The language of math

For many educators, the challenge of bringing language and math instruction together is a relatively new. ELL (English Language Learner) teachers who hadn't taught content areas previously are now being asked to lead or support instruction in the math classroom, and many math teachers who don't see themselves as language instructors are now responsible for providing effective math instruction to ELLs.

 

Having that in mind, I would like to share some language that can be used during math lesson to help you and your students communicate better. When going around the room or conferring with a student individually, ask them questions that elicit their thinking and allow them to get to the next level!

When you ask…	Students
·         What is the problem asking? ·         How will you use that information? ·         What other information do you need? ·         Why did you choose that operation? ·         What is another way to solve that problem? ·         What did you do first?  Why? ·         What can you do if you don’t know how to solve a problem? ·         Have you solved a similar problem? ·         Describe what you already tried.  What might you change? ·         How do you know your answer makes sense? ·         How else might you organize…represent…show…?	Make sense of problems and preserve in solving them
·         What other operation or property could you have used to represent this situation? ·         What properties did you use to find the answer? ·         How do you know your answer is reasonable? ·         What do the numbers or variables used in this problem represent? ·         What is a situation that could be represented by this equation?  How is ____ related to ____? ·         What is the relationship between ____ and ____? ·         What does____ mean to you?	Reason abstractly and quantitatively
·         Will that method always work? ·         How do you know your answer is correct? ·         What do you think about what he/she said? ·         Who can tell us about a different method? ·         What do you think will happen if ____? ·         When would that not be true? ·         Why do you agree/disagree with what he/she said? ·         How does that drawing support your work? ·         What mathematical evidence would support your solution? ·         How could you prove that ___? ·         What were you considering when___? ·         Did you try a method that did not work?  Why didn’t it work? ·         If I told you I think the answer should be (offer a wrong answer), how would you explain to me why I’m wrong?	Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others
·         Why is that a good model for this problem? ·         How can you use a simpler problem to help you find the answer? ·         What conclusions can you make from your model? ·         How would you change your model if___? ·         What are some ways to visually represent the problem situation, e.g., picture, numbers, diagrams, graphs, tables? ·         What is an equation or expression that matches the diagram, number line, chart, table, etc…? ·         How would it help to create a diagram, graph, table, etc…? ·         What are some ways to visually represent ___?	Model with mathematics
When you ask…	Students
·         What mathematical tools could you use to visualize, represent and solve the problem? ·         What strategy could you use to make that calculation easier? ·         How would estimation help you solve that problem? ·         What estimate did you make for the solution? ·         Why did you decide to use ___? ·         Why is this tool (the one selected) better to use than (another tool mentioned)? ·         What do you know that is not stated in the problem? ·         In this situation would it be helpful to use a graph, number line, ruler, diagram, calculator, manipulative, etc…?	Use appropriate tools strategically
·         How do you know your answer is reasonable? ·         How can you use math vocabulary in your explanation? ·         How do you know those answers are equivalent? ·         What does that mean? ·         Explain to me (a term from the lesson). ·         What mathematical terms apply to this situation? ·         What would be a more efficient strategy? ·         What mathematical language, definitions, properties can you use to explain___? ·         How could you test your solution to see if it answers the problem? ·         What units of measure are you using?	Attend to precision
·         How did you discover that pattern? ·         What other patterns can you find? ·         What rule did you use to make this group? ·         Why can you use that property in this problem? ·         How is that like___? ·         What observations do you make about___? ·         How do you know if something is a pattern? ·         What ideas that we have learned before were useful in solving this problem? ·         In what ways does this problem connect to other mathematical concepts?	Look for and make use of structure
·         What do you remember about ___? ·         What happens when ____? ·         What if you ___ instead of ___? ·         What might be shortcut for ___? ·         Explain how this strategy could work in other situations? ·         What is happening in this situation? ·         Is there a mathematical rule for ___? ·         What predictions or generalizations can this pattern support? ·         Can you make a rule or generalization?	Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning

Content adapted from: http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/30570/ and Pasco School District resources.