Activity time: 20 minutes
Types of media: Handout/s, Webpage, Helpsheet
Author
H Cooke (Unknown Institution)
Description
This resource identifies the key terms used in Mathematics assignments, defining them in a way in which assists student understanding of assignment titles and questions.
License
Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0
(This resource can be freely repurposed and reused)
Categories
Tags
Date Modified
Date Added
This information/resource was last updated in June 2021.
This post was originally added to LearnHigher on: January 9, 2012
About this resource
Adapted from Cooke, H (2003) ‘Success with Mathematics’ Routledge
| Adapt | indicate doing a mathematical activity and then reporting on the process and result |
| Apply | you must answer the question in a particular way indicated by whatever words immediately follow each of these cueing terms |
| Assume | you must answer the question in a particular way indicated by whatever words immediately follow each of these cueing terms |
| Attach | you need to provide evidence of having used something, for example a particular software package |
| Calculate | work out and show your working, using standard results and techniques |
| Compile (a table…) | you must answer the question in a particular way indicated by whatever words immediately follow each of these cueing terms |
| Confirm | you must justify each step and provide a convincing argument |
| Consider | you must answer the question in a particular way indicated by whatever words immediately follow each of these cueing terms |
| Construct | indicate doing a mathematical activity and then reporting on the process and result |
| Decide (if, whether…) | you must justify each step and provide a convincing argument |
| Deduce | you must justify each step and provide a convincing argument |
| Define (in terms of…) | you must answer the question in a particular way indicated by whatever words immediately follow each of these cueing terms |
| Demonstrate | you must justify each step and provide a convincing argument |
| Derive | you must justify each step and provide a convincing argument |
| Design | you must justify each step and provide a convincing argument |
| Determine | work out and show your working, using standard results and techniques; may also mean that you must justify each step and provide a convincing argument |
| Devise | indicate doing a mathematical activity and then reporting on the process and result |
| Differentiate | work out and show your working, using standard results and techniques |
| Draw | you must answer the question in a particular way indicated by whatever words immediately follow each of these cueing terms |
| Evaluate | work out and show your working, using standard results and techniques |
| Expand | work out and show your working, using standard results and techniques |
| Explain | you must justify each step and provide a convincing argument |
| Explore | indicate doing a mathematical activity and then reporting on the process and result |
| Express/Express briefly | write down without justification ie no working need be shown |
| Factorise | work out and show your working, using standard results and techniques |
| Find | work out and show your working, using standard results and techniques: may also indicate doing a mathematical activity and then reporting on the process and result |
| Give | write down without justification ie no working need be shown |
| Identify | you must justify each step and provide a convincing argument |
| Illustrate | you must justify each step and provide a convincing argument |
| Include | you need to provide evidence of having used something, for example a particular software package |
| Indicate | you must justify each step and provide a convincing argument |
| Integrate | work out and show your working, using standard results and techniques |
| Investigate | work out and show your working, using standard results and techniques |
| Justify | you must justify each step and provide a convincing argument |
| List | write down without justification ie no working need be shown |
| Make (a table, a list…) | you must answer the question in a particular way indicated by whatever words immediately follow each of these cueing terms |
| Obtain | indicate doing a mathematical activity and then reporting on the process and result |
| Plot | you must answer the question in a particular way indicated by whatever words immediately follow each of these cueing terms |
| PRedict | you must justify each step and provide a convincing argument |
| Produce | indicate doing a mathematical activity and then reporting on the process and result |
| Prove | you must justify each step and provide a convincing argument |
| Provide | you need to provide evidence of having used something, for example a particular software package |
| Show | you must justify each step and provide a convincing argument |
| Simplify | work out and show your working, using standard results and techniques |
| Sketch | you must answer the question in a particular way indicated by whatever words immediately follow each of these cueing terms |
| Solve | work out and show your working, using standard results and techniques |
| Specify | write down without justification ie no working need be shown |
| State | write down without justification ie no working need be shown |
| Submit (a printout, a list…) | you need to provide evidence of having used something, for example a particular software package |
| Supply | you need to provide evidence of having used something, for example a particular software package |
| Suppose | you must answer the question in a particular way indicated by whatever words immediately follow each of these cueing terms |
| Test | you must justify each step and provide a convincing argument |
| Transform | work out and show your working, using standard results and techniques |
| Translate | indicate doing a mathematical activity and then reporting on the process and result |
| Use | you must answer the question in a particular way indicated by whatever words immediately follow each of these cueing terms |
| Verify | you must justify each step and provide a convincing argument |
| Write down | write down without justification ie no working need be shown |