We know that students who are still learning English often struggle with reading—but they also perform lower in math. This doesn’t have to be the case. I recently observed math lessons at San Tan Heights Elementary School, a public school outside of Phoenix, Arizona, with a high multilingual learner population and rising student achievement. Teachers there used clear routines that got all students talking about math concepts. Students worked on word problems that were both accessible and rigorous, and they explored math topics in hands-on ways.
Let’s look at five tried-and-true strategies I observed at San Tan Heights that promote mathematical understanding among multilingual students.
1. Take an Asset-Based Approach to Instruction
For starters, it’s important to capitalize on what students already know and can do—and build off that. Before diving into a new concept, revisit a previous related lesson. This builds confidence and activates prior knowledge.
Too often, we hear, “They need more English before they can _____.” That undervalues the conceptual understandings students may already have in other languages. Consider pairing students who are still developing their skills in English with a proficient bilingual student. This will enable them to explain concepts in whichever language they’re most comfortable with, while receiving English language support. You may even find that the English learner is helping their bilingual peer with a math concept! It’s important to monitor this collaboration to ensure both students are on the right track. Support staff, such as English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers, can help identify the best way to bridge concepts from a student’s first language to English.
As math becomes more complex, students need new vocabulary to express themselves mathematically.
Technology can help here as well. Translation tools and multilingual supports can bridge understanding. Also, not every student might have a classmate who shares their language; for those students, visual models, manipulatives, and translation tools become especially important supports.
2. Pre-Teach Common Math Vocabulary and Sentence Structures
Math concepts and language development are intertwined. As math becomes more complex, students need new vocabulary to express themselves mathematically.
Before the lesson, identify words, such as “ratio” or “fraction,” that might be difficult for multilingual learners. Pre-teach sentence structures such as, “I notice…” and “I wonder…” to support dialogue. To articulate solutions to multiplication problems, pre-teach structures like “[___] groups of [___] equal______.” Then set up a word wall in class that students can reference. For example, you might pair a vocabulary word like “fraction” with an image of pizza slices. Then have students practice using new vocabulary words through conversation and assignments. AI tools can help you generate student-friendly definitions, sentence frames, and personalized vocabulary lists and practice activities.
Give students the opportunity to activate all four language domains in math class: reading, writing, speaking, and listening.
Give students the opportunity to activate all four language domains in math class: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Instead of only relying on slides (reading) and taking notes (writing), have students use the new vocabulary in dialogue with their peers. For example, provide students with a model problem that is solved incorrectly. Ask them to critique the problem with a partner, sharing how they might solve it differently, and why. Activate productive language (speaking and writing) and receptive language (reading and listening) every day.
3. Use Consistent Mathematical Routines
Math routines give multilingual learners safe and familiar structures to practice math skills and discourse. Through regular use, they internalize routines and vocabulary in a social and low-stakes environment.
For example, students might use personal whiteboards (a piece of paper in a sheet protector works, too) to show their work to the teacher for a quick check for understanding of previous concepts and fluency practice. This familiar routine typically addresses topics that students have already learned, and the predictable structure facilitates peer-to-peer discussions with more ease.
In one 1st grade classroom I visited, a boy who couldn’t explain how to solve a subtraction problem to me in English easily demonstrated the solution using number discs.
In another strategy Which One Doesn’t Belong, students are presented with an image that depicts four different items; these could be shapes, numbers, or mathematical representations. Their task is to pick one item and explain why the other three share something that it doesn’t. With the reminder that there’s no one right or wrong answer here, students engage in meaningful math conversation with a partner to explain why they think that chosen item doesn’t belong.
The Four Corners strategy incorporates movement: you present a problem, statement, or question to the class and post a possible solution, response, or opinion in the corners of the room. Students move to the corner that best represents their take on the problem and then they discuss their rationale for having chosen that response. Again, listening and responding activate both productive and receptive language domains.
4. Make Word Problems Relatable and Readable
At San Tan Heights, a 4th grade teacher made word problems accessible and engaging by including familiar food items, locations, and names without sacrificing rigor or grade-level expectations.
Consider the 1st grade word problems below. The math rigor is developmentally appropriate; the language is simple and has been clarified with visual aids. This ensures language comprehension doesn’t stand in the way of a student’s ability to demonstrate their knowledge and skills in math class.
AI tools can help generate or revise rigorous word problems to better match students’ cultural backgrounds. Likewise, ESL teachers can help you adapt word problems for your multilingual learners—not to make them easier, just more accessible.
5. Think Beyond the Standard Algorithm
In addition to teaching the standard algorithm (the step-by-step, conventional method for solving mathematical problems), show students how to use pictorial models, like the tape diagram, which represents quantities with rectangular bars. Show them how to use concrete objects, like discs or cubes, to build understanding of concepts like subtraction and place value.
These strategies should be at the center of instruction for students who are acquiring English language skills. In one 1st grade classroom I visited, a boy who couldn’t explain how to solve a subtraction problem to me in English easily demonstrated the solution using number discs. Everyday objects like cut-up colored pieces of paper and even virtual tools can support hands-on learning if manipulatives aren’t available. Moreover, students can practice at home using these tools.
Short videos can also help. During one school visit, I saw a teacher show an animated video of a roller coaster in action before diving into a lesson on slope and steepness. The video communicated entirely through visuals and was totally accessible to multilingual learners. It sparked a great class discussion, building engagement before the teacher got into the more complex parts of the lesson.
An Approach That Pays Off
When teachers make language an intentional part of math instruction, they don’t just help multilingual learners grasp mathematical content—they nurture confidence, curiosity, and a sense of belonging that carries across all subjects.