Writing Language Objectives
The skill every Texas teacher needs to master
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Audio Introduction
What Is a Language Objective?
A language objective identifies what students will do with language during a lesson. While a content objective describes what students will learn (the TEKS), a language objective describes how students will use listening, speaking, reading, or writing to access and demonstrate that learning. For emergent bilingual students, the language objective is what makes the content objective achievable.
Content Objective vs. Language Objective
| Content Objective (TEKS) | Language Objective (ELPS) |
|---|---|
| Describes what students will KNOW or DO with content | Describes what students will DO with LANGUAGE |
| Comes from your subject-area TEKS | Comes from the ELPS student expectations |
| Based on the same TEKS for all students | Differentiated by proficiency level |
| Example: "Students will identify the stages of the water cycle" | Example: "Students will describe the water cycle orally using sequencing words (first, next, then, finally) with visual support" |
| Assessed through content mastery | Assessed through language production |
Why Language Objectives Matter
Without a language objective, teachers often assume that emergent bilingual students understand the language of instruction. A student may grasp the concept of photosynthesis but struggle to explain it because the academic vocabulary and sentence structures have not been explicitly taught. Language objectives make the invisible visible: they force teachers to identify and teach the specific language students need to access and demonstrate content knowledge.
The Language Objective Formula
A strong language objective follows this pattern: Students will [language function] + [content topic/vocabulary] + [type of support]. For example: "Students will compare and contrast two characters using a Venn diagram and sentence frames." The language function (compare and contrast) tells you the domain, the content topic grounds it in your lesson, and the support level matches the students' proficiency.
Language Functions by Domain
Language functions are the actions students perform with language. Choose functions that match the language domain you are targeting:
| Domain | Language Functions |
|---|---|
| Listening | Identify, distinguish, follow, interpret, categorize, sequence based on oral input |
| Speaking | Describe, explain, justify, compare, narrate, retell, debate, present, ask and answer |
| Reading | Identify, summarize, analyze, interpret, compare, sequence, predict from text |
| Writing | Label, list, describe, summarize, explain, compose, argue, edit, revise |
Examples Across Content Areas
Here are language objectives for different subjects, each aligned to a specific ELPS domain:
| Subject | Content Objective | Language Objective |
|---|---|---|
| Science (Gr. 5) | Identify properties of matter | Students will describe the properties of objects using adjectives (hard, smooth, transparent) in complete sentences with a word bank (Speaking) |
| Math (Gr. 3) | Solve two-step word problems | Students will identify key information in word problems by underlining action words and circling numbers with a partner (Reading) |
| Social Studies (Gr. 8) | Analyze causes of the Texas Revolution | Students will write a paragraph explaining one cause of the Texas Revolution using cause-effect signal words (because, as a result, therefore) and a graphic organizer (Writing) |
| ELAR (Gr. 4) | Determine the theme of a story | Students will listen to a read-aloud and identify the theme by completing a sentence frame: "The theme of this story is ___ because ___" (Listening/Speaking) |
Differentiating by Proficiency Level
The same lesson needs different language objectives depending on students' proficiency levels. Here is an example for a science lesson on the water cycle:
| Proficiency Level | Language Objective |
|---|---|
| Pre-Production | Students will label the stages of the water cycle on a diagram by matching vocabulary cards to images |
| Beginning | Students will name the stages of the water cycle using a word bank and point to the corresponding part of a diagram |
| Intermediate | Students will describe the water cycle in 3-4 sentences using sequencing words and a graphic organizer |
| High Intermediate | Students will explain how the water cycle works to a partner using academic vocabulary (evaporation, condensation, precipitation) and transition phrases |
| Advanced | Students will write a paragraph explaining the water cycle and its impact on weather patterns using content-specific vocabulary |
Common Mistakes When Writing Language Objectives
Avoid these pitfalls when crafting language objectives:
- 1Too vague: "Students will learn vocabulary" — Which vocabulary? How will they use it? In which domain?
- 2Just restating the content objective: "Students will understand the water cycle" — This does not specify any language function
- 3One-size-fits-all: Writing the same language objective for all proficiency levels ignores the reality that a Pre-Production student and a High Intermediate student need different scaffolds
- 4Forgetting the support: "Students will explain the causes of erosion" — What support will they use? Sentence frames? Word wall? Graphic organizer?
- 5Only focusing on vocabulary: Language objectives should address grammar structures, discourse patterns, and language functions, not just word lists
- 6Writing language objectives only for ESL pull-out time: ELPS are cross-curricular. Every content-area teacher is responsible for language objectives, not just the ESL specialist
Quick Planning Checklist
Before your lesson, ask yourself: (1) What language will my students need to access this content? (2) Which ELPS domain does this lesson primarily develop? (3) What language function am I targeting? (4) What scaffolds will I provide for each proficiency level? (5) How will I know if students met the language objective? If you can answer all five, your language objective is strong.