CONTENT/LANGUAGE
OBJECTIVES
On a sticky note:
What role do objectives play in your teaching?
OBJECTIVES


Content Objective – Teachers will analyze the potential
impact and possible pitfalls of language objectives.
Language Objective – Teachers will explain the
potential impact of language objectives with colleagues,
using the stems:

My students would benefit from language objectives because
___________.

A potential problem to overcome is _____________.
COMBINED OBJECTIVE
 Teachers
will analyze and explain the
potential impact of language objectives with
colleagues, using the stems:

My students would benefit from language objectives
because ___________.

A potential problem to overcome is _____________.
WHAT DO LANGUAGE
STUDENTS?
•
•
•
OBJECTIVES DO FOR
Talk about your classes you teach
Compare the first class of the day
with the last class
Compare your first and last class of
the day using comparative adjectives
with a table partner.
•
Bank of Comparative Adjectives:
•
better, louder, larger, lazier, nosier,
quieter, more attentive, more engaged,
more active, more distracted, etc.
POSSIBLE STUDENT RESPONSES:
Literacy:
 He was mad.
 The character in the book was very angry.
 The character in the story was furious with his mother
because she wouldn’t let him go to the park.
Math:
 Three plus seven is ten.
 Three plus seven equals ten
 The sum of three plus seven equals ten.
 To solve the problem, I added three plus seven and
the sum was ten.
INTRODUCING LANGUAGE/CONTENT
OBJECTIVES:

Read through overview
On your own: in which indicators do you notice
“content/language objects” ?
 What conclusions do you draw?


Table Talk

How do content/language objectives have the
potential to positively impact learning?
DIVE INTO THE FRAMEWORK – I1


On your own: Circle key words in the
effective column.
How does effective (5-6) compare/contrast
with approaching (3-4) , not meeting (1-2)
and distinguished (7)?
WHY?

With a partner, discuss your assigned bullet from
the student behaviors in effective or
distinguished.



In the classroom, what might that student behavior
look like? Sound like?
Discuss why that particular bullet is important to
student learning.
Whole group share.
DEFINITION ACCORDING TO FRAMEWORK
FOR EFFECTIVE TEACHING

Content/Language objectives are measurable
statements that indicate what content students
will learn and how they will demonstrate that
learning through language functions and forms
using appropriate supports.
 - Language function is the purpose of the
communication, such as narration or
persuasion.
 - Language forms are the conventions used
to communicate, such as the grammatical
structures, patterns, syntax, and mechanics
associated with the sentence level meaning.
HOW DO CONTENT AND LANGUAGE
OBJECTIVES SUPPORT EACH OTHER?
Think about:..

Content objectives
--What students are learning
--The knowledge and skills students are expected to learn

Language objectives
--How students express their learning (not the activity/task)
--The language functions and forms students need to
demonstrate their learning of the content objective
EXAMPLES
Content Objectives
Students will solve a system of
linear equations by graphing.
Students will make predictions
using context clues from the
text.
Students will identify the
experiences of former slaves
and slave owners after
reconstruction.
Language Objectives
Students will explain their
process by using transition
words (first, second, third) to
their partners
Students will make predictions using
the words, “I predict________
because________” and context clues
from the text during turn and talks.
Students will compare and contrast the
experiences of former slaves and slave
owners during reconstruction using the
words “similar” and “different” and a
graphic organizer.
IF YOU WANT YOUR STUDENTS TO…
Compare and Contrast
 Analyze
 Infer
 Describe
 Explain

What would a masterful response sound like? What
words would you need to hear from your students
that would let you know they mastered the content
objective?
LANGUAGE FUNCTIONS AND FORMS BY
DEFINITION:
How will the student use the
language? (Function Bloom’s taxonomy words)
What grammatical structures
and vocabulary will be used?
(Forms)
Compare and Contrast
Retell
Analyze
Persuade
Synthesis
Infer
Describe
Explain
Categorize
•Syntax and sentence structure
•Academic vocabulary (in context,
in relationship to other words)
•Grammatical features that link
specifically to concept (parts of
speech, tense and mood,
subject/verb agreement,
adjectives, adverbs etc.)
TYPES OF SUPPORTS
Sensory Supports
Visual Supports
Group Supports
• Real-life objects
(realia)
• Manipulatives
• Pictures &
photographs
• Illustrations,
diagrams & drawings
• Magazines &
newspapers
• Physical activities
• Videos & films
• Broadcasts
• Models & figures
• Charts
• Graphic organizers
• Tables
• Graphs
• Timelines
• Number lines
• In pairs or
partners
• In triads or small
groups
• In a whole group
• Using cooperative
group structures
• With the Internet
(Websites) or
software programs
• In the native
language (L1)
• With mentors
ACTIVITY
Directions: Highlight the function, underline
the form and circle the support in each
language objective.
THINK ALOUD
Content Objective: Students will describe the
main characters in the story.
Language Objective:
Students will describe the main characters in
the story using “because”, “for example,” and
adjectives from a word bank.
MATH
LANGUAGE OBJECTIVE
Content
Objective
•Students will add and
subtract decimals to the
hundredths place.
Identify the form
that will be used
during the task.
Determine
the
Function
APPLICATION – YOU DO
1.
Choose a content objective from your
classroom.
2.
How will students demonstrate their
learning of the content objective?


Function (the purpose, or what students are
doing with language)
Form (sentence or grammatical structures,
vocabulary words)
CLOSURE/REFLECTION


Teachers will analyze and explain the potential
impact of language objectives with colleagues,
using the stems.
What role do objectives play in your teaching?
FOR MORE INFORMATION…
Classroom Instruction that Works for ELL
Students, Jane D. Hill and Kathleen M. Flynn;
pages 22-35
 “Knowing Your Learning Target” by Connie M.
Moss, Susan M. Brookhart, and Beverly A. Long,
Educational Leadership, 68(6), 66-69.


Or search “objectives” on Schoolnet, PD Search
for videos, books, articles and more
LITERACY
LANGUAGE OBJECTIVE
• Students will
make inferences
about
characters.
Determine
Language
Function
Content
Objective
• i.e. explain,
infer,
analyze
• Students will infer using
the words “I infer”,
“because”, and evidence
from the text during turn
and talks with their reading
partner.
Identify the form that will
be used during the task.
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