Recognizing, understanding and supporting the development of mathematical vocabulary

Missy Butki – Math Consultant and Coach Lake Orion Community Schools

Vocabulary Warm Up

• Mathoo – A Vocabulary Game» (Teacher Pay Teacher – Schoolhouse Divas $3.00)

– Grades 4 – 8– 100 CCSS vocab cards– Compare to Taboo™

Categories

De-Brief Mathoo Game

• What were some challenges?

Language Challenges

• Recognizing the difficulty and challenges of the language

– “A plane is a perfectly flat surface.”

• Air-plane• Plain - noun• Plain - adjective

Language Challenges

• Understanding some common difficulties

• “To be more aware of, and sensitive to, issues of mathematical language acquisition and to be more creative and persistent in finding ways to support children’s learning, teachers must first understand children’s diffculties in making sense of mathematical language.”

• Rubenstein and Thompson 2002• http://www.fredonia.edu/faculty/education/pickr

eign/edu640/TCM2002-10-107a.pdf

Vocabulary Difficulties and Examples

• Take a minute to read the following table

Where do they belong?

• Grade 1: square, foot, odd

• Grade 2: cube, cent, face, sum

• Grade 3: scale, factor/multiple, dividend, polygon, round

• Grade 4: pictograph, isosceles, slide

• Grade 5: radius/diameter, similar

Language Challenges

• Supporting the development of mathematical vocabulary

• Knowing the vocabulary prior, during, and after your grade level– Recognizing words that are new or concurrent

Lake Orion Math Vocabulary Vertical Alignment

Grade 0 Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 55 group 5 group 5 groups addend acute angle acute triangle10 group 10 group add addition acute triangle additive comparison10 stick 10 stick addend adjacent addend areaadd add adding up a.m. adjacent associativeaddition sign addend analog clock analog clock algebraic notation basearrangement addition story problem angle angle analog clock benchmarkattribute break-apart array area angle centimeterbreak apart circle bar graph array area closed shapecapacity circle drawing break apart associative array common denominatorcategory clock cent axis associative communatativecentimeter cube column centimeter bar graph bar graph comparisoncircle compare cent sign capacity break apart comparison barsclassify comaparison bars clock centimeter center composite solidcombine cone column column centimeter concave polygoncompare corner compare commutative circle convex polygoncompose count comparison bars comparison bar circle graph coordinate planecone count on count all concave column cubic unitcorners cube count on convex common denominator decimal

Lake Orion Math Vocabulary Vertical Alignment

greater 0greater than 1greater than 2greater than 3greater than 4greater than 5

hexagon 0

hexagon 1

hexagon 2

hexagon 3

line plot 2

line plot 3

line plot 4

line plot 5

line segment 2

line segment 3

line segment 4

place value 3

place value 4

place value drawing 4

place value method 5

place value sections 4

place value sections 5

Language Learning Strategies

• There is more than just Word Walls!

• Check out the envelope with over 30 ideas.

Other resources

– http://amathsdictionaryforkids.com/dictionary.html

– http://www.creativemathematics.com/cgi-script/CSDownload/forms/downloads.cfm