Linguistic challenges in geometry: Making the mathematical content accessible to include all students

In previous research, geometry has been revealed as an issue for many students. For the students to grasp the area of geometry, the students need specific reading skills since much of the texts are multimodal. However, studies examining students' reading strategies when approaching mathematical texts barely exist. In this chapter, a study is presented concerning 18 students with different achievement levels in Grades 1, 4, and 7 reading strategies when approaching the mathematical content geometry in their mathematical textbook. The theoretical framework that informs the study is a coordination of the reciprocal teaching model and systemic functional linguistics. Before the study is presented, the complexity of mathematical texts in geometry is discussed. The chapter ends with solutions and recommendations for teaching activities to support the students' reading skills in geometry and, thereby, their mathematical knowledge.