Experiences in teaching word problems in math english for students in grade 2

1. INTRODUCTION
1.1. Reasons for choosing the topic:
For two latest years, Ba Dinh primary school has been honourably chosen
one of three primary schools to carry out the English- Math programs in Thanh
Hoa city. It is a pride but it is a challenge as well.
It goes without saying that teachers across the country have increasing
numbers of English language learners (ELLs) in their classrooms. As a result,
teachers need strategies that will help them reach all of their students and ensure
that students learn what they need to know.
Many lessons in existing curricula are designed for native speakers of
English and do not support second language acquisition. This is particularly
true for math instruction. Students need specific vocabulary to talk about and
do math.
ELLs are still learning the language in which the problems and directions
are written; they are learning new math skills and a new language at the same
time. [4]
Being a teacher who are appointed to teaching English- Math for students
in class 2A6, 2A7, I myself have faced lots of difficulties, especially with wordproblems. After two years of teaching and doing research, I have gathered some
experience of teaching Word- problems for students in grade 2.
With my experience of teaching, I would like to introduce "Experience in
teaching word- problems in English-Math for students in grade 2"
1.2. The purpose of research
The purpose of my research is to find the best ways of teaching students in
grade 2 who follow the English- Math program to solve word- problems
effectively.
Students who are still learning English need instruction in vocabulary to
help them understand new math concepts. Exposure to the language of
mathematics will help them learn to talk about and write about what they are
learning in math.
Instructional strategies that focus on math and language skills support ELL
students as they become proficient in English. Support in students’ primary

language skills helps them develop an understanding of math concepts in
English. Effective teaching strategies engage students and help them learn.[4]
1.3. The subject of research
I have applied alternately to the lessons in English- Math textbook grade 2
and have performed for students in classes 2A6, 2A7 at Ba Dinh Primary school.
1.4. The methods of research
In order to implement this initiative, I have chosen some of the following
methods:
- Reading documents that relate to the research issue.
- Survey method for comments.
- Testing method.
- Pedagogical observation method.
- Method of assessment.
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2. CONTENT
2.1. Rationale
Is teaching English- Math important to primary students? In my opinion,
the answer is "Yes".
Child’s brain is rapidly developing and gets rewired — this is more obvious
in case of language acquisition. A child easily learns mother’s tongue, and easily
picks a foreign language if comes to a different country while still very young.
To learn a new language could be a very difficult task for an adult.
The same is with mathematics: if certain skills and traits are not developed by
certain age, it is much more difficult to catch up later.
Mathematics teaches logic.
At primary school level, it teaches students what they need for the outside
world (measuring, calculating, estimating and understanding shape to name a
few) and day to day living. Some could argue that much of secondary maths is

useless to the everyman, but most of primary maths is useful.
Mathematics is the building blocks for science, economics, any statistical
analysis, programming, etc. Don't teach it at primary level and you will
disadvantage students in all of these fields.
Mathematics teaches problem solving. It gives them the tools to work out
complicated situations.
Mathematics can be beautiful and amazing...if only we had more maths
specialists at primary level.
The primary grades are often considered the most important years of a
child’s school career. Students acquire content knowledge that they will use as
the foundation for the rest of their education. As with all of the core subjects,
there are certain objectives for mathematics that should be addressed in the
primary grades.
At the most basic level, mathematics involves counting, recognizing
numbers and performing simple operations like addition and subtraction. In the
primary grades, students should be provided with numerous opportunities to
master these skills. Upon exiting primary school, children should be comfortable
with writing and identifying numbers, rote counting forward and backward and
comparing numbers and quantities. Primary students should have knowledge of
number facts and families. They should also be able to add, subtract, multiply
and divide numbers.
In the primary grades, students should be taught about measurement of
length, weight and capacity. Children should be introduced to comparative
language, such as "shorter," "heavier" and "longer," and should be able to apply
these concepts when considering different objects and units of measurement.
Primary students should also learn about money and time and be able to measure
time in terms of hours, days, months and years. In addition to measurement,
children should be taught about estimation of quantities and capacities. [4]
2.2. The situation of the problem
It seems that English- Math has been something new and challenging in

primary schools all over the country in general and in Thanh Hoa city in
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particular. We have had lots of opportunities as well as obstacles after a year of
applying this curriculum in Ba Dinh Primary school.
To tell about success, after a year of teaching English- Math, students in
class 1A6, 1A7 have gradually formed and memorized basic Math terms such
as: numbers, units of measurement or time...especially, some students have been
able to understand word- problems and solve them in English.
However, beside achievements, we have faced too many difficulties,
especially when our students are too young to learn both English and Math.
Many educators share the misconception that because it uses symbols,
mathematics is not associated with any language or culture and is ideal for
facilitating the transition of recent immigrant students into English instruction.
To the contrary, language plays an important role in learning mathematics.
Teachers use language to explain mathematical concepts and carry out math
procedures. While solving problems in mathematics, we often use specialized
technical vocabulary (addition, subtraction, addend, sum). And researchers of
mathematical learning have found that students can deepen their understanding
of mathematics by using language to communicate and reflect on their ideas and
cement their understandings. Classroom talk can cause misconceptions to
surface, helping teachers recognize what students do and do not understand.
When students talk about their mathematical thinking, it can help them improve
their ability to reason logically.
The challenge of teaching math to English learners lies not only in making
math lessons comprehensible to students but also in ensuring that students have
the language needed to understand instruction and express their grasp of math
concepts both orally and with written language. ELLs have the dual task of
learning a second language and content simultaneously. For this reason, “it is

critical to set both content and language objectives for ELLs. Just as language
cannot occur if we only focus on subject matter, content knowledge cannot grow
if we only focus on learning the English language” (Hill and Flynn 2006, 22).
English language learners are faced with some common obstacles when
learning math. One challenge they face is unknown or misunderstood
vocabulary. For example, they can become confused during a discussion if the
mathematics vocabulary has different meanings in everyday usage, as
with even, odd, and function. They also may be confused if the same
mathematical operation can be signaled with a variety of mathematics terms,
such as add, and, plus, sum, and combine. A word such as left- as in “How many
are left?”- can be confusing when the directional meaning of the word is most
commonly used in everyday English. The words sum and whole also can cause
confusion because they have nonmathematical homonyms (some and whole).
A second obstacle is with an incomplete understanding of syntax and
grammar. For example, math questions are often embedded in language that
makes the problems unclear or difficult to comprehend. [4]
Solving for word-problems is one of the most difficult thing I have had in
teaching English- Math. Here is the result of English-Math final test in class
1A6 and 1A7 in the school year of 2017- 2018:
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Classes
1A6
1A7

Total
number
of
students

Quantity

39
38

18
21

Excellent students
Percentage
(%)
46
55

Good students

Fair students

Quantity

%

Quantity

%

19
17

49
45

2
0

5
0

This result is not really as good as I expected, which has motivated me to
think and find new solutions. Especially, after looking at students' test papers, I
found that most of students had lots of mistakes in solving for word- problems.
The main cause might have come from students' lack of vocabularies to
understand the problems, lack of sentence patterns to write word- solutions as
well as influence of students' mother tongue when learning Math in Vietnamese.
I have continuously thought of solutions in order to increase the effectiveness of
teaching students how to solve for word-problems in English.
2.3. The solution to the problem
We all agree that for primary students, the simpler it is, the more successful
it will be. Therefore, I have always tried to find the simplest way to teach
students. Here are some of effective methods I have experimented and achieved
certain success.
2.3.1. Tip for giving correct calculations in Word-problems
I try to help students understand what kind of word-problems through key
words When teaching, I have highlighted important words and helped students
memorise first. Due to these words, my students would recognize what kind of
word-problems they had to deal with (more than problems, less than problems...)
These words are:
- More than, more, in total, altogether, in all, totally
When dealing with word- problems with these words, students are supposed

to solve with addition.
Examples: (Kid's Math Work book 3, page 6)

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(Kid's Math Work book 4, page 9)
- left, away, fewer (than), less (than)
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When dealing with word- problems with these words, students are supposed
to solve with subtraction.
Examples: (Kid's Math Work book 3, page 75)

- Each, per, total, totally, all, altogher
When dealing with word- problems with these words, students are supposed
to solve with multiplication.
Examples: (Kid's Math Work book 4, page 24)

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(Kid's Math Work book 4, page 30)
- Share,divide, equally, each, per

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When dealing with word- problems with these words, students are supposed
to solve with division.
Examples: (Kid's Math Work book 4, page 54)

2.3.2. Tip for writing the name of unit in word-problem solving
Sometimes I have found that my students can not write the right unit after
calculations in word-problem solution. To solve this problem, I remind my
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students to observe the name of unit right after "how many" in word-problems.
Examples: (Kid's Math Work book 3, page 75)

For the first problem, the unit is "pigs" and for the second one, the unit is
"gift boxes"
2.3.3. Tips for writing word solution
This is the most confusing thing for students in grade 1 and 2. The main
causes are:
- Students are lack of vocabularies and sentence patterns to write wordsolution.
- Students are strongly affected by the way they write word solution in
Vietnamese.
To solve this problem, I try to simplify the ways to write word- solution by
the following tips:
- Remind students to pay attention to the last question of the word-problem.
Examples: (Kid's Math Work book 4, page 9)
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- Give students the way to write word-solution, basing on the last question
of the word-problem:
If the last question has the form of: "How many....are there?", students are
advised to write the word-solution: "There are"
If the last question has the form of: "How many.....does he/ she/
Felix....have?", students are advised to write the word-solution: "He/ She has"
If the last question has the form of: "How many....does he/ she/ Felix get/
buy/ sell....", students are advised to write the word- solution: "He/ She gets/
buys/ sells..."
If the last question has the form of: "How many.....do they/....have/ get/
buy/ sell?", students are advised to write the word-solution: "They have/ get/
buy/ sell..."
Examples: For the first problem above, the word-solution is: "They have";
for the second one, the word- solution is: "She has"; and for the third one, the
word-solution is: "She picks"
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2.4. The effect of initiative application
Above is my experience of teaching word-problems in English for students
in grade 2. Here is the reasonable result:
I find that students are more confident, they are eager to deal with wordproblems in English. They are better at solving this kind of exercises, especially
they are more self-confident in doing by themselves. Here is the result of
English- Math test in garde 2A6, 2 A7 at the end of the first term:
Total
number
of
students

Quantity

Percentage
(%)

Quantity

%

Quantity

%

2A6

39

20

51

19

49

0

0

2A7

38

25

66

13

34

0

0

Classes

Excellent students

Good students

Fair students

From the data in the table, I have seen that the rate of excellent and good
students has increased while that one of fair students has decreased, especially
there have been no weak students in comparision with the result in these two
classes last school year. My students are no longer afraid of word-problems in
English.
Assessment in mathematics is primarily formative. It involves collecting
information from a range of sources, in a variety of ways. This includes
information on students’ strategies, understandings, attitudes, and prior

knowledge and skills. Assessing a student involves making informed judgments
about what the student knows. Hence, I myself, as a teacher of English- Math
not only monitor the performance of a student, but also their ability to show
their understanding of the content that has been taught. [4]
3. THE CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
3.1. Conclusion
Teaching mathematics can only be described as truly effective when it
positively impacts student learning. We know that teaching practices can make a
major difference to student outcomes, as well as what makes a difference in the
classroom.
Research and evidence from the field of mathematics lets us know, with a
fair degree of certitude, how effective teachers of mathematics skillfully
integrate a range of instructional approaches and resources to meet the diverse
learning needs of their students.
Effective teachers of mathematics know the pedagogy that determines how
their students successfully learn. Such teachers recognize that in order for
students to effectively use mathematics they need to understand the concepts
presented as well as become fluent with the skill taught. It is through the
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ongoing and increasingly complex application of concepts and skills that
students become secure and competent in their use. [4]
English- Math is still a new subject which is full of challenges. Teachers of
this subject should keep finding and applying new ways in order to reach the
best way to teach it.
In conclusion, instructional strategies that focus on math and language
skills support ELL students as they become proficient in English. Support in
students’ primary language skills helps them develop an understanding of
math concepts in English. Effective teaching strategies engage students and

help them learn.
3.2. Recommendations
3.2.1. To the leaders
- I would like leaders to facilitate teachers study conditions, reference, selflearning, self- training to improve and enhance the quality of teaching.
-The school should provide some additional equipment for subjects such as:
the pictures of each lesson in the textbook and, if possible, please provide
materials and lesson plans as well as model teaching periods because EnglishMath is comparatively new to English teachers.
With the positive and satisfactory results I have obtained, personally, I
would like to propose to the Staff of Administrators at Ba Dinh primary school
to facilitate the school-wide application.
3.2.2. To the teachers
- Build background knowledge by connecting what students already know
about a topic to new skills and concepts.
- Present new concepts in context and use visual aids to help students
understand instruction.
- Give students opportunities to actively participate in math lessons.
Establish cultural connections.
- Teach students specific skills they will need to know to complete learning
activities and assignments, specifically as they apply to learning new math
concepts.
- Use a variety of tools, such as:
+ Manipulative objects
+ Real-life math connections
+ Technology
I also would like to encourage teachers of English to have more
confidence and experience in teaching English- Math even though we are not
teachers of Maths. We do not have deep understanding of Math, so what we
need to do is facilitate students with English vocabulary and grammar so that
they can understand English problems and how to solve for them in English.
With full advanced preparation, we can all be experts in teaching English- Math.

However, this is an initiative by my personal experiences drawn from
practical teaching, thus, it would not be surely avoid deficiencies. I personally
expect the interest and comments from the leaders and colleagues.
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HEADMASTER’S SIGNATURE

I swear this thesis is written by me
without copying content from others.
Thanh Hoa, March 12th , 2019

Written by

Nguyen Thi Lan

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REFERENCES
[1]. Kid's Math textbook - Book 3 & 4
[2]. Kid's Math workbook- Book 3 & 4
[3]. Materials for English teaching methods- Pedagogical University Publisher.
[4]. Articles about teaching English- Math for primary students from the
website: http:// google. com.vn.

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INDEX
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1. Reasons for choosing the topic
1.2. The purpose of research
1.3. The subject of research

Page
1
1
1
1

1.4. The methods of research

1

2. CONTENT

2

2.1. Rationale

2

2.2. The situation of the problem

2

2.3. The solution to the problem

4

2.3.1. Tip for giving correct calculations in Word-problems

4

2.3.2. Tip for writing the name of unit in word-problem solving

9

2.3.3. Tips for writing word solution

10

2.4. The effect of initiative application

12

3. THE CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

12

3.1. Conclusion

12

3.2. Recommendations

13

3.2.1. To the leaders

13

3.2.2. To the teachers

13

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THANH HOA EDUCATION & TRAINING DEPARTMENT

THANH HOA EDUCATION & TRAINING OFFICE

INITIATIVE

EXPERIENCE IN TEACHING WORD- PROBLEMS IN
ENGLISH- MATH FOR STUDENTS IN GRADE 2

The implementer: Nguyen Thi Lan
Occupation : A teacher of English
Group: Ba Dinh Primary School
Subject: English

THANH HOA, 2019

18

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