What’s the story? Examining the functional language of word problems
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Summary
This article describes some key language demands of mathematics word problems. We share what we learned by examining 100 middle school ratio word problems from two different publishers: Illustrative Mathematics and CK-12. Using a functional language approach (like WIDA), we describe the patterned organization of word problems, and examine one language feature often found in word problems - expanded noun groups.
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Jennifer Green, Western Washington University
Dr. Jennifer Green is a Professor and Director of the Multilingual Program at in the Woodring College of Education at Western Washington University, Bellingham campus. She has a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Connecticut and finds great enjoyment in all things related to disciplinary language. She often teaches a class on how language works (grammar, text organization, etc.) for pre-service/in-service teachers. Her research is focused on helping teachers and students access and use disciplinary language. You can contact her at greenj33@wwu.edu.
Beth Dillard, Western Washington University
Dr. Beth Dillard is an Associate Professor in the Woodring College of Education at Western Washington University. She is the Director of Multilingual Education Community Programs-Renton. She has a PhD in Second Languages Education from the University of Minnesota (2016). Her research interests include systemic functional linguistics (SFL), content and language integration (CBI/CLIL), and teacher learning. Check her website for resources. She can be reached at beth.dillard@wwu.edu.
