Experience in teaching word- Problems in English-Math 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 word- problems. 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.
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 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:
Classes
Total number of students
Excellent students
Good students
Fair students
Quantity
Percentage
(%)
Quantity
%
Quantity
%
1A6
39
18
46
19
49
2
5
1A7
38
21
55
17
45
0
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)
(Kid's Math Work book 4, page 9)
- left, away, fewer (than), less (than)
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)
	 (Kid's Math Work book 4, page 30)
- Share,divide, equally, each, per
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 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 word- solution.
- 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)
- 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" 
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 word-problems 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:
Classes
Total number of students
Excellent students
Good students
Fair students
Quantity
Percentage
(%)
Quantity
%
Quantity
%
2A6
39
20
51
19
49
0
0
2A7
38
25
66
13
34
0
0
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 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, self-learning, 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 English- Math 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.
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
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.
INDEX
Page
1. INTRODUCTION
1
1.1. Reasons for choosing the topic
1
1.2. The purpose of research
1
1.3. The subject of research
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
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