“Words! Words! Words!” sang Eliza Doolittle in the musical My Fair Lady. “I’m so sick of words!” But students have to master the vocabulary of mathematics. This is especially difficult for those learning a new language even as they struggle with new mathematics vocabulary. The first two resources deal with mathematical terms themselves, while the other three offer classroom activities in Spanish and English.

A Maths Dictionary for Kids
This animated, interactive mathematics dictionary for kids explains over 500 common mathematical terms in simple language. Each term is illustrated and, often, accompanied by an interactive applet that makes visual and immediate the definition of the term.

Terms and Formulas from Beginning Algebra to Calculus
This interactive mathematics dictionary offers many terms and formulas appropriate for older middle school students. The illustrations, diagrams, and applets help define the terms every bit as much as the text does.

Biblioteca Nacional de Manipuladores Virtuales
This is the Spanish equivalent of the National Library of Virtual Manipulatives. Together they offer interactive, web-based virtual manipulatives, mostly in the form of Java applets, for mathematics instruction. On any page, users can easily switch between English and Spanish by using a drop-down menu.

Multicultural Math Fair
Here are ten activities used successfully in a math fair at Frisbie Middle School in Rialto, California. Each activity is available in English and Spanish. Links connect the teacher to information on setting up a fair and locating software.

Who Wants Pizza?/Quien Quiere Pizza?
A fun way to learn about fractions in English and in Spanish. Four activities, each followed by practice exercises, lead students to explore the basic definition of fractions and addition with fractions.

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