The Technical Subtechnical Nontechnical Vocabulary Model: Helping Students to Make Sense of Math Story Problems

Abstract Despite proficient math skills, students may struggle to make sense of and solve story problems. While educators are encouraged to promote the use of comprehension strategies, students must first understand vocabulary at all levels as they work to make sense of and solve math story problems. Language skills are a prerequisite for schema construction, which mediate the language‐related pathway to solving story problems. In this article, we examine the role of language in making sense of math story problems and discuss the types of vocabulary to consider. We provide the Technical Subtechnical Nontechnical (TSN) Vocabulary Model as an instructional planning tool to assist in supporting all students to make sense of math story problems, along with examples of how to use the tool to plan for instruction.