The Language of Math
Material is curated in separate portals for kids, parents, and educators.
“Kids’ Place” contains a variety of games to practice math concepts.
“Parents’ Place” has many resources to support a child’s math learning, including an eGlossary by grade (based on the US Curriculum), ideas for how math concepts can be reinforced through activities at home, and suggestions for books that highlight particular math concepts. Teachers and SLPs can access these resources for ideas on homework activities.
"101 questions for math journals" provides prompts for narrative writing on math concepts, which can help consolidate learning of new math vocabulary (Gillam, Holbrook, & Westenskow, 2016).
Other Considerations
Effective vocabulary instruction provides students with opportunities to interact with target words frequently and in different contexts (Beck et al., 2013). Engaging students in a variety of activities that relate to target words is one way to achieve this. Below are some resources to support this goal. Click each resource title to access the resource.
Includes student-friendly definitions and illustrations of math terms (Kindergarten to Grade 12).
Also includes fun activities to practice math concepts.
Contains student friendly definitions with interactive activities to deepen understanding of the terms.
Includes definitions for mathematical terms with a grade level breakdown (Kindergarten to Grade 6)
Provides an illustration of math vocabulary and concepts through flashcards.
Vocabulary is broken down by grade level.
#2) Provide Student-Friendly Definitions
Once target vocabulary words have been chosen, you can select student-friendly definitions that will help your students learn the vocabulary words. The resources below contain student-friendly definitions for math concepts. Click each resource title to access the resource.
Provides a breakdown of curriculum expectations by grade level (Grades 1-8), including concepts and vocabulary that students are expected to learn.
Contains a glossary (pages 120-134) that can be used to find definitions for target vocabulary.
Provides a breakdown of the Ontario Curriculum for Math and English in an interactive format and by grade level.
A quick way to reference curriculum expectations that can help you select vocabulary words.
Provides a series of online review questions for each concept in the curriculum. If an incorrect answer is selected, the site provides a brief review of relevant concepts and explains how to solve the problem. These features can be used to supplement vocabulary instruction.
Provides definitions of math concepts.
Provides an overview of mathematical concepts by grade (based on the US State Curriculum).
Contains links to sample activities to supplement learning of each math concept.
Click: “Common Core Resource” > “Mathematical Content Standards” > “By Grade”.
#1) Select Target Vocabulary
The first step in effective vocabulary instruction is selecting appropriate target words to teach. The resources below can help you choose math words that are relevant for each grade level. Click each resource title to access the resource.
Math Vocabulary
Math contains many technical and highly specific terms that may be difficult to learn, particularly for children with DLD. Teachers also do not typically spend too much time teaching the language of math (Monroe & Orme, 2002). SLPs can intervene effectively by providing the necessary intensive vocabulary instruction that can support math learning for children with DLD.