Shallow Literacy Lounge - Language Objectives

What are Language Objectives?

Language objectives:

Outline the type of language that students will need to learn and use in order to accomplish the goals of the lesson
Complement the content knowledge and skills identified in content area standards and address the aspects of academic language that will be developed or reinforced during the teaching of grade-level content concepts

Basically: A language objective identifies HOW students will use academic language to learn, communicate, or demonstrate understanding during a lesson.

Involve the four language skills - speaking, listening, reading, and writing - but they can also include:

the language functions related to the topic of the lesson (e.g., justify, hypothesize)
vocabulary essential to a student being able to fully participate in the lesson (e.g., axis, locate, graph)
language learning strategies to aid in comprehension (e.g, questioning, making predictions).

Why do I need to use language objectives?

"All teachers have a stake in addressing the language needs of the students in their classes and must be mindful of that responsibility. Every teacher, regardless of content area or subject matter, has the responsibility to design and deliver culturally and linguistically appropriate instruction, to provide integrated language and content instruction that supports language development, to utilize linguistically and grade appropriate materials aligned with the Next Generation Learning Standards, and to collaborate with stakeholders to address the needs of ELLs."

source: NYSED Blueprint for English Language Learner/Multilingual Learner Success

What is the difference between content & language objectives?

The content objective tells what students will learn during the lesson.

"Students will analyze the causes of the American Revolution.”

The language objective tells how the students will learn and/or demonstrate their mastery of the lesson by reading, speaking, writing, or listening.

*You can scaffold the language objective with a sentence frame:

Scaffolded:

Students will explain the causal connection between the French and Indian War and the American Revolution, using the frame: "The French and Indian War ___ (contributed to / set the stage for) the American Revolution because ___."

...or you can include a language feature(s) the students will need to accomplish the lesson's goal:

Language Features:

"Students will be able to explain the connection between the French and Indian War and the American Revolution using transitional phrases (contributed to, set the stage for, as a direct result of) in a complex sentence with a subordinating conjunction (e.g., because, since, as) to show the relationship between the two events.”

*Depending on the proficiency of your students, sentence stems may or may not be necessary when creating language objectives.

Quick Reference Guide for Language Objectives

Language Objectives Reference & Cheat Sheet.pdf

Language Objectives Slides

Language Objective PPT.pptx

How do I create effective language objectives using WIDA?

Developing appropriate language objectives for lessons involves becoming familiar with your NYS content area and ELA standards, the academic and linguistic demands as well as the WIDA Standards Framework. Whereas the content standards will provide the topic of the lesson and what exactly the students should be doing with that topic (e.g., solving problems, creating models, ranking ideas), the WIDA Framework, along with the ELA standards and academic/linguistic demands help to identify language skills and functions that students should be working on to achieve academic language fluency.

Language objectives are directly correlated to content objectives. Once you determine the lesson topic from the appropriate content standards, you want to begin thinking about the academic language necessary for English learners to complete the tasks that support the content objectives. This identification of the academic language embedded in the lesson's content will become the basis for the lesson's language objectives.

Step 1: Identifying the Key Language Use (for any Content Area):

Looking at your content standard, objective, and outcome/assessment task, ask:

What listening, speaking, reading, or writing activity stands out as being most prominent, most essential for success, or most required for student understanding/engagement in the lesson?

What is the purpose for using this language?

Narrate – tell a story or historical series of events

Inform – share facts (describe, compare, organize information, etc.)

Explain – give an account of how or why something happens

Argue – defend or justify a claim using reasoning and evidence

Which communication mode will students be in for the majority of this activity?

Is it Interpretive (listening, reading) or Expressive (speaking, writing)?

Once you have identified your key language use and language mode, the WIDA Standards for 6-8 can point you to the appropriate language function and feature for your lesson.

Step 2: Identifying Functions and Features

Locate the page of the standards that aligns with your instruction.
Select a language function that is most relevant to student communication within the key learning activities.

To choose a language function, ask yourself:

What is the language mode that my students will be engaging in most in the key task(s) I have planned? What will students need the most to succeed - communication through listening, speaking, reading, or writing?
Is this language mode interpretive (listening, reading) or expressive (speaking, writing)?
Looking at the interpretive or expressive language functions: Which language function comes closest to describing how my students will be using language in the key task(s)?

Step 3: Further define your language objective by including a language feature.

Multiple factors can be considered as you choose a language feature to focus on in your instruction:

Your students’ current English proficiency levels
The skills that have or have not yet been mastered by your students or taught to your class
The input and recommendations of a colleague who also teaches/knows your student(s)
The impact that having this language skill will have on success in the learning task
Which language feature you would like to include explicit teaching/modeling of within the lesson
Sources include ELA Linguistic Demands, WIDA Framework

Comprehensive List of Language Features by Subject

Step 4: String together the parts of your language objective.

Content Objective: Students will analyze and evaluate data regarding fossil distribution, rock formations, and continental shapes across different landmasses to construct an argument that supports the theory of continental drift.

Language Objective: (Writing) Students will describe valid and reliable evidence about continental drift from historical and geological sources, using abstract nouns (e.g., crustal movement, fossil distribution, seafloor spreading) to introduce key concepts.

Student-friendly: "I can describe the evidence that shows continents move by using concept words like crustal movement, distribution, and formation in my writing.

What are some examples within content areas?

Social Studies

Content Objective SWBAT show how geographic features have affected colonial life by creating a map.

Language Objective Students will explain how a geographic feature affected colonial life on their map, using the frame: "This region had ___ (geographic feature), which allowed colonists to ___."

ELA

Content Objective Students will be able to draft a conclusion paragraph for their argument essay.

Language Objective Students will summarize the main argument of their essay in a conclusion paragraph, using transitional phrases (e.g., in conclusion, overall, as a result, in summary) to signal closure.

Math

Content Objective Students will find the lowest common multiple (LCM) of two or more numbers.

Language Objective Students will use the terms prime factorization and common multiple to explain to a partner the steps used to find LCM.

Science

Content Objective Students will be able to model how water changes states as it moves through the water cycle.

Language Objective Students will write a paragraph sequencing the water cycle using cause-and-effect transition words (because, therefore, as a result) to show how each stage leads to the next.

Art

Content Objective Students will be able to create an original digital or paper collage that displays juxtaposition (placing two unrelated items side by side).

Language Objective Students will justify their use of juxtaposition to a peer, using the frame: "I paired the ___ with the ___ because ___."

Phys Ed

Content Objective Students will be able to measure their target heart rate after a running test.

Language Objective Students will explain their results to a partner, using the terms cardiovascular and intensity.

Drama

Content Objective: Students will be able to use body gestures to match the emotional stakes of a dramatic scene.

Language Objective Students will explain their gesture choices, using the frame: "I used ___ (gesture) to show ___ (emotion) because ___."

Financial Literacy

Content Objective: Students will be able to categorize expenses into fixed needs, variable needs, and wants to create a balanced monthly budget.

Language Objective Students will justify their budgeting choices to a peer using persuasive sentence stems (e.g., "I categorized this as a need because...", "This item takes priority over...").

*News from the World of ELL/MLL Education and WIDA

*Click to expand

At the October 2025 meeting of the Board of Regents...New York will be joining the WIDA Consortium. WIDA is an educational services organization within the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s School of Education that advances academic language development and achievement for multilingual students. WIDA’s mission is to provide a trusted comprehensive approach to supporting, teaching, and assessing multilingual learners.

We are still in the early phase of the transition. Learning opportunities for all WIDA assessments will begin to be offered during the coming months to ensure ample preparation time for educators and students. On demand assessment training resources will be available soon. In the meantime, WIDA provides information on their assessments on their website, under the “Assess” menu option and educators are encouraged to review this general information in advance of future training and resource sharing.

To provide time for training and professional learning, the first administration of the WIDA ACCESS and Alternate ACCESS will be in Spring 2027. The Screener assessments will be implemented in Fall 2027 following the first administration of the WIDA ACCESS. The final administration of the New York State English as a Second Language Achievement Test (NYSESLAT) will be in Spring 2026. The New York State Identification Test for English Language Learners (NYSITELL) will continue to be offered until being replaced by the WIDA screener in Fall 2027.

source: NYSed.gov

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