Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of teaching daily math word problems in a 3rd-6th grade ELL classroom on math vocabulary use and math word problem and place value comprehension. This teacher research study used a pre and post word problem test graded on a 16 point scale and a frequency tally to track math vocabulary use. The results showed a small increase in word problem comprehension and a large increase in math vocabulary frequency. While math problems help some students’ math comprehension, the written format in English combined with the students’ lower English reading ACCESS scores, prevented many from benefiting in regards to comprehension. This study did show that daily implementation of math word problems in the classroom greatly increased use and understanding of English math vocabulary.

Keywords: ELL, ESL, Elementary Math Instruction, Math Instruction for ELLs, Teaching Math Vocabulary to ELLs

How to Cite:

Valley, V., (2019) “The Impact of Math Vocabulary on Conceptual Understanding for ELLs”, Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research 21(2). doi: https://doi.org/10.4148/2470-6353.1278