Word Detectives Comes to the Math Department

Literacy, as defined in education, is the ability to read, write, speak, and listen—essential skills that empower students to thrive in school and navigate the world around them. At Benchmark School, we have developed intentional literacy practices, including Word Detectives decoding and spelling programs. Recognizing the strength of this approach, Susan Null, math teacher at Benchmark, saw an opportunity to apply Word Detectives strategies to math instruction. Her goal was to help students strengthen math literacy—the ability to reason, communicate, and understand mathematical concepts. 

Using principles of Word Detectives methodologies to teach math is particularly useful for Benchmark students in two ways. First, our students are already familiar with the routines and terminology used in Word Detectives lessons. When these same structures are brought into math, they make new content more accessible by reducing cognitive load. This familiarity allows students to engage more deeply in learning and boosts their confidence—particularly for those with executive function challenges such as difficulties with working memory and sustained attention. Second, the foundational pedagogy of Word Detectives is very effective, and when transferred to math, it unlocks understanding and fosters active participation. This approach empowers students to articulate their thinking, deepen their conceptual understanding, and build number sense. We've seen students who once struggled grow into confident, capable problem-solvers—especially when they are equipped with tools they already use successfully in other parts of their day.

Two of the core routines from the Word Detectives program are the use of Key Words and the Talk to Yourself Chart. Key words are simple, high-frequency words that highlight the most common spelling patterns in English. Teachers guide students in analyzing these words using the Talk to Yourself Chart—a series of prompts such as: How many letters does the word have? How many sounds do you hear? What spelling patterns do you notice? This structured questioning helps students break down and understand how words are built, recognize patterns, and apply that knowledge to decode unfamiliar words.

These same routines that analyze words, so ingrained in our language arts classrooms, can be naturally applied to math instruction. Many Benchmark students struggle with traditional methods of learning multiplication facts, such as timed tests or flashcards. Instead of rote memorization, students use a multiplication chart that organizes facts by factors. Just as students use known vowel patterns to decode new words, they can use known factors to uncover new multiplication facts. Susan introduced this approach to her third-grade class, using a multiplication chart and the same familiar prompts from Word Detectives: “If I know..., then I know....” At first, students were hesitant, thinking the task was too hard. But when she reassured them using language from Word Detectives—“If you know 4 × 4 = 16, then you know 400 × 40 = 16,000”—they saw the connection and quickly began to apply these strategies successfully. Over time, students developed a deep understanding of multiplication as repeated addition and grasped the Commutative Property—that 4 × 6 is the same as 6 × 4. They also learned to identify multiples and factors, all through the use of an organized and structured visual model.

Susan also extended the “Looking Through Words” routine into math instruction to build number sense and attention to detail. In language arts, this routine starts with a simple word and changes one part at a time—by switching letters or adding syllables—until the student ends up with a more complex word. For example, a teacher might say, “If you have not and change the n to a c, then the word is...” and students reply, “cot.”

In math, Susan created a version called “Looking Through Numbers.” Starting with a number, she would change one digit in each step and ask students: What changed?  For example, she might guide students through the following: “If you start with 4,500 and end with 4,000, what changed?” The students respond, “You subtracted 500.” These small-step transformations allow students to think critically about place value and operations. In another example, for early algebra, a teacher might say, “If you start with x and end with x², what changed?” and students would answer, “You squared the x.”

This routine is especially helpful for building students’ critical thinking skills. Just as a student might misread the word “was” as “saw,” they might misread the number 21 as 12. Looking Through Words and Looking Through Numbers encourages students to slow down and pay attention to every letter or digit, and to recognize how its placement affects meaning or value. Because the structure of the routine is familiar, students engage readily, enjoy the activity, and experience success.

Over the past year, Susan has not only experimented with these two key literacy strategies but has also developed additional math routines to support math vocabulary and conceptual understanding. Through this work, she empowers her students to become confident and capable mathematical thinkers. By establishing consistent, familiar, and effective routines across disciplines, Susan helps students build lasting literacy skills, both in language and mathematics.