Math Language Routine 3: Say What?

Speaker: Math lessons can often feel busy and complex, making it important to give students time to reflect. Using the “Say What?” routine provides an opportunity for them to process the big ideas of the lesson. 

“Say What?” can be used at the end of a lesson or after a problem set. It involves simply asking the students, “What was the main mathematical idea we just learned about?”

Give students a moment to express their thoughts either with a quick writing session or a discussion with a partner. This processing time helps students step back to understand the bigger picture and retain the information. It also gives you some formative assessment information. If students say something unexpected, it doesn’t mean they’re necessarily wrong; it might just mean you should revisit the lesson’s concept.

Overall, “Say What?” is an effective way to end a lesson or problem set by building students’ meta-awareness and giving them a chance for some mathematical communication that goes beyond solving problems.

Now go ahead and give “Say What?” a try!