Students usually don't have a lot of confidence that they can read and understand a mathematics textbook. You can encourage students to read aloud in their groups. Often what they are reading makes more sense to them when they slow down, which they have to do when reading aloud. When students say they don't understand, ask them to read and stop when they reach the point at which they don't understand. This tactic encourages students to concentrate on what they're reading and often they realize they really do understand what they're reading.
Students use lists and frequently look at tables.
Calculators that don't provide these functions are not recommended. In fact, just the opposite is true. Often times they seem to get stuck on problems. You probably shouldn't expect students to complete all the problems in a homework assignment the first night problems are assigned. Think of a homework assignment as work in process.