Math Language Routine 3: Rate and Rewrite

Speaker: Rate and Rewrite get students to correct an incorrect, incomplete, or unclear solution. Here’s how it works:

To start, come up with an incorrect, incomplete, or unclear worked example for a problem.

You might create it using common student errors you’ve encountered or by being purposely vague or messy. However you do it, make sure never to use real student work.

Give students the worked example and have them rate it on a scale of 1–meaning the solution has a lot of issues–to 5, meaning it’s perfectly acceptable. Look out for students who rate it a 5 because you’re giving them one that’s incorrect or unclear.

After the students rate the worked example, have them rewrite it to be a 5. The key is they should enhance the existing strategy, not start over with a totally different one. You can also encourage discussion by having students share their initial ratings or their ideas for enhancement with one another.

Now go ahead and give Rate and Rewrite a try!