Welcome to Equipping ELLs, the podcast that helps you create a supportive and effective learning environment for your English Language Learners. I’m Beth, and today, we’re breaking down a critical skill every teacher needs when working with ELL students: writing clear and purposeful language objectives.
Language objectives are the roadmap for how your ELL students will use language during a lesson. They complement your content objectives by focusing on the language skills students need to achieve those content goals. In this episode, I’ll walk you through a simple, memorable way to write language objectives, and I’ll share some handy ChatGPT prompts you can use to transform your content objectives into language objectives.
Let’s dive in!
Segment 1: Understanding Language Objectives
Before we get into the how-to, let’s clarify what a language objective is. Simply put, a language objective specifies what language skills your students need to practice during a lesson. While your content objectives focus on what students will learn (like solving a math problem or understanding a historical event), your language objectives focus on how they will use language to learn and demonstrate understanding (like explaining their reasoning, writing a summary, or participating in a discussion).
Language objectives typically focus on four areas: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. They might also involve vocabulary development, grammar, or language functions like comparing, describing, or summarizing.
Segment 2: A Creative Way to Remember How to Write Language Objectives
Writing language objectives doesn’t have to be complicated. Here’s a simple and creative way to remember the key components of a strong language objective using the acronym “L.E.A.P.”—because we want our students to leap forward in their language skills!
L - Language Function: What will students do with the language? (e.g., describe, explain, compare, summarize)
E - English Language Skills: Which skill will they focus on? (e.g., speaking, listening, reading, writing)
A - Academic Vocabulary: What specific words or phrases will they need? (e.g., “cause and effect,” “inference,” “photosynthesis”)
P - Purpose: Why are they using the language? (e.g., to explain their reasoning, to compare two texts, to write a summary)
Here’s an example of how to use L.E.A.P.:
Language Function (L): Compare
English Language Skills (E): Speaking
Academic Vocabulary (A): Similarities, differences, characteristics
Purpose (P): To discuss the similarities and differences between two ecosystems
So, your language objective might be: “Students will compare two ecosystems using the vocabulary ‘similarities,’ ‘differences,’ and ‘characteristics’ during a group discussion.”
In the notes we will be sharing a breakdown of form and functions that Kristen Vibas shared with us during episode number 39. We will link that episode as well.
Segment 3: Writing Language Objectives from Content Objectives Using ChatGPT Prompts
To make writing language objectives even easier, here are some ChatGPT prompts you can use. These will help you take any content objective and quickly turn it into a clear language objective.
Content Objective to Speaking Language Objective:
Prompt: “Turn the content objective ‘[Insert Content Objective]’ into a language objective focused on speaking.”
Example: Content Objective: “Students will analyze the causes of the American Revolution.”
Language Objective: “Students will explain the causes of the American Revolution using the terms ‘taxation,’ ‘representation,’ and ‘conflict’ in a class discussion.”
Content Objective to Writing Language Objective:
Prompt: “Write a language objective focused on writing for the content objective ‘[Insert Content Objective].’”
Example: Content Objective: “Students will describe the water cycle.”
Language Objective: “Students will write a paragraph describing the stages of the water cycle using the words ‘evaporation,’ ‘condensation,’ and ‘precipitation.’”
Content Objective to Reading Language Objective:
Prompt: “Create a reading-focused language objective based on the content objective ‘[Insert Content Objective].’”
Example: Content Objective: “Students will understand the key events of World War II.”
Language Objective: “Students will identify and underline key events in a text about World War II using the vocabulary ‘invasion,’ ‘alliance,’ and ‘surrender.’”
Content Objective to Listening Language Objective:
Prompt: “Develop a listening-focused language objective for the content objective ‘[Insert Content Objective].’”
Example: Content Objective: “Students will explore the structure of a plant cell.”
Language Objective: “Students will listen to a presentation on plant cells and take notes on the functions of the cell parts using the terms ‘nucleus,’ ‘chloroplast,’ and ‘membrane.’”
Segment 4: Practical Tips for Writing Language Objectives
Here are a few final tips to help you write effective language objectives:
Be Specific: Clearly define what language skill your students will use and what they are expected to produce or demonstrate.
Align with Content Objectives: Ensure that your language objective directly supports the content objective. The language students use should help them achieve the content goal.
Differentiate by Proficiency Level: Consider your students’ language proficiency when writing objectives. You might need to adjust the complexity of the language function or vocabulary based on their level.
If you take the time to create purposeful and intentional language objectives, the WHAT you need to teach will become a lot easier to understand and this should guide your lessons.
Conclusion:
Writing clear and purposeful language objectives is essential for guiding your ELL students toward academic success. By remembering the L.E.A.P. acronym and using ChatGPT prompts, you can easily craft language objectives that align with your content goals and meet your students where they are.
Thank you for joining us today on Equipping ELLs. I hope this episode has given you practical strategies to simplify the process of writing language objectives. Remember, the clearer your objectives, the more effectively your students will be able to engage with and master the content.
Be sure to tune in next week as we continue to explore strategies for supporting ELL students in the classroom. If you found today’s episode helpful, please subscribe, rate, and leave a review.
I’m Beth, and until next time, keep equipping, empowering, and elevating every learner in your classroom.
