and Success Criteria

"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."

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

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

• complements the content objective rather than replacing it.
• focuses on one or more language modes: speaking, listening, reading, and writing.
• may target a language function, key vocabulary, a language feature, or a strategy that supports comprehension.

What is a language objective?

The four language skills (speaking, listening, reading, and writing), but they can also include:

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• 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).

What do they include?

What will students say, write, read or listen for?

Ask yourself:

CONTENT OBJECTIVE = WHAT

LANGUAGE OBJECTIVE = HOW

Content vs. Language Objectives vs. Success Criteria

What students will learn or do with the content.

How students will use language to access the content or show what they know.

SUCCESS CRITERIA = PROOF

Observable indicators or "I can" statements that show students and the teacher whether the objectives have been met.

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

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“Students will understand the causes of the American Revolution.”

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

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"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.”

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The success criteria are the observable and measurable indicators that answer "How will I know I was successful?".

• I can explain how the French and Indian War contributed to the American Revolution.
• I can use a transitional phrase (contributed to, set the stage for, as a direct result of) to show the connection between the two events.
• I can write or say a complex sentence using a subordinating conjunction (because, since, or as).

Content

I can…

• Identify at least one important geographic feature in a colonial region (river, harbor, coast, mountain, fertile land).
• Accurately place and label geographic features on my map.
• Show how people in the colonies used the geographic feature.
• Include details that connect the feature to colonial life (trade, farming, transportation, fishing, settlement).
• Create a map that is neat, complete, and easy to read.

Language

I can...

• Use the sentence frame to explain a geographic feature: "This region had ___, which allowed colonists to ___."
• Use social studies vocabulary correctly (harbor, river, coast, fertile soil, trade, transportation, settlement).
• Explain the cause-and-effect relationship between geography and colonial life.
• Share my explanation orally or in writing using complete sentences.

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Success Criteria could be:

• I can identify and label a geographic feature on my colonial region map.
• I can show how the geographic feature affected colonial life.
• I can explain the effect of a geographic feature using the sentence frame: "This region had ___, which allowed colonists to ___."

Directly align to both

A strong language objective makes the invisible language

demand of the lesson

visible, teachable, and measurable.

CREATING LANGUAGE OBJECTIVES

1

START WITH THE TASK

Review the

content standard, lesson objective, and assessment to identify the language students must use to succeed.

academic subject matter, topic, or specific assignment being taught

• photosynthesis
• causes of the Civil War
• solving quadratic equations
• characters in a novel

The WHAT

• Narrate
• Inform
• Explain
• Argue

CHOOSE KEY LANGUAGE USE

What is the purpose of the communication?

Used in all subject/content areas.

2

CREATING LANGUAGE OBJECTIVES

• comparing
• justifying
• analyzing
• classifying

IDENTIFY MODE+ LANGUAGE FUNCTION

Is the task:

interpretive (reading/listening) or

expressive (speaking/writing)?

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Select the most relevant language function.

The communicative purpose of the language. It is the "action verb".

The WHY

• interpreting
• predicting
• summarizing
• describing

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CREATING LANGUAGE OBJECTIVES

• past-tense verbs
• tier-3 vocab (chloroplast, ratio)
• transitions, conjunctions
• comparative language (e.g., more than, -er, whereas)
• sequence words

ADD A SCAFFOLD OR LANGUAGE FEATURE

Name the specific language students need.

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Scaffolds: sentence frame or structure, word banks

Features: verb forms, vocabulary, grammar, discourse, cohesive devices

The HOW

EN - TR: Scaffold

CM/GenEd: Feature

SpEd: Refer to IEP

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CREATING LANGUAGE OBJECTIVES

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LANGUAGE FUNCTION + CONTENT/TASK + LANGUAGE FEATURE

or SCAFFOLD

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3

The Formula

You don’t need to be a grammar expert to write language objectives!

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It just takes some practice.

If you want students to make inferences about a character using indirect characterization:

Modes: Reading–Writing

Function: cite evidence

Content-specific target: to support an inference about a character

Scaffold: "Maya is ___ because in the story ___."

Language Features: descriptive adjectives, causal language

LANGUAGE OBJECTIVE FORMULA

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LANGUAGE FUNCTION + CONTENT/TASK + LANGUAGE FEATURE

or SCAFFOLD

Select

one

Scaffold: Students will cite evidence to support an inference about a character using the frame: "Maya is ___ because in the story ___."

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Language Features: Students will cite evidence to support an inference about a character using descriptive adjectives and causal language (e.g., because, since, as a result) to justify their reasoning.

Do I need a sentence frame?

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Not always. Add one when it helps students access the targeted language at their proficiency level.

The frame should support the objective, not become the objective itself.

CHEAT SHEET

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Listening – tell, role play, identify, listen, recognize, point, show, follow directions

Speaking – name, discuss, rephrase, ask, answer, predict, say steps in a process, pronounce, repeat, respond, state, summarize, explain, tell, use

Reading – preview, read aloud, find specific information, identify, skim, explore

Writing – list, summarize, ask and answer questions, create sentences, state and justify opinions, write, contrast, classify, record

Vocabulary Development – define isolated words, define words in context, find words and construct meaning

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Word Bank Verbs by Language Function

Narrate (tell what happened, in order)

recount, retell, sequence, narrate, recall, chronicle

Inform (describe facts and details)

describe, define, classify, label, report, identify, list, predict, categorize, give examples

Explain (show how or why something works)

explain, compare, contrast, summarize, show cause/effect, predict, analyze, clarify, interpret, demonstrate, illustrate, synthesize, sequence

Argue (take and defend a position)

argue, justify, persuade, evaluate, agree/disagree, defend, critique, state an opinion, support a claim, recommend, counter

Any (useful everywhere)

ask/answer questions, cite evidence, paraphrase, restate, respond, elaborate

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Word Bank Verbs by Language Mode