

Books
Academic Language in Diverse Classrooms: Mathematics, Grades 6–8
Foreword by Judit Moschkovich
Because mastery of academic language is the key to academic success, this guide shows you how to integrate language and cultural supports with math content.
- Grade Level: PreK-12, Elementary, Secondary
- ISBN: 9781452234830
- Published By: Corwin
- Year: 2013
- Page Count: 184
- Publication date: May 09, 2013
Price: $30.95
Description
Help your students unlock important mathematical concepts!
If you’ve ever watched a student struggle with learning math concepts, you know that academic English can sometimes create stumbling blocks to understanding. To grasp complicated concepts, build skills, and demonstrate achievement, students need to master academic language in math.
The Common Core and ELD standards provide pathways to academic success through academic language. Using an integrated Curricular Framework, districts, schools and professional learning communities can:
- Design and implement thematic units for learning
- Draw from content and language standards to set targets for all students
- Examine standards-centered materials for academic language
- Collaborate in planning instruction and assessment within and across lessons
- Consider linguistic and cultural resources of the students
- Create differentiated content and language objectives
- Delve deeply into instructional strategies involving academic language
- Reflect on teaching and learning
Each grade-specific chapter models the types of interactions and learning experiences that help students master both math content and academic language. This essential book shows you why mastery of academic language is the key to students’ academic success.
“With growing numbers of English Language Learners in our classrooms, teachers need to be able to help students as they learn academic vocabulary and concepts. This series offers teachers a practical support, complete with abundant rubrics and detailed plans for teaching math vocabulary!”
—Renee Peoples, Teacher
Swain County Schools, Bryson City, NC
Key features
- Provides a curricular framework for integrating content and academic language.
- Helps teachers identify the academic language of instructional materials.
- Explores how academic language can be captured in standards-referenced unit targets and lesson objectives.
- Models collaboration between content teachers and language specialists.
Author(s)

Margo Gottlieb
as cornerstones of education. As co-founder and lead developer of WIDA at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, over her career, Margo has been a language teacher, coordinator, bilingual facilitator, director of assessment and evaluation, and an international advisor. Having presented and keynoted across the United States and in 25 countries, she has worked with universities, organizations, governments, states, school districts, and schools in co-constructing linguistic and culturally sustainable educational policy and practice. Margo has been an invited blogger and speaker for virtual seminars, webinars, podcasts, book chats, and videos; in addition, she has enjoyed reviewing books, journal articles, policy papers, and grants.
Over the years, Margo’s scholarship has focused on co-designing language development standards frameworks for WIDA, TESOL International Association, Guam, and American Samoa, reconceptualizing classroom assessment, coconstructing curricular frameworks for multilingual learners, and evaluating language policy. Margo has been appointed to national and state expert advisory boards and has been a Fulbright Senior Scholar in Chile, appointed to the US Department of Education’s Inaugural National Technical Advisory Council, and was honored by TESOL International Association for her significant contribution to the TESOL profession.
Holding a PhD in Public Policy Analysis, Evaluation Research, and Program Design, Margo has published extensively, having authored, co-authored, or co-edited over 100 publications including monographs, guides, manuals, white papers, technical reports, articles, more than 30 chapters, encyclopedia entries, and 20 books. Joining Assessment in Multiple Languages: A Handbook for School and District Leaders (2022) and its companion, Classroom Assessment in Multiple Languages: A Handbook for Teachers (2021), she is proud to add this 3rd edition of her best-selling book to her Corwin compendium.

Gisela Ernst-Slavit
Table of Contents
Foreword by Judit N. Moschkovich
Preface
Acknowledgments
About the Editors
1. Academic Language: A Foundation for Academic Success in Mathematics by Margo Gottlieb and Gisela Ernst-Slavit
CCSS for Mathematics and Related Academic Language
2. Grade 6: Exploring Possibilities With Geometric Solids by Amanda Villagomez and Kerri J. Wenger
3. Grade 7: Ratios and Proportions in Everyday Life by Zandra de Araujo
4. Grade 8: Are They Similar or Congruent? by Gladis Kersaint
Glossary
Index
Reviews
“The importance of academic vocabulary is often overlooked, or educators assume that students have a solid understanding of it. This series neatly explains why it is vital and demonstrates how it is possible to focus on vocabulary instruction doesn’t take away from the conceptual lesson but actually enhances it.”Julie Duford, Teacher
Polson Middle School, MT
“In a time of growing English Language Learners in our classrooms, teachers need to be able to apply appropriate help for students as they learn the vocabulary necessary to increase academic vocabulary and concepts. This series offers teachers a practical support, complete with abundant rubrics and detailed plans for teaching math vocabulary that can only help teachers and their students!”
Renee Peoples, Teacher“In a time of growing English Language Learners in our classrooms, teachers need to be able to apply appropriate help for students as they learn the vocabulary necessary to increase academic vocabulary and concepts. This series offers teachers a practical support, complete with abundant rubrics and detailed plans for teaching math vocabulary that can only help teachers and their students!”
Swain County Schools, Bryson City, NC
“With the many visuals, charts, activity suggestions, and examples of student-teacher conversations this series is a real-world resource for teachers.”Deb Bible, Literacy/Math Interventionist
Dundee Highlands Elementary School, West Dundee, IL
“Academic Language in Diverse Classrooms is an invaluable resource for all K through 8th grade teachers, especially those working with diverse students. This book gives teachers both a clear explanation of academic language and specific strategies they can apply in their own classrooms. Throughout the book, contributors provide specific connections between the Common Core State Standards and Language Development Standards. Each chapter helps educators understand students’ academic language needs and, through a variety of classroom examples from each grade level, shows teachers how to teach academic language through content.“Yvonne Freeman, Professor of Bilingual Education
“These volumes are packed with practical ideas that will help all teachers attend to language within their classrooms from the discourse level to word/phrase levels. This is a road map for teaching Common Core content in language rich classrooms, and hence a resource every teacher needs within arms reach! It’s all here and clearly presented; this is pure gold for everyone who teaches students to speak, listen, read and write in school, with special attention to English language learners. “Tim Boals, Executive Director
WIDA
Other Titles in: Mathematics | Bilingual/ELL Learners | Differentiation & Multiple Intelligences