Brianna Lee's ID Portfolio

Navigation links: ETAP 623 Fall 2026 | Brianna Lee's Mini Course: Literacy Instruction in Mathematics

About Me

I am a high school mathematics teacher at Union-Endicott High School, where I teach primarily ninth-grade mathematics. I have a background in both mathematics and inclusive adolescent education, as well as experience working with students with disabilities and students with a wide range of learning needs. I am currently pursuing my master’s degree in Curriculum Development and Instructional Technology at the University at Albany. As a mathematics teacher, I am interested in finding ways to make mathematics more engaging and meaningful without sacrificing the actual mathematical thinking students need to develop. I am especially interested in technology, literacy, and learning experiences that allow students to experiment, make decisions, and learn from mistakes.

My Topic and Purpose

My mini-course will focus on literacy instruction in mathematics and ways that teachers can intentionally support students’ reading, writing, and communication skills within the math classroom. I chose this topic because students are constantly interacting with language in mathematics through word problems, academic vocabulary, written directions, graphs, and explanations, yet literacy instruction is not always seen as part of the math teacher’s role. I have seen students struggle with mathematical tasks not because they lack the necessary mathematical skills, but because they have difficulty interpreting what a problem is asking them to do. I want to explore strategies that can help teachers address these literacy needs while keeping the focus on meaningful mathematical thinking.

Scope of Learning Outcomes and Content

This mini-course will develop teachers’ knowledge, skills, and attitudes related to literacy instruction in mathematics. Participants will develop knowledge of how literacy and mathematics overlap, including the role of mathematical vocabulary, reading comprehension, written directions, and communicating mathematical reasoning. They will develop skills for identifying literacy barriers within mathematical tasks and selecting strategies that support students without taking away from the mathematical content. The course will also encourage teachers to view literacy as an important part of mathematics instruction rather than something that belongs only in an English or literacy classroom. The overall goal is for participants to feel more confident and intentional about incorporating literacy into their existing mathematics instruction.

In this course, users will address the questions:

What is the connection between literacy and mathematics instruction?
How can literacy barriers affect students’ ability to access mathematical content?
How can teachers identify literacy demands within mathematical tasks?
What strategies can mathematics teachers use to support students’ literacy needs while maintaining the mathematical content?
How can teachers incorporate literacy instruction into their existing mathematics lessons?

Needs Assessments

Instructional Problem: Mathematics requires students to use literacy skills constantly, including reading word problems, understanding mathematical vocabulary, following written directions, interpreting graphs and tables, and explaining their mathematical thinking. However, literacy instruction is not always seen as part of the mathematics teacher's role. Students may struggle with a mathematical task because they have difficulty understanding the language of the problem, even when they have the mathematical knowledge needed to solve it.

The Nature of What is to be Learned: Teachers taking this mini-course will learn about the connection between literacy and mathematics and how literacy barriers can affect students' access to mathematical content. Participants will learn how to identify literacy demands within mathematical tasks and use strategies to support students with reading, vocabulary, written directions, and mathematical communication.

About the Learners: The learners for this mini-course are teachers of mathematics, particularly educators working with students in grades 7-12. Whether they are new teachers or experienced educators, participants may be looking for ways to better support students who struggle with the language and literacy demands of mathematics.

Existing Efforts to Address this Gap: Mathematics teachers already use strategies such as teaching vocabulary, having students read word problems, asking students to explain their thinking, and using visual representations. However, these strategies may not always be viewed as part of literacy instruction, and teachers may not always have a clear understanding of the literacy demands within their mathematical tasks. This mini-course focuses on practical strategies that can be incorporated into the mathematics instruction teachers are already providing.

Intent Statement: This mini-course will help mathematics teachers recognize and address literacy demands within their existing instruction. By intentionally supporting reading, writing, vocabulary, and mathematical communication, teachers can help students better access mathematical content without taking away from the mathematical thinking they need to develop.

Analysis of the Learner and Context

Learners: Participants of this mini-course will be teachers of mathematics in grades 7-12. While anyone interested in mathematics and literacy instruction may take the course, it is designed particularly for teachers who want to better support students' literacy needs within their mathematics classrooms. Participants may have different levels of teaching experience and familiarity with literacy strategies.

Instructional Context: Participants will access and complete the mini-course online at their own pace. They will be able to connect the ideas and strategies from the course to the mathematics lessons and tasks they already use in their classrooms. Ideally, participants will apply these strategies directly to their own mathematics instruction.

Goals: After completing this course, participants will have a better understanding of the relationship between literacy and mathematics instruction. Participants will be able to identify literacy demands within mathematical tasks and use strategies to support students' reading, writing, vocabulary, and communication while maintaining the mathematical content.

Performance-Based Objectives

After completing this mini-course, learners will be able to:

Identify literacy demands and potential literacy barriers within mathematics tasks and instruction.
Analyze how mathematical vocabulary, written directions, reading comprehension, and mathematical communication can affect students' access to mathematics.
Select appropriate literacy strategies and supports that help students access mathematical content without reducing the mathematical thinking required by the task.
Apply literacy strategies to authentic mathematics tasks by adapting directions, vocabulary supports, or opportunities for students to communicate their mathematical reasoning.
Evaluate the effectiveness of literacy supports based on whether they improve students' access to the mathematics while maintaining the intended mathematical learning goals.

Task and Content Analysis

Before taking this course, the learner:

should have experience teaching or planning mathematics instruction for students in grades 7–12 (prerequisite)
should have a basic understanding of mathematical concepts and how students typically engage with math tasks (prerequisite)
should be familiar with lesson planning and selecting instructional materials for their students (prerequisite)
should be willing to examine existing math lessons and consider how literacy demands may affect students' access to mathematical content (prerequisite)

Unit 1 - Understanding the Connection Between Literacy and Mathematics

After this unit, the learner:

will be able to explain the connection between literacy and mathematics learning
will be able to identify common literacy demands in mathematics, including vocabulary, reading comprehension, written directions, and communicating mathematical reasoning
will understand how literacy barriers can affect students' ability to demonstrate mathematical understanding
will review examples of mathematics tasks and identify the literacy skills students need to complete them
will complete an initial reflection on literacy demands in their own mathematics instruction

Unit 2 - Identifying Literacy Barriers in Mathematics Tasks

After this unit, the learner:

will be able to identify the vocabulary, reading, and writing demands within existing mathematics tasks
will understand how complex directions, unfamiliar terminology, and written explanations can create barriers to accessing mathematical content
will be able to distinguish between a student's difficulty with mathematical concepts and difficulty accessing those concepts because of literacy demands
will analyze mathematics problems to identify potential literacy barriers for students with varying learning needs
will evaluate an existing mathematics task and identify areas where additional literacy support may be beneficial

Unit 3 - Selecting Strategies to Support Literacy in Mathematics

After this unit, the learner:

will be able to identify instructional strategies that support mathematical vocabulary and reading comprehension
will understand how sentence starters, annotated examples, chunked directions, and structured writing activities can support mathematical communication
will be able to select literacy strategies based on the specific demands of a mathematics task and the needs of their students
will evaluate how different literacy supports can improve accessibility without removing the mathematical thinking required by the task
will practice revising a mathematics task to incorporate appropriate literacy supports

Unit 4 - Integrating Literacy Strategies into Mathematics Instruction

After this unit, the learner:

will be able to incorporate literacy strategies into an existing mathematics lesson
will develop a lesson plan that addresses identified literacy demands while maintaining the intended mathematical learning objectives
will be able to explain how their selected strategies support students' access to mathematical content and communication of their reasoning
will identify ways to assess whether the literacy supports are helping students engage with and demonstrate their mathematical understanding
will complete a course-long activity by submitting a revised mathematics lesson that integrates appropriate literacy strategies and a reflection explaining their instructional decisions

Curriculum Map

References and Resources

Cao, P., & Hao, L. (2026). More than numbers: Unpacking the language demands of secondary mathematics word problems. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 70(1), e70051. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaal.70051
Fuchs, L. S., Gilbert, J. K., Fuchs, D., Seethaler, P. M., & Hamlett, C. L. (2020). Improving language comprehension to enhance word-problem solving. Reading & Writing Quarterly, 36(5), 1–18.
Larson, M. B., & Lockee, B. B. (2020). Streamlined ID: A practical guide to instructional design (2nd ed.). Routledge.
Schleppegrell, M. J. (2007). The linguistic challenges of mathematics teaching and learning: A research review. Reading & Writing Quarterly, 23(2), 139–159.
Shanahan, T., & Shanahan, C. (2008). Teaching disciplinary literacy to adolescents: Rethinking content-area literacy. Harvard Educational Review, 78(1), 40–59. https://doi.org/10.17763/haer.78.1.v62444321p602101
Shambaugh, R. N., & Magliaro, S. G. (1997). Mastering the possibilities: A process approach to instructional design. Allyn & Bacon.