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Definition: Phonology is the system of study of the sound systems of the given language, including the rules for the combination and pronunciation of sounds.

Importance for ELLs:

Phonology is important for language learners, as it helps them distinguish between sounds that may be nonexistent in their native language, thereby improving their listening comprehension and pronunciation. By mastering phonological awareness, ELLs work on reading development, spelling, and oral communication; thus, phonological awareness directly leads to academic success.

Classroom Activities:

1.Minimal Pairs Practice: Students discriminate between pairs of words that differ by a single sound (ship/sheep).

Differentiation: Beginning learners will use picture cards while advanced learners can practice through conversation.

2.Phoneme Sorting: Students will sort words according to their beginning sounds or ending sounds.

Differentiation: Novices can sort using visuals while advanced learners may generate their own word lists.

3.Choral Reading: Students engage in collective reading for practicing rhythm, stress, and intonation.

Differentiation: Beginning learners will repeat after the teacher while advanced learners will lead small groups.

4.Sound Bingo: Students mark the target sounds from what they hear on a Bingo card.

Differentiation: Beginners will use pictures, while advanced is going to read and write the sounds.

At-Home Activity:

Sound Hunt: Families must listen to specific sounds in the spoken chatter, TV shows, or songs and note or sketch down the words that contain those.

Website Resource:  www.starfall.com

Explanation: This activity allows beginners to focus on identifying sounds, whereas advanced learners work on spelling out words and pronouncing the words they find. The family can differentiate for the child either with visuals, writing, or oral practice.

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Definition: Morphology is the study of word structure and how words are formed from roots, prefixes, and suffixes.

Importance for ELLs:

Morphology is widely regarded as one of the most important domains for the development of a child's vocabulary, reading comprehension, and writing. By understanding the internal structure of words they encounter, ELLs gain the power to decode novel words, extend their vocabulary, and comprehend academic language spanning different content areas.

Classroom Activities:

1. Word Building with Prefixes and Suffixes: Students create new words by adding affixes to base words.

Differentiation: Beginners use visuals and simple affixes while advanced learners deal with multiple affixes and their meanings.

2. Morphology Sort: Students group words by root, prefix, or suffix.

Differentiation: Beginners sort words with the teacher's help, whereas advanced students create their own categories.

3. Word Detective: Students find root words behind long academic terms.

Differentiation: Beginners focus on regular roots, whereas advanced students go on to analyze complex academic vocabulary.

4. Morphology Matching Game: Students match roots with their meanings and related words.

Differentiation: Beginners with the help of pictures; advanced students give explanations of the meanings of these words in sentences.

At-Home Activity:

Word Family Journal: Families help the students collect words with the same root (such as "act," "action," and "active") and talk about their meanings with them.

Website Resource: www.readingrockets.org

Explanation: Beginners may focus on identifying and drawing simple root words, while more advanced learners may write sentences using two or more forms of the root. This activity boosts vocabulary skills at all levels by establishing connections of words to situations in life.

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August, D., & Shanahan, T. (Eds.). (2006). Developing literacy in second-language learners: Report of the National Literacy Panel on Language-Minority Children and Youth. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Baker, S., Gersten, R., & Lee, D. (2002). A synthesis of empirical research on teaching reading to English language learners. Review of Educational Research, 72(4), 463–508. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543072004463

Kieffer, M. J., & Lesaux, N. K. (2007). Breaking down words to build meaning: Morphology, vocabulary, and reading comprehension in the urban classroom. The Reading Teacher, 61(2), 134–144. https://doi.org/10.1598/RT.61.2.3

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Syntax

Definition : Syntax formatting command word order and sentence composition in a language.

Why it matters : Why it matters in math: Math word problems often use complex sentence structures. Example: If you divide by 2, then, ELLs need to know the grammar in order to solve problems correctly.

Classroom Activities :

1.  Sentence Frames for Word Problems — Give frames such as, 'The sum of ___ and ___ is ___.' or 'If ___ is divided by ___, then the answer is ___.'

Differentiation: Beginners fill in the blanks using numbers or pictures; intermediate use words; advanced students come up with their own frames.

2.  Sentence Combining (Multi-step Problems) — Combine simple sentences: 'There are 5 groups. Each has 6 apples. → There are 30 apples.'

Differentiation: Beginners combine with teachers' assistants; intermediates use conjunctions (because, so); advanced include conditional phrases.

3.  Cloze Syntax with Math Vocabulary — Present sentences with missing words: "The ___ of 12 and 4 is 48."

Differentiation: Beginners get multiple choice with visual aids; intermediates get word banks; advanced recall from memory.

4.  Math Directions Practice — Students follow and give instructions Like - Draw a rectangle and  Divide it into fourths.

Differentiation: Beginners follow steps with modeling; intermediates give short directions; advanced give multi-step instructions to peers.

At-Home Activity:

Recipe Fractions — Families cook together and rewrite or explain steps with fractions e.g., We need ½ cup of sugar. First we mix….

·       Proficiency support: Beginners use visuals and L1 prompts; intermediates explain with short English sentences; advanced rewrite into formal step-by-step math sentences.

Website: Colorín Colorado: Math & ELLs

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Definition : Semantics is the study of language meaning, concerned with how the meanings of the words, phrases, and sentences used to convey some set of ideas or concepts operate.

Why it matters :Semantics in math is very important since many terms are given special meanings that are different from their everyday meanings table, face, mean, etc.. ELLs need considerable semantic information in order to correctly translate word problems, follow math instructions, and apply the correct operation to pinpoint a solution or explain a mathematical process with clear Demonstration.

Classroom activities

Semantic Mapping (Math Vocabulary) — Map words such as product, quotient, or area (their synonyms, examples, and non-examples).

Differentiation: Beginners add pictures; intermediates write short sentences; advanced add related terms e.g., multiplication→ factor, multiple.

Multiple-Meaning Word Sorts—organize words such as face geometry vs. body or table data table vs. furniture.

Differentiation: Beginners sort with pictures; intermediates sort simple sentences; advanced generate examples.

Context Vocabulary Frames-Fill in the blanks: "The difference between ___ and ___ is ___."

Differentiation: Beginners use numbers only; intermediates use short phrases; advanced write full sentences to explain their reasoning.

Word Choice Tasks — Choose the correct math word to complete the statement: "The ___ of 8 and 7 is 56." (sum/product/quotient).

Differentiation: Beginners with visuals; intermediates choose from word bank; advanced explain why others do not fit.

At-Home Activity: Math Word Detective —Students find 3 math words in homework or in daily life (equal, divide, chart), record them with a drawing, and write sentences for each.

Proficiency support: Beginners will use bilingual lists and drawings; intermediates will write simple bilingual sentences; and advanced students will write a short paragraph using all 3 words.

Website: Illustrative Mathematics

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Pragmatics

Definition : The term "pragmatics" means the study of how language is used in context, including the intention of the speaker, tone, nonverbal cues, or cultural norms that shape communication.

Why it matters: Pragmatics in mathematics comes in because students must use language appropriately when giving explanations, asking for help, or working in groups. An ELL student may have the correct answer to a problem but cannot translate it into language that satisfies the classroom expectations of polite questioning or academic expression. The ability to develop pragmatic skills enables them to participate fully in math discussions, collaborate appropriately, and demonstrate their understanding in both social and academic settings.

Classroom Activities:

Role Play: Explaining Math Thinking — Students are to explain their solution to a given problem ("First, I multiplied… then I added…").

Differentiation: Beginners use frames; intermediates improvise short explanations; advanced debate multiple strategies.

Polite Question Practice — How do you ask for help politely? ("Can you explain that step?" vs. "What did you do?").

Differentiation: Beginners repeat modeled questions; intermediates adapt frames; advanced create variations.

Discourse Sorting (Politeness in Math Talk) — Sort phrases: "That's wrong." vs. "I solved it differently. Can I explain?".

Differentiation: Beginners match phrases to emojis (happy, upset); intermediates paraphrase; advanced rank and justify.

Video-Clip Analysis — Video-watching of a math discussion. Identification of pragmatic features (tone, turn-taking, respectful disagreement).

Differentiation: Beginners notice gestures and tone; intermediates name speech acts; advanced analyze implied meaning.

Math talk at family dinner-time: The child explains answers to homework with the help of math sentence frames. The families ask follow-up questions.

Proficiency support: Beginners can use visuals and single words; intermediates answer in short sentences; advanced students explain in multi-step discourse.

Website : TeachingPragmatics.com

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Folse, K. (2016). Keys to teaching grammar to English language learners. University of Michigan Press.

Seidlitz Education. (n.d.). Building better sentences: Rigorous syntax for English learners. Accessed: https://seidlitzeducation.com/

American English. (2020). Teacher’s Corner: Simple ways to incorporate pragmatics. U.S. Department of State. Accessed: https://americanenglish.state.gov/

Colorín Colorado. (n.d.). Fostering literacy development in English language learners. Accessed: https://www.colorincolorado.org/

Hilliard, A. (2017). Twelve activities for teaching the pragmatics of English. ERIC. Accessed: https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED573593.pdf

WIDA Consortium. (2020). English language development standards framework. Accessed: https://wida.wisc.edu/

TESOL International Association. (n.d.). TESOL webinars and resources. Accessed: https://www.tesol.org/

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Bi, N. Z., Li, J., & Wang, L. (2021). The cognitive process of ESL learners in pragmatic role-performance. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.631298

Hilliard, A. (2017). Twelve activities for teaching the pragmatics of English. ERIC. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED573593.pdf

McMillen, S., Brouwer, S., & Unsworth, S. (2023). Semantic difficulty for bilingual children: Effects of age and language experience. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1122332

Sedita, J. (2019). Syntactic awareness: Teaching sentence structure. Massachusetts Department of Education. Retrieved from https://keystoliteracy.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Syntactic-Awareness.pdf