacy of what students write in journals. Because the journal is not only a forum for the teacher to respond to students as learners, but also a learning tool for the students themselves, the teacher should make it clear to students that their individual journal entries will not be graded.

Writing prompts are statements that provide students with a clear, well-defined purpose for a particular writing assignment.9 A teacher needs to communicate clearly to students exactly what he or she expects in a response, such as whether it should include certain components or be a particular length.

Sample writing prompts

(grades 3-5)

After reading The Greedy Triangle by Marilyn Burns,10 give students the following prompts:

If I could be a shape, I would be a __________ because __________.
My favorite shape is __________ because __________.
Why was the triangle greedy?
Pick one of the shapes in the story and use your own words to describe it.
Write a letter to a classmate telling him/her how the greedy triangle changed shapes.

For examples of other writing-related instructional activities, see Instructiional Activities and Lesson Plans, especially Building Vocabulary, Creative Writing, Pattern Block Shapes, and Writing Stories.

John A. Van de Walle, Elementary and Middle School Mathematics: Teaching Developmentally, 4th ed. (New York: Addison Wesley Longman, 2001), p. 74.
Marilyn Burns, The Greedy Triangle (New York: Scholastic, 1994).