Maths terms - grade 7

Ok, so, my grade 7 kiddo has recently been formally diagnosed with Dyslexia/dysgraphia as well as a language disorder. One of the suggestions in the reports is to use "Word banks" for various subjects. While most I'm fine with setting up with his teachers, one we have kinda hit a blank on it maths. I'm not sure what terms would be helpful, likely because I have no clue what they are doing currently in maths. The "word" issue is really frustrating to a kid who is actually decent at maths, but translating words into numbers is causing at least a 5-20% drop in marks. (For example a recent test out of 40, 30 marks for pure number, 10 for words. He got 29.5. the 29.5 was for the pure number and a big zero for the word problems.)

So what would be good terms to accompany a short explanation of meaning. We are also developing other strategies.

So far I have found this info:

+ Addition, Add, sum, Plus, Increase, Total, all together, combined, and

− Subtraction, subtract, minus, less, difference, take away, deduct, lost, fewer/fewer than

× Multiplication, multiply, product, by times, lots of, double/triple/quadruple (4), factor of, every...,

÷ Division, divide, quotient, goes into, how many times, cuts up, halve, parts, per, share something equally, separated

Dimensions – measurements describing the size of object. E.g. Length and width are the dimensions of a rectangle

Fractions - divide into, parts, denominator (bottom number), out of (e.g. 4 out of 6), numerator (top number), improper fraction (larger numerator then denominator)

Capacity - the amount something can hold, usually volume

Calculate - work out the answer, equals

mean - average, add all value then divide by the number of values

value - a number, result of calculation

equation - two things are equal, joined by = sign, with each side equaling the same

Equivalent - are the same

Do you think something like below might be useful?

singular, single = 1

tri... = 3

quad... = 4 (e.g. quad lateral = 4 sides)

pent... = 5

hex... = 6

sept... = 7

oct... = 8

non.. = 9

dec... = 10

mill... = 1000

kilo... = 1000

cent... = 100

My grade 7 is currently doing a lot of work on angles and shapes. Some of their lessons are on line. Parallel seemed to come up a lot in angles and they also needed to learn words associated with lines such as segment, plane, vertex, collinear and ray. I know this as I read the terms and wondered what on earth some of them were!

It won't cover everything, and probably isn't the best if word problems are the biggest issue, but the curriculum pages actually have pretty good vocab descriptions. If you go down to the 'Achievement standard' section of each year level, it has links to a quick definition of most of the key terms covered in that year level.

https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/mathematics/?year=11758&strand=Number+and+Algebra&strand=Measurement+and+Geometry&strand=Statistics+and+Probability&capability=ignore&capability=Literacy&capability=Numeracy&capability=Information+and+Communication+Technology+%28ICT%29+Capability&capability=Critical+and+Creative+Thinking&capability=Personal+and+Social+Capability&capability=Ethical+Understanding&capability=Intercultural+Understanding&priority=ignore&priority=Aboriginal+and+Torres+Strait+Islander+Histories+and+Cultures&priority=Asia+and+Australia%E2%80%99s+Engagement+with+Asia&priority=Sustainability&elaborations=true&elaborations=false&scotterms=false&isFirstPageLoad=false

Get a copy of the textbook and go through that

Get a copy of the textbook and go through that

I don't know that they are using a set textbooks, the stuff he brings home is from all sorts of places. We are also not requires to supply textbooks so I really have no clue. I can't make head nor tales of what is in his maths book and I swear they must do lots of worksheet stuff because no way is what few bits and pieces are in his book all he did last term (he is sitting on around 73% so something must be happening in class!). Also there is rarely maths homework, so I don't know what it is.

[mention]Prancer[/mention] weirdly some of the specific language stuff he is fine with. Because its specific to maths, but I'll add in that sort of info. He did say they are doing area, perimeter, circumference etc, so I'm assuming this term is focusing on geometry (last terms was a bunch of stuff around BIMDAS and fractions).

[mention]MagdaRegis[/mention] Cool, I'll have a look there.

I'm not sure if this will be helpful, but I'm a primary school teacher who's taught grade 6 before so it might be relevant. When students have difficulty with worded problems it's usually a combination of not knowing the specific maths language (which it sounds like you're trying to tackle now) and also not being able to picture in their head what the word problem "story" is telling them.

So (really simple example!) something like: "Bob has 8 apples, Jane has 12 apples, how many more apples does Jane have than Bob?" The student needs to know what "how many more" means, and can picture the two people with collections of apples in their head. Then it would be clear to them that this question would require them to either subtract 8 from 12, or add to 8 until they reach 12.

If your child is having difficulties with these sorts of problems (obviously at a harder level!), would it be helpful for him to try and draw a picture of what's happening (i.e. Bob with 8 apples, Jane with 12) so he can better comprehend and visualise it and work out what he needs to calculate? It might be a tool to help him break up the problem into smaller chunks to tackle.

Has his teacher been able to provide any useful advice?

[mention]Crewdy[/mention] we've just started using a similar technique. It's definitely a language thing. His reading ability is about your average 9-10yr old. Due to the combo of ADHD/ASD too, he also struggles with multi-step things, processing it all and then the added issue of the comprehension side of words. Hence the referral to a word bank, if he knows the term "more" in this context means subtraction is used then he doesn't get as confused. he can visualise it, it's more it takes him a great deal more time to process a word problem because of all the factors. He's actually told me that English is stupid and if they want to know something why can't they just say it simply. He prefers measurement and geometry because it mostly uses specific terms and isn't about apples and pears and lollies and how the first 6 steaks at the butch cost 1.70, and then the next 5 cost 1.50 so how much will Sally pay for 7 steaks... (he got a B for measurement and geometry last year because of this.)

His teacher has been pretty good, I've got to email him again. He did give him a little step by step guide on how to break down a word problem, which was helpful.

DS1 is in year 8 and also has dyslexia. He is on an ILP and gets modifications, even in maths.

He understands the actual maths, so numbers etc, but struggles with the worded problems and comprehension of them.

He gets different modifications depending on the task / test, but it can include a reader to read out the worded questions, more time and less overall questions in the test.

He is currently sitting in about 95%, so an A+ and the teacher has asked if she can scale back some of the modifications as he is capable of understanding the concepts.

Is it possible to ask for some modifications to his tests/scoring so his mark correctly reflects his understanding of the actual maths concepts?

DS1 is in year 8 and also has dyslexia. He is on an ILP and gets modifications, even in maths.

He understands the actual maths, so numbers etc, but struggles with the worded problems and comprehension of them.

He gets different modifications depending on the task / test, but it can include a reader to read out the worded questions, more time and less overall questions in the test.

He is currently sitting in about 95%, so an A+ and the teacher has asked if she can scale back some of the modifications as he is capable of understanding the concepts.

Is it possible to ask for some modifications to his tests/scoring so his mark correctly reflects his understanding of the actual maths concepts?

[mention]CrankyM[/mention] It is worthwhile to note that, even if modifications can be made, it is very important that your son develops a strategy/strategies for solving word problems because the entirety of the maths OLNA is word problems.

[mention]MagdaRegis[/mention] is it? Crud. I can see ONLA is going to an element of frustration for him already. He’s currently got a literacy tutor, I might mention to her the possibility of adding in some strategies to comprehension of mathematics word problems. She is working on general comprehension etc.

[mention]Lizzard breath[/mention] i haven’t had a chance to meet and formalise any IEP etc yet. They do have a copy of his report from SPELD though and the accommodations in terms of using a laptop rather then handwriting. His teacher is very good at linking maths to real world concepts as he coordinates the pathways/non-mainstream maths programs too. There is an aide in class so even just reading the problems might help though his audio processing isn’t brilliant. I’ll email him.

DS1 is in year 8 and also has dyslexia. He is on an ILP and gets modifications, even in maths.

He understands the actual maths, so numbers etc, but struggles with the worded problems and comprehension of them.

He gets different modifications depending on the task / test, but it can include a reader to read out the worded questions, more time and less overall questions in the test.

He is currently sitting in about 95%, so an A+ and the teacher has asked if she can scale back some of the modifications as he is capable of understanding the concepts.

Is it possible to ask for some modifications to his tests/scoring so his mark correctly reflects his understanding of the actual maths concepts?

 

@CrankyM It is worthwhile to note that, even if modifications can be made, it is very important that your son develops a strategy/strategies for solving word problems because the entirety of the maths OLNA is word problems.

Sorry I’m in SA and not WA and we don’t have this OLNA requirement. That seems extremely unfair to kids that have learning difficulties and given the right supports could demonstrate their understanding of numeracy.

@MagdaRegis is it? Crud. I can see ONLA is going to an element of frustration for him already. He’s currently got a literacy tutor, I might mention to her the possibility of adding in some strategies to comprehension of mathematics word problems. She is working on general comprehension etc.

I believe so. I will admit that I don't teach high school, but it has been flagged with us by numeracy consultants.

I don't think they're all multi-step complex word problems, but I don't think anything is written straight out as your stock-standard maths sum.

[mention]MagdaRegis[/mention] damn. I already knew the English ONLA was a potential problem but didn’t think the Maths one would be.

[mention]Lizzard breath[/mention] yep WA has OLNA. NSW has a version too. There was a big uproar a few years ago about it (the requirement for a band 8 naplan letting you sit it out. In response to the outrage they said the band 8 requirement would vanish and quietly just made it a requirement for all students in yr 11/12).

pent... = 5

hex... = 6

sept... = 7

quint... can also = 5 (eg quintuplets = 5 babies, but is used in other contexts, not sure about maths though)

sex... can also = 6 (eg sextuplets = 6 babies, ditto the above)

hept... can also = 7 (eg heptagon = 7 sided shape, probably more likely to come across this than the babies!)

I think one lot is Greek origin, and the other Latin.

dodeca... = 12 (dodecahedron is 12 sided prism, dodecagon is 12 sided shape)

Prefixes, suffixes and root words are universal across Math and Science, so any you teach him will help there too. At a quick glance, this resource looks great: https://www.4gaslps.com/CommonRootWd4MSciSocSt.pdf

You mentioned that your son's Math book is sparse. It may be possible that he isn't copying things from the board. There probably are a lot of worksheets, but where are they? Once handed out, normally worksheets stay in books, they're rarely collected back unless it is a formative tool for assessment. Unless there is a worksheet book and a writing book?

For randomly generated word questions that would suit junior Math, this website is great: https://www.math-aids.com/Word_Problems/

With regards to cognitive verbs (what is the question asking, to solve, calculate, apply, predict etc), QLD education follow these definitions: https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/p-10/aciq/frequently-used-resources/cognitive-verbs/years-7-10-cognitive-verb-toolkit

Are the reasonable adjustments assisting him, does he need to do those components of the tests exams etc, can he demonstrate his understanding in another way? With his diagnosis, wouldn’t the exams be adjusted anyway?

Just asking as losing marks etc all seems a bit unfair on a kid who is actually great at maths, and could show that understanding in lots of ways that suit his needs.

Sorry, I'm writing this quickly so I haven't read all of the supplies.

I think a massive bank of words at the start might be overwhelming, but what is do when I teach maths is get students to keep a glossary at the back of their book and add to it as we go Could you suggest something like that to the teacher? This honestly helps ALL kids, and its not onerous

I usually start with an A4 page divided in quarters with + × ÷ - written in each quarter and we brainstorm different ways to ask this as a class. Then I add to the glossary with every new topic and for new terms as we go.

Sorry if repeating what others have said! I know I didn't answer your actual question, though!I had a maths dictionary at uni, so there are far too many terms to just list, but you have done an amazing job so far! Your daughter is lucky to have you as an advocate

[mention]seemingly[/mention] I have no idea about the worksheets. I found one in his bag yesterday regarding volume and that about it. Nothing in the books. He does have a computer, I'm going to get into it this weekend and see if he's using it. I should mention that he loathes, absolutely loathes handwriting. So there is very little chance he would copy stuff from the board unless he was able to type it. But I still expected him to have sums etc. in his book, as maths on a computer doesn't really work well or easily.

I also haven't heard back from the teacher, though I didn't email until last week. The only email I got was one saying he wasn't bringing in his calculator to class. He had his last NAPLAN yesterday (numeracy) so hopefully I can get a hold of the teacher and find out what is going on in class. Surely maths isn't as different as it was when I was in school and we were doing 2-3 pages of an A4 book of various mathematical problems (I only remember being introduced to Algebra and loving it lol).

[mention]dianalynch[/mention] no formal adjustments that I've heard or seen of. I get the feeling that as he is doing fine in maths and there a number of other kids who need more support in these subjects that he expected to speak up if he needs more support (yeah great for a kid with a moderate language delay who often can't even articulate where he is struggling at). There could be more support being given in class that I have no idea about because as mentioned, his communication is a struggle.

Sounds like he needs some reasonable adjustments so he can learn and be assessed in a way that shows what he can do, with his needs taken into consideration. The disability standards in education 2005 have some useful fact sheets. Even simple things like allowing him to work from a lap top maths program with minimal handwriting, extra time in tests, and modifying the assessments to still achieve the curriculum outcomes but take into account language difficulties would be helpful to him. He’s good at maths, doesn’t sound like he needs support from the perspective that he’s struggling, but rather needs adjustments that take into account his learning disabilities, so he can achieve his potential.

He sounds like a very patient kid who is putting up with a lot at school...all the neurotypical expectations...

And I just got an email from the teacher regarding a test next week. Apparently the kids are making up a notes page of information today in class to use for review and study, so I can see what he's done. I've sent off an email asking where his work is supposed to be because I haven't seen any of it. I've also emailed regarding accommodations for the issues with words problems etc.

[mention]dianalynch[/mention] I don't know if it's necessarily all about NT expectations. Our local highschool often works outside the box a fair bit. The maths teacher he has actually runs the non-mainstream program where they use practical real world applications of mathematical skills to build the numeracy skills of the kids. (I'm talking engineering type problems). I guess I just haven't had a chance to see what is going on in class or get more information, or even a chance to engage with the school this year, beyond the basic outlines of what is being taught each term. Add in a kid who almost never talks about school except for "I love maths" and "I'm not doing cross country as I'll miss maths" and it's a bit hard to find out what exactly is doing on. Maths is not the only book that was pretty much almost empty. It's the sort of thing where you feel like the story you are getting is only 1/2 the situation in some ways.