Adapting Math Story Problems for ESL Students
Making Word Problems Comprehensible for English Language Learners
Aug 17, 2009
Math is said to be a universal language. That may be true when working with naked numbers. But putting math into the context of stories or real life questions for problem solving elevates the language needs of ESL students to an entirely different level.
Children who are learning English as their second language can and do solve word problems. Some students may well be proficient in solving math story problems in their first language. But expecting teachers to translate story problems into languages other than English may not be practicable. Rather, ESL students will benefit from scaffolding both in terms of how math story problems are written and of their own learning strategies for understanding what the English problems are asking.
How to Write Math Story Problems for English Language Learners
The most important thing is to simplify the language, not the mathematics, of the story problems. Use short simple sentences, rather than long complex sentences. Avoid conjunctives.
For example, instead of: Alex had 20 books and he gave 12 of them to his friend Sarah.
Write: Alex had 20 books. He gave 12 to Sarah.
Or instead of: Kim has 7 cookies and Andy has 10 cookies. How many more cookies does Andy have than Kim?
Try: Kim has 7 cookies. Andy has 10 cookies. Who has more? How many more?
Relate the story problems to the students' prior knowledge and background. Use concrete vocabulary that is within the students' known speaking and reading vocabulary. For example, instead of using random names in problems (Ralph had 17 green blocks…), use the names of the students in the class.
Use drawings or other illustrations to accompany word problems when possible. A picture of key objects in the story problem or a simple graph might help students to picture what is being talked about, so they can focus on what is being asked.
Strategies to Help ESL Students Understand Math Word Problems in English
Explicitly teach key words and phrases that students will encounter in math story problems. For example, teach what is meant by the phrases, “how many all together,” “how many now,” or “how many are left.”
Start by using the same story problem templates repeatedly, inputting different numbers. Then change one or two parameters of the problem. For instance, for younger students if the problems involve how many books are being added or taken away, change the subject of the problem. Slowly make the problems more complex, taking the time to discuss the changes in language and what they mean.
Write math story problems by committee – a committee of students! Let ESL students have a role in creating the story problems to be used by the class. The students can help construct the details of the problem; the teacher can input appropriate numbers later.
Students may need coaching in how to discern what is being asked in various problem types. Discuss the problems with individual students to ensure they understand what they are reading. Encourage students to think out loud when reading and solving word problems in English.
When teachers learn to tweak their math story problems to meet the needs of ESL students and when they devise strategies for English language learners to better understand math story problems in English, they may find that all students – ELLs and native English speakers alike – will benefit from these adaptations.
Learn more about helping ESL students:
Supporting ESL Students in Inclusive Classrooms
Anchor Charts Help Scaffold ESL Math Learning
Strategies to Support ESL Students in Math
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