Math instruction for ELs

I'm going to start a series of emails focusing on teaching different content areas to ELs. Even if you don't teach that specific area, maybe you help students with it sometimes (I have become very proficient at freshman algebra and US History this year!) or can apply some of the advice to your own content area.


When we think about math, it's usually not one of the main content areas that we're worried about for our ELs. People think that math doesn't require language, and it's true that it does need LESS language than a class like science or history. However, there is still a language requirement as teachers explain how to do problems, as students read directions, and when students do word problems. Therefore, it's vital that we take steps to help our ELs manage this language load.


Here are a few common areas in which ELs run into difficulty in math classes, and what teachers can do to help them.

  • Prepositions. Prepositions are really hard for ELs because they vary so much between languages. I've probably used this one as an example before because it's one of my favorites, but why in English do we say "in a car" but "on a bus"? Make sure you clarify however you can (explaining more, rephrasing, writing it out) when these prepositions come up. Example: "Sam saved a total of $6 over 3 weeks." Students might not understand that Sam saved $6 throughout the whole 3 weeks.
  • Proper nouns. Students might get hung up on names like "Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium" or "Shioban's Sundae Shop" in a word problem. Teach them that names aren't vital to understanding the problem, and that they could replace them with easier words (like "toy store" or "ice cream shop") or even the initials.
  • Homonyms. Does anyone remember the "Immersion" video I've talked about before with the little Spanish-speaking boy named Moises in math class? The teacher said the word "block" and he immediately thought of the little yellow cubes that they use in math class, but really she was talking about a city block. Another word that could be confusing is "degree" - does it mean temperature, or academics, or an angle? It might be helpful for ELs to look up translations of these words, or have them preemptively explained before doing a problem.
  • Numbers. Did you know that numbers in Arabic are different? I didn't know that until this year when I saw the clock on a student's phone. Here's what they look like:

CAN YOU EVEN IMAGINE having to learn new numbers along with every new word?? It boggles my mind, so understandably, Arabic-speaking students might make some basic mistakes with numbers. They also have to learn to read and do math in a different direction! Even if the numbers are the same, students might write them slightly differently. I've noticed that my Togolese students sometimes get confused between 1 and 7. They're not used to the straight one-line one that we usually use. I had a Togolese student write out the numbers as they learn them in Togo:


So if you notice students making mistakes with numbers, emphasize to them that they need to look carefully, and maybe study their numbers!

  • Long chunks of text. ELs often get overwhelmed when faced with lots to read, whether it's numbers or text. If you break a big chunk into smaller pieces or put in bullet points, that can significantly help.
  • Complex language. Sometimes, we use more words, or more difficult words, than we need to to say something. For native-English speaking students, this is a good thing because it increases their vocabulary and the lexile level of text. For ELs, however, it can prevent them from adequately understanding a problem. Consider simplifying the language of word problems. Imagine trying to read this in a language that you are learning: "Remember that if the whole number factor is divisible by the denominator of the fraction factor, you can divide first and then multiply." You could also provide word bank, choose important words for them to translate, or give them a bilingual glossary (let me know if you want one!).
  • Cultural issues. There also can be cultural divides between problems and the students reading them. Something that may be everyday and understandable to a student who grew up in the US may be incomprehensible to an EL. For example, there could be a question about candles on a cake. An EL might not understand that we stick small candles into cakes for birthdays, and instead might wonder why someone is stacking candles on top of each other on a cake.

I hope you find this helpful and/or interesting! If you have any questions about this or concerns about any of your students, shoot me an email!