Unit 5 Post

This week I came across an amazing article by Emily Monaco. It is all about teaching math to ELs. It focuses in on how Mathematics and Language acquisition can be taught at the same time in the same class. The teacher just needs to be educated on how to do that.  Two quotes that caught my attention were:

“In fact, if you have the tools you need to succeed, teaching math and ESL together can be an incredibly rewarding experience, both for you and for your students.”

                                AND

“The idea of teaching both ESL and math at the same time might seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. In fact, many experts agree that teaching another subject is a great way to enhance ESL teaching.”

Yes! You can teach your students the language while also learning the content! Yes! It can be a rewarding experience! Some of the biggest growth I see in my math classes can be from ESL students. And really, as a teacher, what is more rewarding than seeing your students grow.

This article is broken down into teaching math to beginner ESLs, intermediate ESLs, and advanced ESLs. The suggestions for teaching beginner ELs are:

.  Begin with teaching your students the mathematical vocabulary they will need.

.  Once your students have the words that they need, you can begin presenting basic math problems to them. 4+2=6

·        .  Reinforce some of the new skills they have been taught with games and activities. The article suggests Zip, Zap, Zop. Bungabaloo (This online math game) and Math Bingo (Math BINGO).

.

There are more suggestions for intermediate ELs and advanced ELs in the article here.