3.1 Standards-Based Planning, Content Objectives, and Language Objectives
Key Takeaways
- Standards-based planning requires aligning grade-level content standards (e.g., CCSS) with English language proficiency (ELP) standards (e.g., WIDA ELD Standards) to foster disciplinary literacy.
- Language objectives must explicitly identify three elements: the language function (verb), language forms/vocabulary (grammar/domain words), and language supports/discourse structure.
- Bloom's Taxonomy must be adapted for ELLs by decoupling cognitive demand from linguistic complexity, allowing low-proficiency students to engage in higher-order thinking via visual and graphic supports.
- Backward Design (UbD) in ESOL contexts begins with defining desired content and language outcomes before designing authentic assessments and sheltered instructional activities.
3.1 Standards-Based Planning, Content Objectives, and Language Objectives
In contemporary ESOL education, instructional planning must bridge the gap between academic content expectations and second language acquisition processes. Standards-based planning ensures that English Language Learners (ELLs) access grade-level academic curricula while systematically acquiring the academic English necessary for academic success. Effective ESOL educators do not reduce academic rigor for ELLs; instead, they integrate English Language Proficiency (ELP) standards with state content standards (such as the Common Core State Standards or state-specific frameworks) to promote disciplinary literacy—the specialized language, text structures, and reasoning habits inherent to specific academic subjects.
The WIDA ELD Standards Framework and ELP Standards
State English language proficiency standards serve as the foundational roadmap for language instruction. The most widely adopted framework in the United States is the WIDA English Language Development (ELD) Standards Framework (used by the 41-state WIDA Consortium), alongside other state standards such as ELPA21, NYSESLAT, and California's ELPAC.
Core Components of the WIDA Framework
The WIDA framework is organized around three structural pillars:
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Five ELD Standards:
- Standard 1 (Social and Instructional Language): ELLs communicate for social and instructional purposes within the school setting.
- Standard 2 (Language of Language Arts): ELLs communicate information, ideas, and concepts necessary for academic success in language arts.
- Standard 3 (Language of Mathematics): ELLs communicate mathematical concepts, operations, and problem-solving strategies.
- Standard 4 (Language of Science): ELLs communicate scientific concepts, inquiries, and technical data.
- Standard 5 (Language of Social Studies): ELLs communicate historical, geographical, political, and economic concepts.
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Four Key Language Uses:
- Narrate: Expressing real or imagined experiences, sequencing events, and developing characters or historical figures.
- Inform: Defining, describing, categorizing, and summarizing factual information.
- Explain: Illustrating how or why phenomena occur, establishing cause-and-effect relationships, and demonstrating logical processes.
- Argue: Stating claims, evaluating evidence, justifying positions, and counter-arguing alternative perspectives.
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Six English Language Proficiency (ELP) Levels:
- Level 1 (Entering): Pictorial or graphic representation; words, phrases, or chunks of language; single-word responses.
- Level 2 (Emerging): General academic language; phrases or short sentences; oral or written repetition of modeled language.
- Level 3 (Developing): General and some specific academic language; expanded sentences; coherent paragraphs with minor grammatical errors.
- Level 4 (Expanding): Specific and technical academic language; complex sentences; organized discourse across content areas.
- Level 5 (Bridging): Specialized and technical academic language; varied sentence lengths and complex discourse comparable to native English peers.
- Level 6 (Reaching): Specialized academic language across grade-level contexts; mastery equivalent to native English-proficient peers.
Formulating SMART Content Objectives vs. Language Objectives
A cornerstone of sheltered instruction is the explicit writing and posting of dual objectives for every lesson: Content Objectives and Language Objectives. Both objectives must be written in student-friendly "I can" statements and communicated clearly at the start of instruction.
Content Objectives
Content objectives define what students are expected to learn, know, and demonstrate regarding grade-level subject matter. They are derived directly from state content standards (e.g., Next Generation Science Standards, CCSS Mathematics, State History Standards).
Language Objectives
Language objectives define how students will process or produce language during the lesson to master the content objective. A comprehensive language objective must include three essential components:
- Language Function: The communicative purpose or active cognitive/linguistic verb (e.g., compare, justify, sequence, summarize, hypothesize).
- Language Vocabulary & Forms (Grammar): The specific academic vocabulary, syntax, or grammatical structures required (e.g., comparative adjectives: -er/more than, past-perfect tense, domain-specific terms: photosynthesis, chloroplast, glucose, transition signals: consequently, furthermore).
- Language Discourse & Supports: The text structure, communicative mode (listening, speaking, reading, writing), and scaffolding provided (e.g., using a Venn diagram and sentence frames, in a four-sentence paragraph with a partner).
Matrix: Comparing Content and Language Objectives Across Disciplines
| Discipline | Content Objective | Language Objective |
|---|---|---|
| Science | Students will identify the stages of the water cycle and explain evaporation and condensation. | Students will explain (function) the water cycle by writing a four-stage paragraph using sequence transitions (first, subsequently, finally) and domain vocabulary (evaporation, condensation, precipitation) with the support of a flow chart (support). |
| Mathematics | Students will solve multi-step word problems involving fractions and decimals. | Students will justify (function) their problem-solving steps orally to a partner using comparative phrases (greater than, equal to) and cause-effect sentence frames (Because I multiplied X by Y, the product is...) (support). |
| Social Studies | Students will analyze the primary causes of the American Revolutionary War. | Students will contrast (function) the perspectives of Patriots and Loyalists by completing a T-chart using concession markers (although, whereas, on the other hand) and historical terms (taxation, representation, boycott) (support). |
| Language Arts | Students will determine the central theme of a literary text and analyze its development. | Students will summarize (function) the character's motivation by writing three sentences using past-tense action verbs and textual evidence frames (The author illustrates... because...) with a partner graphic organizer (support). |
Bloom's Taxonomy for English Language Learners
A frequent pitfall in ESOL pedagogy—and a major target of Praxis ESOL exam items—is conflating linguistic proficiency with cognitive capability. Teachers often mistakenly limit ELLs at Level 1 (Entering) or Level 2 (Emerging) to low-level cognitive tasks (e.g., rote recall or matching single words) because the students lack complex English grammar.
According to Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy (Remember, Understand, Apply, Analyze, Evaluate, Create), ELLs at all proficiency levels are fully capable of engaging in Higher-Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) such as evaluation, analysis, and creation when provided with appropriate linguistic scaffolding.
Adapting Cognitive Demand vs. Linguistic Complexity
| Bloom's Level | Cognitive Task | Scaffolding for Level 1–2 ELLs (Entering/Emerging) | Scaffolding for Level 4–5 ELLs (Expanding/Bridging) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Remember | Recall facts and basic concepts | Point to labeled diagrams; match picture cards to terms. | Define terms in written sentences; list key historical dates. |
| Understand | Explain ideas or concepts | Sort visuals into categories; select correct visual representation. | Summarize key ideas in a paragraph; paraphrase text main points. |
| Apply | Use information in new situations | Demonstrate a process physically (TPR); complete a visual model. | Write an advice column applying scientific principles; solve word problems. |
| Analyze | Draw connections among ideas | Categorize items on a graphic organizer (Venn diagram); drag-and-drop elements. | Write a comparative analysis essay contrasting two historical documents. |
| Evaluate | Justify a stand or decision | Give a thumbs up/down and use simple starter frames: "I choose __ because __." | Participate in a formal debate; write a persuasive critique with counter-arguments. |
| Create | Produce new or original work | Build a physical diorama or digital collage labeled with key vocabulary. | Compose an original narrative essay or design a multi-media research proposal. |
Backward Design (Wiggins & McTighe / UbD) in ESOL Contexts
Backward Design (Understanding by Design or UbD, developed by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe) is an instructional planning framework that begins with the end in mind. In ESOL contexts, Backward Design ensures that language acquisition activities directly support the ultimate content and language standards.
The Three Stages of UbD Applied to ESOL
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Stage 1: Identify Desired Results:
- The teacher analyzes content standards alongside WIDA ELD standards to determine essential questions, enduring understandings, content objectives, and language objectives.
- Example: Understanding how ecosystems depend on energy flow (Content) while learning to express cause-and-effect relationships in scientific writing (Language).
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Stage 2: Determine Acceptable Evidence:
- Before planning daily activities, the teacher creates performance tasks and assessments that allow ELLs to demonstrate content mastery through varied language modalities.
- Accommodations in Assessment: Providing graphic organizers, bilingual glossaries, oral response options, or simplified sentence structures without altering the core content criteria being measured.
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Stage 3: Plan Learning Experiences and Instruction:
- The teacher selects sheltered instruction strategies, designs multimodal scaffolds (sensory, graphic, interactive), plans explicit vocabulary instruction (Tier 2 academic terms), and selects flexible grouping strategies to guide students toward the Stage 1 outcomes.
A 5th-grade ESOL teacher drafts the following objective for a social studies lesson: 'Students will contrast the economic systems of Northern and Southern states before the Civil War by writing a four-sentence paragraph using comparative conjunctions (whereas, on the other hand) and a graphic T-chart.' Which component of a language objective does the phrase 'by writing a four-sentence paragraph using comparative conjunctions' represent?
An ESOL teacher is designing a science lesson on food webs for 4th-grade ELLs who are at WIDA Level 1 (Entering). The teacher wants to engage students in higher-order thinking corresponding to the 'Analyze' level of Bloom's Taxonomy. Which of the following instructional activities best achieves this goal while maintaining appropriate linguistic scaffolding?
According to the WIDA English Language Development (ELD) Standards Framework, which Key Language Use is primarily emphasized when students evaluate historical arguments, cite textual evidence, and defend a position on a controversial issue?
When applying the Backward Design (UbD) framework (Wiggins & McTighe) to an ESOL unit, which step should an educator complete immediately after identifying the desired content and language standards (Stage 1)?