What are sentence frames?
A sentence frame is a partial sentence that learners can fill in with their own words. Sentence frames help English language learners and young native English speakers understand how to focus their attention. To help these students, every game or activity has a sentence frame printed right underneath the title.
Typically, the sentence frames rephrase part of the rules to make key mathematical language more accessible. Research results from Wilson et al. (2019), who conducted an in-classroom research study to identify mathematics teaching techniques associated with Black student success, imply that attending to language in this way is an effective way to support Black mathematics learners. It is reasonable to predict that attending to language in this way may help other students, too.
These sentence frames highlight concepts, not procedures
In these games, the sentence frames direct learners’ attention to a single mathematical concept, as opposed to emphasizing procedural prompts. An example of a procedural prompt would be where to move a gamepiece on a particular game board.
Here is why: Sentence frames that pack in too many types of information confuse learners. According to the book Supporting English Language Learners in Math Class, Grades K-2 (Bresser et al., 2009, p. 185), learners are helped the most when each lesson has a single sentence frame directing their attention to the key mathematical concept.
This means you will need to give learners some playing guidance beyond the content of the sentence frames. Fortunately, every game board has rules printed right on it. You can use language from the rules to let learners know the procedures.
When should players use a sentence frame?
Players should use a sentence frame as needed to focus their attention on the main concept of a game or activity.
It is up to you whether to require players to use the sentence frame out loud on every turn. This decision will depend on the individual player. It will also depend on the game. In some games, the rules include a step where players are supposed to “say” something. If the rules do not include a “say” step, you can safely assume that players do not need to use the sentence frame out loud on every turn.
Even when the rules include a “say” step, this step may be more useful for some individual players than others. In some games with a “say” step, it is there mainly to give the helper audible feedback, rather than being essential for learning. Some children can sense intuitively when a “say” step is not essential for learning, and these children may lose motivation to participate if you make them use it anyway.
The way to tell whether an individual learner really needs to use a sentence frame is to watch her play. If you sense that a learner is using the concept appropriately without using the sentence frame, you are probably right. If you are feeling unsure whether a learner is using the concept appropriately, that is a good time to check how comfortable he is using the sentence frame.
Next section: Mathematical expectations are explicit
Back to Why the games work
References
Bresser, Rusty, Kathy Melanese, and Christine Sphar. 2008. Supporting English Language Learners in Math Class. Sausalito, CA: Math Solutions Publications.
Wilson, Jonee, Mahtab Nazemi, Kara Jackson, and Anne Garrison Wilhelm. 2019. “Investigating Teaching in Conceptually Oriented Mathematics Classrooms Characterized by African American Student Success.” Journal for Research in Mathematics Education 50(4):362-400.
August 7, 2020