Every subject has a particular vocabulary that's unique to the subject. Words such as sum, difference or equation are important to understand in mathematics. Some words have entirely different definitions in a math problem than in other circumstances. In the Mathematics Educator, Mark Frietag talks about the word "mean" in mathematics referring to an average of a set of numbers. Outside of math, "mean" describes people who aren’t nice. Knowing the mathematical definition of words can help students with understanding word problems.
An important reading strategy is called guided reading. A teacher asks questions related to a novel’s topic before reading and interrupts the reading from time to time to question students or refer back to previously read paragraphs to help guide the reader through the passage. The same principal applies to math problems. Rather than reading a problem in a straight linear fashion, a teacher should guide students through a problem by asking questions throughout the process. Showing students how to look for needed information, such as graphs or charts, is another reading strategy that can apply to math as well.
One of the best tools to help reading skills, writing, also works with math. Response journals allow students to think on paper. While this seems natural when teaching reading, the same principle works with math problems. Writing about math problems enables students to put their thoughts on paper informally and allows them to organize these thoughts and see the steps involved in solving the problem. Writing also helps students to use math vocabulary so it becomes a natural part of talking about solving math problems. Sharing their journal entries with a partner gives students a chance to discuss differences in solutions and talk about why one method may work better than another.
Giving students real life problems to solve can combine both reading and math skills. Rather than assign a worksheet page of problems, let students work cooperatively to solve a problem that has meaning for them. Finding out the sale prices of items using percentages with a partner will give students the opportunity to use appropriate vocabulary. They will also be able to write down the process used to find the answer. Guidance from the teacher throughout the process will also help students arrive at the correct answer. Using reading strategies in a math setting will serve the dual purpose of helping to improve reading scores as well as raising those math scores.