Each summer our department hosts an ESL enrichment program for as many students as we can manage. Lately, the focus has been on secondary students, especially ones of lower proficiency. The focus of the program is to better prepare students for the classes that ESL does not directly instruct -- i.e. science, social studies and math. This year I was delighted to have the opportunity to design the math curriculum.
Our LEP students generally do quite well in math, until they hit Algebra I, and then it all goes to pieces. In fact, failure in Algebra I and Geometry is the primary culprit for our high rate of late graduation and dropouts (well, culprit we can do anything about. There are cultural and socioeconomic issues at play as well). I posit that this is because high-school level math involves far more critical thinking, and critical thinking skills are developed through language.
As a result, this math curriculum, which was executed by decidedly non-mathy ESL teachers, should really be called "The Language of Critical Thinking." While basic math skills were addressed through use of the excellent HELP Math tutorial program, direct classroom instruction addressed the vocabulary and syntax of word problems, and the navigation of critical thinking concepts such as discerning rules and patterns and problem solving.
Check out the full curriculum here:
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