I spend a lot of time in classrooms working around word problems. One of the things I find myself constantly coming back to with students is "Think like a reader:" use schema, make predictions, infer, VISUALIZE...that is what good thinkers do. Asking students to draw what they are seeing happening in the problem is an important step. That drawing can be a true drawing, a number line, a tape diagram, or anything else that helps them make sense. Are they thinking through the problem or are they just pulling the numbers and computing without making sense?
I also use numberless word problems a lot. Numberless word problems give students the opportunity to see the problem as a story and to make sense of it without worrying about the numbers. Once you have practiced this strategy in class, it is a strategy they can refer to independently when they come across a word problem that confuses them.
Manipulatives are important, too. CRA instruction helps us to build the visual into the child's mind by using tools to represent the math. This is important for all students and provides equity in instruction.
There are many websites with visual representations. One of the best is Math Visuals. Berkeley Everett has created a treasure trove of visuals for the K-5 classroom. His short videos to accompany skills like counting and computing are a fabulous resource, but they are just the beginning. He brings visual supports to understanding mathematical properties and making connections through visuals, too. In addition, his Math Flips cards are well worth the time to cut out and use with all of your students.
Many other awesome websites exist, too, that are very visual. Math is Visual, Fraction Talks, Same or Different, Number Talk Images, and Slow Reveal Graphs are just a few of the visual resources that may help you and your students make more sense of mathematical concepts.
Visual math is for all students. We have to be careful not to assume they can see it in their heads. We have to help them see it in their heads...Visuals help students to make sense. They help students to look for patterns. Visuals help students to answer the question, "What does the data tell us?"
In what ways can you provide your students with more visuals? This is an important area for all of us to grow.