In my district, NC Math 1 is usually the first academic core class that high school newcomer MLs have on their schedule, and while that class may not require as much reading in English as a history class, the spoken language of math poses its own challenges. Consider: we use the word “times” to indicate multiplication, “twelve divided by four” is completely different from “twelve divided into four,” and we use cardinal numbers to name numerators but ordinal numbers for denominators. Unless it’s one-half, of course. What a mess!
Students need help to make sense of this academic language so they can understand instruction and can gain confidence in their ability to express their math knowledge. Unfortunately, ESL curricula don’t adequately address the language of math, if they give it any coverage at all. But your students can turn a simple manila folder into an invaluable, interactive resource to help them learn the language of math.
In this workshop, you will see an example of a math resource folder, create a few interactive components for a folder of your own, and get ideas for practice activities to reinforce math language in ESL classes. Finally, you will leave with templates that you can use, or customize, to create the components with your students. Come ready to cut and glue! No artistic experience necessary!
