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by Jenny Lerner M. Ed (Author), Jeff D. Farmer (Author)
This book is designed for anyone who teaches young children who are learning English. Math is not only an important subject, but it is also one in which English Language Learners can thrive, if they are given the right support. This book helps teachers provide that support. By describing the basic principles involved in ELL's math learning and applying these principles to a wide variety of math topics, teachers are carefully shown simple yet highly effective ways of teaching. We describe what can and should be done for children at various stages of second language acquisition, and for children at different levels of math understanding. These two distinct issues are often confused, and for good reason: It's sometimes difficult to assess children separately in these two areas. Still, with some simple ideas, it is possible to tailor activities and problems to exactly what a child will need to take their "next step" in learning math. The many sample activities and ideas for providing learning support are easily implementable in a variety of settings: working in large or small groups, learning centers, transitions or one-on-one. Information on vocabulary, sample math vocabulary progressions and various kinds of sheltering and support that are specific to math are discussed. Examples of interactions between math and literacy are included. The math topics we consider are focused on: Counting and cardinality, addition and subtraction, base 10 concepts (including how to work with 2-digit numbers), geometry, spatial sense, patterns, measurement and data analysis. We have written this book for real teachers: people who are with young children every day, seeking to support their growth and learning. While we give many examples, this is not a scripted curriculum. On the contrary, we expect that each teacher who works through this book and tries out the ideas we share will gradually develop their own understanding of and expertise in working with ELL's in math. The goal is to integrate the principles and ideas that we share seamlessly into your own daily practice, going far beyond a simple implementation of the sample activities, although that's a great place to start. This resource is a must-have for anyone working with children ages 3-7 (or even beyond) who are learning English and need to be supported in math as well.
