Math Vocabulary

A recent conversation with some Bridges teachers got me to thinking about math vocabulary. This group of 4th and 5th grade teachers were thrilled with how naturally--and often--math vocabulary appears in lessons. Knowing that vocabulary is introduced as early as kindergarten, they were curious to see what words were used in which grade levels. We visited Support for Families and Bridges Grade K to download a pdf parent handout for "Math Vocabulary for Grade K." These handouts, available on each grade level page under Support for Families provide parents with a math vocabulary refresher for the terms that their children will be learning. Each handout includes words, definitions, and examples, most with visual models. Needless to say, we were excited to see the depth of mathematical vocabulary already being explored at the kindergarten level.

I encourage you to take a look at the vocabulary handouts for each grade level, becoming familiar with the words introduced to students above and below your own grade. You can also view a pdf for the list of words and definitions used in the Word Resource Cards for Grades 3-5.

If you'd like to explore more mathematical terms, visit A Maths Dictionary for Kids, which includes definitions, examples, animations, and even practice games. Another intriguing webpage, What's Special About This Number? reveals distinctive facts about many of the numbers from 1-1000. For example, 64 is special because it "is the smallest number with 7 divisors." Who knew?

Have a story about using math vocabulary in your classroom? We'd love to hear from you!