MathematicsMathsMiddle schoolKey Stage 3
How to teach math to English language learners
Three ELL math strategies: give the key terms in each student's home language, teach the words before the problems, and match each question to the student's math level. A free linear equations activity does all three in each student's chat.
Jemel Fanfan | Founding Member at Flint
"I used Flint to review a chapter prior to an assessment. The students could translate the terms into their native language to learn the content better. Flint was also able adapt and put together questions suitable for the students' ability."
Khim Tiam Lur, MYP Math Teacher at Changchun American International SchoolWhy this matters
In one math class, a student who solved equations easily at her last school, in Spanish, sits next to a classmate who speaks Spanish at home, reads English well, and still guesses at algebra. A word problem that says "twice" and "less than" stops the first student before she writes an equation. Both hand in a wrong answer, and the teacher can't tell a language gap from a math gap until the unit test.
Math strategies for multilingual learners
Multilingual learners, often called English language learners (ELLs), don't need to wait until their English is "good enough" to learn grade-level math. Build on what they already know in any language, and teach the math words before the problems (Stacy Fitzwater Domingo, ASCD).
- Give the key terms in the student's home language
- Teach the words before the problems
- Match each question to the student's math level
No teacher can translate every term into every student's language and adjust every question for 30 students. Sparky, Flint's AI tutor, does it in each student's chat.
One word problem, practiced by two multilingual learners
Both students are in the same unit review on writing and solving linear equations from word problems. The activity is in English, with Spanish as a secondary language. Each student has their own chat with Sparky.
Diego
Diego
Hola. Entiendo las ecuaciones, pero no entiendo bien los problemas en inglés.
Sparky
Understanding check
Diego
2n − 5 = 17. n = 11.Sparky
Diego
20 + 5g = 35 + 2g. 3g = 15, g = 5.Sparky
Got the words in Spanish, then solved a harder problem
Mia
Mia
I speak Spanish at home, but I read English fine. Equations are hard for me.Sparky
Understanding check
Mia
2n − 5 = 17. Then 2n = 12, so n = 6?Sparky
Mia
Add 5. So 2n = 22.Sparky
Mia
n = 11.Sparky
Fixed one step, then solved it
Diego gets the words he was missing in Spanish and moves to a harder problem in English. Mia reads the problem fine, so Sparky stays in English and checks her algebra one step at a time. The students and chats are examples we wrote for this page. The secondary language lets Sparky use Spanish, and the activity's guidelines tell Sparky to list the unit's key words in the student's home language before the first problem.
How to tell a language gap from a math gap
Sparky grades each chat against your rubric. The activity page shows who needs help right now, what the class understood, and what to practice next.
Example activity page
After a class finishes the linear equations review
The school and students are made up for this page. In this example, the class solves the equations once they're written, and the area to practice is reading "less than".
Set up the activity for free
The linear equations review is in Flint's public library, with Sparky's role, guidelines, greeting and a rubric already written. Open it, select Use activity to copy it into a free Flint account, and move it to a class. Every student gets their own chat with Sparky, and the activity page fills in as they work.
For students who speak other languages at home, open the activity's Language settings and add those languages under Secondary language(s), or pick All languages. In the activity's Preview tab, select Try session myself to test the activity as a student before you assign it.
To review your own chapter, attach the chapter review in Guidelines for Sparky and add this line:
Example guideline
Take every problem from the chapter review I attached. Before the first problem, list the chapter's key terms in English with the student's home language next to each one.
For more math activities, see Flint for math.
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