What is the difference between language and content objectives?
SIOP lessons are characterized by two sets of objectives that support and complement each other: content and language objectives. Content objectives are usually drawn from state standards for the content areas. They can be recognized by verbs related to knowledge of the content area, such as identify, analyze, rank, construct, graph, divide, solve, visualize, design. Teachers are often familiar with how to write content objectives before they learn about the SIOP Model. Language objectives, on the other hand, address the language needed to engage with the academic content, perform classroom tasks, and achieve the content objectives. They are related to the language skills. Listening, speaking, reading, and writing (for example: read, write, listen, list, tell, discuss, journal, record, persuade, debate, draft), key vocabulary, language functions or ways students use language in the lesson, grammar or language structures, and language learning strategies. Back to top.
