They should become better at listening, paraphrasing, questioning, and interpreting others' ideas. For some students, participation in class discussions is a challenge. For example, students in the middle grades are often reluctant to stand out in any way during group interactions. Modeling and carefully posed questions can help clarify age-appropriate expectations for student work. Written communication should be nurtured in a similar fashion.
Students begin school with few writing skills.
In the primary grades, they may rely on other means, such as drawing pictures, to communicate. Gradually they will also write words and sentences. In the middle grades, they should become more explicit about basing their writing on a sense of audience and purpose. For some purposes it will be appropriate for students to describe their thinking informally, using ordinary language and sketches, but they should also learn to communicate in more-formal mathematical ways, using conventional mathematical terminology, through the middle grades and into high school. By the end of the high school years, students should be able to write well-constructed mathematical arguments using formal vocabulary.