Are you looking to add more writing to you exam review? This mini-lesson was designed to take about 15-20 minutes and will take a student through the process of reviewing an old topic (the Complementary Angle Theorem) and scaffolding up to an exam-type question. The 'How do you know?' part of the question will require students to think about and process the 'why' instead of simply showing their work. Gain valuable insight into your student's thought processes and identify where potential misconceptions are occurring.

Reading and writing are complex, fundamental, integrative, real-world learning skills that should be used to their potential in math class. Reading is a two-part process that is similar to mathematics in that it requires first the transfer of encoded information to the reader and then the comprehension of that information. And writing is one of the most powerful modes of learning because it engages both hemispheres of the brain—one side generates ideas, the other structures them.

Effective writing also clarifies and organizes a student’s thoughts, and the slow pace of writing is conducive to student learning because it allows them to reason carefully to make sure they’re correct before they state their thoughts. Studies have shown that writing is valuable specifically for the math classroom—for example, it seems that a student’s ability to explain concepts in writing is related to the ability to comprehend and apply them.

And of course written explanations also allow the teacher to understand and assess the student’s thinking in a way that computational steps alone may not provide.

An answer key is provided.