Academic and Content-Area Language in Mathematics and Science Contexts
Mathematics and science questions embed language demands inside content. You must decode word problems, interpret data descriptions, and follow procedural texts such as method steps or safety instructions. Key vocabulary includes sum, difference, product, quotient, ratio, percentage, average, estimate, approximately, per, total and, in science, variable, control, hypothesis, observation, inference, mass, volume, rate, energy, dependent and independent.
A reliable strategy for word problems is to identify the given information, the unknown, and the operation signalled by the wording. Phrases such as how many more, in total, shared equally, per hour and what fraction of map onto specific operations. In science texts, distinguish observation (what is seen or measured) from inference (an explanation drawn from it), and hypothesis (a testable prediction) from theory (a well-supported explanation).
Traps include unit mismatches (minutes versus hours), distractors containing unused numbers, confusing percent of with percent increase, and reversing cause and effect in experimental descriptions. Another trap is a question asking what a graph shows versus what it proves - data can support but rarely prove.
Rule of thumb: underline the question being asked, list the numbers with their units, and check that your answer's unit and size are reasonable.
Worked example: 'A car travels 150 km in 2.5 hours. What is its average speed?' Speed = distance ÷ time = 150 ÷ 2.5 = 60 km/h. A trap answer of 375 km/h comes from multiplying instead of dividing.