Brutlag, Dan and Carole Maples. The Investigations Project for grade 8 consists of a series of projects connecting math with different disciplines. Although many students complete the unit with a superficial understanding of the operations, some students begin to realize the deeper implications. This understanding is revealed through the write-ups of student projects, in which students explain their methodology and results of independent projects. Writing in grade school math class supports student learning in that children must organize their thinking in order to get their ideas on paper.
Teachers benefit in that the papers help elucidate how children approach ideas.
To help elementary school teachers integrate writing assignments into their math curriculum, Burns offers nine strategies, answers to commonly asked questions, four types of writing assignments for math, and math activities that lead to writing. Drake, Bob M. and Linda B. Amspaugh . What Writing Reveals in Mathematics. Having students write in math class can reveal the nature of students' conceptual problems. Once a teacher ascertains the root of a student's misunderstanding, she can address that particular aspect of the problem, rather than explaining the entire algorithm.