Required to follow the strict standardized testing guidelines, I was not allowed to answer that question, and just remarked, "Trust yourself, and do your best. I am not allowed to answer that question." After that, many more students came up to ask, and others showed signs of puzzlement and confusion as they read the question. Not surprisingly, our grade level did not do well on that question.
Every year there's at least one phrase or word that we miss. I remember many of the words including square and compound word. As I looked at the new PARCC test examples, I noticed the word "graph" used in place of "write" and I started using the word, but I can imagine that would be a word that would confuse children this year and next before we incorporate it into our math program in a broader way.
Standardized tests have illustrated the confusion students have when it comes to the language of math. Sometimes your best mathematicians get stuck on a problem simply because they can't understand the language. That is particularly true for our English Language Learners. Many who come from strong math traditions in their home countries, yet puzzle over multi-step word problems because they don't understand the language.
The recent RETELL class I took introduced me to many ways to integrate language study into mathematics, and I offer this lesson including the seven-step vocabulary method and sentence frames as one way to build students' understanding of fractions.
First, when students enter in the morning, they'll work with the tiered words, sentence frames, and each other to puzzle through the language. That will warm everyone up.
Next, we'll complete the seven-step method for the tier one words, common math vocabulary that often hinder a child's ability to solve problems correctly.
After that, like-ability partners will complete the first problem, check in with me, then continue to complete and create problems.
In the end, it is my hope, that every child will be better able to understand the language related to fractions and the process of explaining their thinking well.
- I will remind students before they work with partners that I will be looking for their precision and perseverance, their stick-to-itness when it comes to discussing the problem together, and looking for ways to solve the problem. I will be listening for that academic language.
- The problem solving sheet is set up for quantitative and abstract reasoning--it leads students through this process.
- Students will use the sentence frames to construct viable arguments, and they will work with partners to critique the reasoning of others.
- The models in the packet will provide students with appropriate tools.
- When students check-in with me with problem #1, I'll look for precision. If the solution is not precise, I'll guide their revision.
- The worksheet provides guided structure for problem solving.
- The worksheet sentence frames guides students' efforts to look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.
- I designed this lesson to integrate the Standards of Mathematical Practice.
Note: Using Google's newly improved "Research Tools" truly simplifies the vocabulary work you can do to prepare for teaching. In this regard you simply open up a document, create a vocabulary chart, click "tools," and choose "research." Then you can search for images, definitions, information, etymology and more. It's an amazing tool that will make your lesson planning more efficient and personalized. A colleague showed me this tool after attending a recent Google Summit--amazing!
After note:
A couple days after teaching this lesson, a word included in the activity showed up on an assessment. One child came to me and said, "I don't know what relationship means?" My ELL student replied,
"You weren't here. We studied that word this week. That's why you don't know it?" Affirmation that this is a powerful approach, one I can't forget to include in future units.
