Mathematical Language Routine 1 - Stronger and Clearer Each Time

Purpose: To provide a structured and interactive opportunity for students to revise and refine both their ideas and their verbal and written output (Zwiers, 2014)

"This routine provides a purpose for student conversation as well as fortifies output. The main idea is to have students think or write individually about a response, use a structured pairing strategy to have multiple opportunities to refine and clarify the response through conversation, and then finally revise their original written response. Throughout this process, students should be pressed for details, and encouraged to press each other for details. Subsequent drafts should show evidence of incorporating or addressing new ideas or language. They should also show evidence of refinement in precision, communication, expression, examples, and/or reasoning about mathematical concepts."

- Achieve the Core

Stronger and Clearer Note Taker

Stronger and Clearer Each Time Routine

PROMPT: teacher provides a thought-provoking questions or prompt. The prompt should guide students to think about a concept or big idea connected to the content goal of the lesson.
RESPONSE - FIRST DRAFT: Students draft an initial response to the prompt by writing or drawing their initial thoughts in a first draft. It is not necessary that students finish this draft before moving to the structured pair meetings step. However, students should be encouraged to write or draw something before meeting with a partner.
STRUCTURED PAIR MEETINGS: Use a structured paring strategy to facilitate students having 2 - 3 meetings with different partners. Each meeting gives each partner an opportunity to be the speaker and an opportunity to be the listener. As the speaker, each student shared their ideas (without looking at their first draft, when possible). As a listener, each student should (a) ask questions for clarity and reasoning, (b) press for details and examples, and (c) give feedback that is relevant for the language goal. (1 - 2 min each meeting)
RESPONSE - SECOND DRAFT: After meeting with 2 - 3 partners, students write a second draft. This draft should naturally reflect borrowed ideas from partners, as well as refinement of initial ideas through repeated communication with partners. This second draft will be stronger (with more or better evidence of mathematical content understanding) and clearer (more precision and organization). After students are finished, their first and second draft can be compared. (2 - 3 min)

Acceptable variations:

Precision group in 4. Number students 1, 2, 3, 4 (high to low) 1's go first, revise, 2's go second, revise, 3's go 3rd third, revise, 4's go last create final draft
Reduce the number of revisions
ALWAYS precision partner