Reading like a Mathematician: Why Reading Matters in Mathematics
In this article, we explore why reading matters in Mathematics and I provide my first draft of classroom approaches to reading in Maths to trial and explore.
Whilst there are universal skills of reading that are significant in all curriculum subjects, it could be argued that Mathematics has its own set of reading skills built within the network of subject-specific reading for mathematical meaning. Yes, there are characters, but we never find out much about them (yes, even the much-loved SATs character, Chen). Their wants and needs are created for you to solve, nothing more.
Some of the characters’ demands seem odd (who needs 65 pineapples at any one time in a supermarket?), but they inhabit the Maths world: a world of short sentences, often where one sentence demarcates a step to be carried out. Sometimes we’ve seen those words before, but often, in the Maths world, the meaning has shifted.
There’s a beginning, middle and end. Rarely a sequel.
This all seems obvious to an adult. However, to a child?
It seems to me there is work to be done here. To reduce this complex system of words and numbers to key words and figures rarely assists the next solving step and, as I’ve said before, we cannot determine what is key unless we can identify what remains is unimportant.
Comprehension involves reading and understanding all of the text before any sifting can take place. It also involves understanding the different types of words pupils encounter:
Contextual vocabulary
Instructional vocabulary
Verbs with implied mathematical meaning
Mathematical vocabulary
And in the case of mathematical vocabulary, success lies not in simply knowing a definition, but in understanding meaning within the context of the problem.
Mathematics Is a Reading Subject
For years, mathematics has been viewed as somehow separate from literacy. Yet increasingly, research suggests the opposite. Reading is not merely an additional skill required for success in mathematics; it is one of the primary vehicles through which mathematical understanding is accessed.
Alex Quigley argues that reading matters in mathematics “more than most teachers and pupils may assume.” He highlights that mathematics is mediated through language and that pupils must navigate specialised vocabulary, multiple representations and complex syntactic structures in order to make sense of mathematical ideas. Research cited by Quigley found that children perform between 10% and 30% worse on arithmetic word problems than on equivalent problems presented in numerical form (Quigley, 2020). This suggests that the challenge is often not the mathematics itself, but the reading demands surrounding it.
Similarly, literacy researcher Tim Shanahan points to growing evidence that reading comprehension plays a significant role in mathematical achievement. While mathematical knowledge remains essential, students must also develop the vocabulary, language comprehension and syntactic awareness necessary to understand the relationships embedded within problems. Word-problem solving, he argues, is fundamentally a form of text comprehension (Shanahan, 2021).
In other words, pupils are not simply solving mathematics; they are interpreting language. This is supported by the work of Lynn Fuchs’ et al (2015), her central argument is that word-problem solving is, in part, a form of text comprehension. Students must understand the language of the problem, construct a mental representation of the situation, identify the relationships between quantities, and then translate that understanding into a mathematical model. Simply knowing how to perform calculations is not enough.
Fuchs argues that students solving word problems draw on many of the same skills used in reading comprehension:
understanding vocabulary
interpreting sentence structures
making inferences
constructing meaning from text
holding information in working memory
Her research found that oral language comprehension was a significant predictor of word-problem performance, even after accounting for arithmetic ability.
Why Word Problems Are Different from Stories
One of the challenges for pupils is that word problems look like narratives but do not behave like narratives.
As Clare Feeney notes, pupils often approach word problems as if they were stories (Feeney, 2023). They contain people, actions and events. However, mathematical word problems are fundamentally different from narrative texts.
Drawing on the work of Richard Barwell (Barwell, 2011), Feeney highlights that most mathematical word problems follow a relatively predictable 3-part structure:
A scenario is introduced.
Relevant information is provided.
A question is posed.
Consider the following openings:
Sebastian buys a gift which costs £18.20.
Jacqui’s basic pay is £8.65 per hour.
Chloe has a ribbon 8m long.
Peter is 1.64 metres tall.
Unlike stories, these statements contain no character development, motivations or unfolding plot. The information is often arbitrary. The actions are timeless. The details exist solely because they support a mathematical relationship.
Students must therefore learn that word problems are a distinct text type. Reading them requires a different set of expectations and strategies from those used when reading a story, novel or narrative text.
The Problem with Key Words
Many pupils are taught to search for signal words that supposedly indicate which operation to use:
altogether = add
difference = subtract
share equally = divide
times = multiply
Whilst vocabulary certainly matters, relying on key words alone can be problematic.
Consider this example:
Maria has 24 marbles, which is 8 fewer than Paolo has. How many marbles does Paolo have?
A student trained only to spot key words may identify “fewer than”, locate the numbers 24 and 8, and immediately subtract to produce an answer of 16.
However, the problem is asking for Paolo’s amount. If Maria has 8 fewer than Paolo, then Paolo must have 32 marbles.
The issue is not vocabulary. The issue is comprehension.
Research consistently shows that when students are taught to rely solely on key words, they often stop trying to understand the situation described. Instead, they scan for words and numbers that appear to signal a procedure. This can actively undermine mathematical reasoning.
Words matter, but words only make sense within the context of the whole problem.
Mathematical Vocabulary Is More Complex Than It Appears
Another challenge is that mathematical language often overlaps with everyday language.
Quigley highlights how many mathematical terms are polysemous: words with multiple meanings.
Consider words such as:
difference
volume
factor
common
angle
base
Students may know these words in everyday contexts but struggle to apply their mathematical meanings appropriately.
There are also homophones that can create confusion:
pi / pie
sine / sign
Even seemingly straightforward operations can be expressed through numerous linguistic variations:
subtract
take away
reduce
decrease
minus
deduct
Learning mathematics therefore involves learning a language system. ;The Education Endowment Foundation’ notes that for many pupils, expressing mathematical ideas can feel similar to learning a foreign language.
Yet vocabulary instruction alone is not enough.
Students need opportunities to encounter mathematical language repeatedly within meaningful contexts so that they understand not just definitions but relationships.
How Should We Read Mathematics?
If underlining key words is insufficient, what should we teach instead?
The answer lies in teaching pupils how to read like mathematicians.
Mathematicians do not skim. They read carefully, slowly and repeatedly. They move between words, symbols, diagrams and quantities, constantly checking meaning and relationships.
Practical classroom approaches might include:
Read Slowly
Many errors occur because pupils rush to calculate before understanding.
Encourage pupils to pause and consider:
What is happening?
What information do I know?
What am I trying to find out?
Focus on Relationships
Rather than identifying operations immediately, focus attention on relationships between quantities.
Questions such as:
How are these values connected?
Which quantity is larger?
What changes?
What stays the same?
encourage deeper understanding.
The Three Reads Approach
Popularised by Graham Fletcher, the Three Reads strategy helps pupils separate comprehension from calculation.
First read: What is the situation about?
Second read: What quantities and relationships are important?
Third read: What is the problem asking us to find?
By slowing the reading process down, pupils build understanding before selecting a procedure.
Externalise Thinking
Research suggests that reducing cognitive load supports successful problem solving.
This can include:
Drawing diagrams
Acting out scenarios
Using manipulatives
Annotating relationships
Representing the problem visually
The goal is to make the mathematical structure visible.
Compare Calculations and Contexts
A useful classroom routine is to present a calculation first:
24 + 8 = ?
Discuss:
How would you say this calculation?
What story might fit it?
Then introduce different word problems built around the same calculation.
Ask:
What is the same?
What is different?
What do you notice?
This helps pupils see that calculations emerge from relationships, not key words.
Explore Structure
Helping pupils recognise the structure of word problems is powerful disciplinary knowledge.
Activities might include:
Cutting up and reordering word problems
Matching questions to scenarios
Identifying irrelevant information
Comparing multiple problems with the same mathematical structure
These approaches draw attention to how mathematical texts are constructed.
Building a Reader Identity in Mathematics
If reading is central to mathematics, then we should explicitly position pupils as readers in mathematics lessons.
This means:
Modelling how mathematicians read.
Thinking aloud when approaching word problems.
Developing consistent reading routines.
Discussing difficult vocabulary in context.
Encouraging rereading as a normal part of mathematical thinking.
Creating classroom cultures where understanding precedes calculation.
Most importantly, it means recognising that mathematical success is often as much about comprehension as computation.
A Resource
In order to amalgamate all of the research on reading Mathematics and my own thoughts from my previous WordPress blog, I have put together a chart with many of the possible strategies, approaches and questions I have encountered/used in my own teaching and training. It’s extensive, certainly not something you would use in its entirety for every problem and Key Stage. The idea is, you would select 3-9 of these to explore and interrogate a word problem. Admittedly, this would require a shift in the teaching of word problems, moving from completing pages to just a few in a whole class or group, discussion-rich environment.
Less is more, there are only so many problem types before the formula repeats. Pondering, discussing and reasoning is a worthwhile, but albeit slower process. You will find a copy below.
I would appreciate any feedback if people use/adapt the ideas for their own classroom.
An example of how I selected 9 approaches for one problem is here:
Just taking the KS2 Paper 2 and 3 Papers since their launch, attainment has been historically lower than Paper 1. Strategies we may have employed are simply not enough and shift in thinking is required. Recent inspection and policy releases have further emphasised a need to consider the role of reading in Mathematics and across the Curriculum.
The recent White Paper (2026), ‘Every Child Achieving and Thriving’, It emphasises that disciplinary literacy—the ability to read, write, and speak across all subjects—must be woven into the core of the curriculum, rather than siloed within English classes. The current Ofsted Framework (2025), ‘Securing Strong Foundations for all Pupils’ mentions,
‘…for primary-age pupils (and for older pupils where necessary), the curriculum prioritises accurate and fluent word reading, spelling, handwriting and mathematics’.
Final Thoughts
Reading in mathematics is not an optional extra. It is fundamental to mathematical understanding.
Whilst vocabulary matters, and key words can occasionally support pupils, neither provides a shortcut to comprehension. Underlining numbers and circling words does not teach students how mathematical texts work.
Instead, pupils need explicit instruction in how to read mathematical language, interpret relationships, navigate representations and construct meaning from word problems.
If we want students to become successful mathematicians, we must teach them not only how to calculate, but also how to read.
Because before pupils can solve the problem, they first have to understand it.
References
Barwell, R. (2011) Word problems: Connecting language, mathematics and life. In: J. Moschkovich (ed.) Language and Mathematics Education: Multiple Perspectives and Directions for Research. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing, pp. 303–318.
Feeney, C. (2023) Reading in Mathematics. Available at: Clare Feeney Education Consultancy (Accessed: 5 June 2026).
Feeney, C. (2023) Reading Mathematical Word Problems. Available at: Clare Feeney Education Consultancy (Accessed: 5 June 2026).
Fletcher, G. (n.d.) The Three Reads Strategy. Available at: Graham Fletcher Resources (Accessed: 5 June 2026).
Fuchs, L.S., Fuchs, D., Compton, D.L., Hamlett, C.L. and Wang, A.Y. (2015) 'Is word-problem solving a form of text comprehension?', Scientific Studies of Reading, 19(3), pp. 204–223. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/10888438.2015.1005745 (Accessed: 5 June 2026).
Quigley, A. (2020) Does Reading Really Matter in Mathematics? Available at: Alex Quigley (Accessed: 5 June 2026).
Shanahan, T. (2021) Can Reading Instruction Improve Math Learning in the Primary Grades? Available at: Shanahan on Literacy (Accessed: 5 June 2026).
The Education Endowment Foundation (2021) Improving Mathematics in Key Stages 2 and 3. Available at: Education Endowment Foundation Guidance Report (Accessed: 5 June 2026).