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This page outlines a possible steps teachers might take as they support multi-lingual learners with their mathematics learning.
The process is flexible, with the key purposes of:
identifying and leveraging students' strengths;
providing effective accommodations;
supporting the students during learning; and
gathering assessment information for learning.
Review the student's Assessments and EPP in S4S.
A Case Study -- Grade 5 MLL
STEP 1 Oral, STEP 1 Reading, STEP 1 Writing
Moved to Canada this summer from Ukraine
L1 - Russian at home; prior schooling is in Ukrainian
Reads and writes fluently in both L1
Some oral English language use (e.g. uses a translation app on the iPad for speech to print, Russian)
Reading level 17 - great at decoding at this level, comprehension is good, but difficult for him to express ideas in English (orally or in writing)
Math Diagnostic - adds, subtracts up to 4 digit numbers, multiplication fact recall is excellent, no prior schooling in division, fractions and decimal numbers
With the following specific accommodations and scaffolding, student can engage in grade level tasks (i.e. no formal modified plan in place at this time)
use of L1
pre-teach vocabulary, personal word bank and visual dictionary
sentence frames
manipulative models to support math learning
Review the mathematical curriculum expectations and key learning goals for this topic.
Consider the language demands of this content:
describing repeating, growing and shrinking pattern ("The total decreases by 15 each time.")
explaining / describing pattern rules ("Each week, there is $15 less in the bank account.")
describing patterns in the place value system (among whole numbers and decimal tenths and hundredths)
Select a problem to engage the students in this learning.
Note: this problem was selected from MathUP Grade 5
Consider the language demands of this task:
What is the mathematical learning goal for this task?
Students will describe and extend a shrinking pattern.
What academic language will be developed through this task?
descriptive language to describe the shrinking pattern
explaining how they made predictions with the support of a table of values
What vocabulary will students need to engage in this task?
bank account, dollars, table row and column, subtraction, decrease, "take out", withdraw, repeating, predict
Consider essential accommodations that will support the student through this new learning.
Review the Planning and Programming Strategies section of the student's S4S ELL Program Plan pages
The following documents also provide many suggestions:
Identify or select strategies to support student learning.
Preparing for the lesson / adapting the task:
simplify the language of the problem prompt
provide talk-time for the student to discuss the problem situation
plan for collaborative learning to support oral language
add visuals and manipulatives (play money) to the problem to support vocabulary
reduce the number of problem prompts
During the Lesson:
model the task through think aloud with actions - anchor vocabulary through this example, using play money to model context
use gestures and demonstrate using manipulative materials
strategically use the student's L1 (peer support)
Pose the adapted problem and support the student during the task.
Some possible supports include:
๐ธ Posing problem with actions and manipulatives as you explain the task
๐ธ Posing the problem in a Google Doc so the student can use Google Translate and/or Google Read and Write to have the text read aloud
๐ธ Simplifying the language for the problem prompt
๐ธ Incorporating manipulatives (play money)
๐ธ Consider including a simple table to assist organizing the information
๐ธ Providing sentence frames for explaining the pattern rule
๐ธ Reducing the quantity of problems
๐ธ Collaborative (partner) work during the task to support oral language development
๐ธ Supporting the student with prompts and questions during the task
๐ธ Developing word banks to support descriptive and comparative language (shrinking, table, change, decrease)
๐ธ Gathering evidence of learning to support future planning (observations, conversations, the created patterns / student work)
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