Our Collective Intelligence

Using the skill of DETERMINING IMPORTANCE in math word problems:

I have had the opportunity to observe several  teachers use a great strategy with word problems in math that is directly linked to a skill that proficient readers use:  DETERMINING IMPORTANCE in a text.  I call it CODING THE QUESTION but I'm sure others call it something else; at any rate it is a useful strategy that is sure to help students understand what they need to do to solve word problems.  This strategy is useful for any grade level but it is a good idea to start them young so they are proficient when the going gets tough!

This simple strategy is as follows:

Before tackling a word problem, students circle the numbers or number words that they will need to solve,
THEN underline the question or key words in the word problem.  Once they've determined and identified  the important info, they can move on the solving the problem!