Algebra teachers find themselves overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information that they have to teach their students. One way to address this issue is to have teachers teach for understanding by focusing on concepts. In this article, I share how language can help uncover the core ideas that define the concept of function and share activities…

In this article, the author describes how he created an approach that he terms "Mathematics as a Second Language" (MSL) for teaching ELL students mathematics. The main components of MSL are vocabulary activities, journals, group work, and projects. He used MSL to teach prealgebra to ELL students, as well as to native English speakers, for two…