Writing

Language and
Content
Objectives
CESDP
 Discuss and Create a
Venn Diagram
• What is a content objective?
• What is a language objective?
• What is the difference between
the two objectives?
• What do both objectives have in
common?
 Objective for Today

• SWBAT create content and

language objectives specific to
their content area of instruction.
 Important Points on
Language Objectives
• Remember for those students who are
ESL students, it is important to keep
in mind that acquiring a second
language is a process.

• Language Objectives may cover a

range from process-oriented to
performance oriented statements so
that students have a chance to
explore, and then practice, before
demonstrating mastery of an
objective.
 Examples of Language
Objectives Over Several Days
SWBAT:
1. Recognize similes in text.

2. Discuss the functions of similes.

3. Write three similes.

4. Write a paragraph that describes a

setting using similes.
 Process-to-Performance Verbs

Process-Oriented • Performance-
Oriented
Explore • Define
Listen to Draft
Recognize
Discuss in Write
small groups
Give an oral
presentation

Edit
 Research……
• We cannot focus our language
objectives only on reading and
writing.

• We know from research (Guthrie & Ozgungor,

2002), that absence of planned
speaking practice – formal or
informal) by ELs in content
classrooms is detrimental to the
development of academic English.
 More Research….

• Gibbons (2003) argues that skillful

teachers should take advantage of
oral interaction to move students
from informal, everyday explanations
of a content topic to the more
specialized academic register or the
formal written and spoken code.
 When Determining Language
Objectives
• Important to distinguish
between receptive and
productive language skills.

– English learners tend to develop

receptive skills (listening and
reading) faster than productive
skills (speaking and writing) – Should
be worked on in a unified way.
 Language Objectives
• In some cases, language
objectives may focus on
developing students’ vocabulary.

• Other lessons might include:

reading comprehension skills,
writing process, helping students
brainstorm, outline, draft, revise,
edit.
 More on Language
Objectives
• More lessons: justify opinions, negotiate
meaning, summarizing, stating conclusions,
comparing, contrasting.

• Also, specific grammar points (Example:

Capitalization when studying famous
historical events and persons

• Depending on the English proficiency of your

students, an objective may focus on
sequencing words.
Supporting Content Objectives
with Language Objectives
• Hallmark of the SIOP Model.

• Challenging for many content

teachers
– Requires teachers to know their students’
proficiency levels so the language
objectives can be targeted to what the
students need to learn about the
academic language of science, math,
history, art, etc., but not be at a level too
high for their current understanding.
 Know Your Students’ English
Proficiency Levels and Know
Your Students!

Language objectives for more

proficient students might involve
higher expectations involving
reading, writing, listening, speaking,
and viewing to support the content
objective.
 Writing the Language
Objectives
Write an objective that all students
should attain based on the content
concepts in the lesson, but adjust the
intended outcomes to match the
students’ ability levels.

(Some students may master the language

objective by the end of the lesson; others
will reach mastery at some point after
practice)
 Teachers Need To….

• Think about how language will be used in

their lesson: in their speech, in class
discussion, in the reading assignments, in
the lesson activities.

• Given the content topic and an

understanding of the students’ degree of
academic language acquisition, the teacher
then writes an objective that complements
the topic and can be explicitly addressed in
the lesson. This objective can be the “How it
will be done” portion of the lesson
integrating a language skill.
 Examples of Language Objectives
(which could occur over several
lessons)
• Key Vocabulary needed to
discuss, read, or write
about the content of the
lesson.
• Language Functions –
ways students use
language in the lesson (Ex.
- describe, compare, or
summarize)
• Language Skills – reading,
writing, listening and
speaking skills students
need to learn and do.
• Grammar
• Lesson Tasks: Consider
what language is
embedded in a lesson
assignment. Will students
take notes or explain a
procedure to one another?
Ex: SWBAT read and
summarize a text
passage with peers and
then teach the main
information to another
student.)
• Language Learning
Strategies: rereading,
predicting, visualize
5th – 8th Benchmark: Understand the structure of
organisms and the function of cells in living systems. 7th
Grade PS. 1 – Understand the basic function of cell growth
and division) mitosis)

Content Objective: SWBAT identify and put in order the 5

stages of mitosis.

Task:
Write 2 Language Objectives:
Specify English Proficiency Level
of Students. (Beginning, Nearing
Proficiency, Proficiency, Advanced)
 8th Grade Math: Geometry: Develop and use
formulas for area, perimeter, circumference, and
volume.

• Write 1 content objective

• Write 1 supporting language

objective.