Math Symphony for Word Problems

March 09, 2020

Math Symphony for Word Problems

Do your students need help breaking down word problems in math? This “Math Symphony” is one that my students are always asking to do & works great for ESL students as well. I first came across this idea from the AMAZING Kim Bearden while attending teacher training at the Ron Clark Academy. Kim uses instruments for teaching punctuation but since I only teach math, I needed to put my own twist on it. If you have newcomers in your classroom, word problems can be incredibly difficult, especially if students are coming to school with little to no English. As ESL teachers, we know learning a L2 takes time. However, depending on the grade level of your students, this strategy can help kids have a chance to be successful at solving basic word problems with little to no English. For example, if a student is able to identify a keyword such as total, they will know to add the numbers given together. Obviously, this only works for simple story problems. However, it may help students get these problems correct, especially on their state test until they reach a higher proficiency level in english and are truly able to comprehend the problem.
For this strategy, students are given musical instruments and as we read through a word problem, they shake their instruments when their important piece of information comes up. When I first introduce this strategy, I find it helpful to color code the important information in a word problem so that it corresponds with the musical instruments. (see photo) I’ll keep the color coding for about a week or so and then when my students start to get a good grasp, I take the colors away. Additionally, sometimes I might have students color code in there eureka math workbooks or circle numbers, box keywords and underline the question. As much fun as it is for students to use musical instruments and color code, the goal is for them to be able to solve word problems without these fun strategies embedded in!
Each instrument is only to be used for a specific piece of important information. For numbers, students shake tambourines, hand clappers are for key words and maracas are used for the question. I make sure that students DO NOT have the exact same instrument as the person sitting next to them. I don’t want them shaking just because their partner is shaking. If you don’t have musical instruments, a great modification is to clap hands for numbers, snap your fingers for key words and drum roll for the question. This strategy is not only fun for kids but really helps them stay focused and read story problems carefully. 🎶

If you try incorporating the “Math Symphony” strategy in your classroom, please share your experience!