Math Language Routines That Help Multilingual Students Succeed

As mathematics educators, how can we go beyond vocabulary lists and help students—especially multilingual learners—really understand, use, and develop academic language in mathematics? Language routines are one answer.

What Are Language Routines?

Language routines are brief, flexible instructional moves that can be embedded within classroom activities. They help students participate, solve problems, share their thinking, and learn math while simultaneously developing academic language.

In the classroom, language routines are facilitated by the teacher and provide scaffolding and predictability to promote students’ understanding and production of language. Over time, these routines become habits of mind for students, and they eventually start using them independently.¹

Four Principles for Mathematics Language Development

To know when to use language routines and how to implement them effectively during math class, it helps to understand four principles for designing and planning instruction that promote language development, as identified by the Understanding Language initiative at Stanford University.²

• Support sensemaking: Expand and explain language rather than water it down. Pause to explore language—for example, in a word problem—and help students collaboratively determine what it means.
• Optimize output: Provide meaningful, authentic reasons for students to express their thinking—such as explaining a strategy—through oral, visual, and written formats. Aim for a classroom where each student uses language to express ideas to a group, teacher, or partner every day.
• Cultivate conversations: Give students opportunities to engage back and forth with peers so they can hear or see in writing how others use language—such as when describing data—and fine-tune their own language.
• Maximize linguistic and cognitive meta-awareness: Help students reflect on their thinking and the relationship between ideas and language—for example, how using precise mathematical terms impacts communication—and how language works.

Because language routines are based on these principles, using them helps students learn math while simultaneously developing academic language. These routines encourage collaboration, sharing of ideas, and a positive classroom culture where mistakes and risk-taking are viewed as opportunities for growth.³

When and How to Use Language Routines in Math Class

Teacher’s guides often suggest appropriate places to embed language routines, but they can be implemented any time there is an opportunity to boost students’ understanding, expression, or awareness of language. For example:

• Before students begin solving a math problem: Try, “Let’s take a minute to make sure everyone understands the problem. We can use [language routine] here.” Depending on the complexity of the language in the problem—such as embedded clauses, unfamiliar vocabulary, and visuals—Three Reads, Say It Another Way, Notice and Wonder, or Act It Out can be helpful. Co-Craft Questions can also encourage students to analyze how language is used in math problems.
• When students share or present their ideas orally or in writing: Ask, “Can other people understand your strategy? Is your writing clear? Let’s do [language routine] to work on that.” Have partners help each other revise and refine ideas using Stronger and Clearer Each Time. Or use Compare and Connect to help students articulate how underlying mathematical ideas, patterns, and structures are related, alike, or different.
• When students engage in taking turns and building on others’ ideas: These situations often involve students explaining or justifying ideas to partners or small groups. Ask, “Can you explain why that strategy works? Does your explanation make sense? Let’s use [language routine] to make sure you've included everything.” Consider using Stronger and Clearer Each Time, Collect and Display, or Compare and Connect.
• When reinforcing vocabulary or exploring how English works: Pause to ask students what words or phrases would be helpful in a response and make a Co-Constructed Word Bank. Use Three Reads to dig into sentence meaning and structure and Say It Another Way to guide students to rephrase everyday language as mathematical, academic language.

Once students have experienced a language routine a few times, they will be comfortable with it and know what to do when the routine is suggested. Using language routines regularly gives students the consistent, supported opportunities they need to develop academic language and mathematical understanding.

¹Kelemanik et al., 2016
²Zwiers et al., 2017
³Kersaint et al., 2013

Want to learn more about our core mathematics curriculum that tightly integrates language routines? Check out i-Ready Classroom Mathematics.

More Resources for You:
Improving Mathematical Understanding: Giving Every Student a Voice
Make Mathematics about Meaning—Not Mnemonics—to Boost Math Scores
A Deeper Approach to Math Practice Adds Up to Big Results

Sources: 
Kelemanik, G., Lucenta, A., & Creighton, S. J. (2016). Routines for reasoning: Fostering the mathematical practices in all students. Heinemann.
Zwiers, J., Dieckmann, J., Rutherford-Quach, S., Daro, V., Skarin, R., Weiss, S., & Malamut, J. (2017). Principles for the design of mathematics curricula: Promoting language and content development. Retrieved from Stanford University, UL/SCALE website: http://ell.stanford.edu/content/mathematics-resources-additional-resources
Kersaint, G., Thompson, D. R., & Petkova, M. (2013). Teaching mathematics to English language learners. Routledge.