1. Leticia M. Trower Gaston County Schools
SIOP, ESL, and MPI’s
Leticia M. Trower
Gaston County Schools

2. What does WIDA say about Content and Language Objectives?
“WIDA ELP standards focus on academic language; academic content standards focus on academic content.” (link to source)
“Content Objectives = academic achievement;
Language Objectives = academic language” (link to source)
…therefore, the WIDA ELPS are a source of language objectives, not content objectives

3. What does SIOP say about Content and Language Objectives?
SIOP Feature 1: “Content objectives clearly defined, displayed, and reviewed with students” (Making Content Comprehensible, 2010)
SIOP Feature 2: “Language objectives clearly defined, displayed, and reviewed with students” (Making Content Comprehensible, 2010)
… in other words, every SIOP lesson has
a content objective and a language objective

4. Where do Content Objectives come from?
SIOP: “Content objectives as mentioned before are usually drawn from the state subject area standards”
(p. 27, Making Content Comprehensible, 2010)
WIDA: “The Language Arts SCOS objective is the content objective” (link to source)
… in other words, SIOP and WIDA agree that the source for content objectives is the subject area SCOS

5. Where do Language Objectives come from?
“The first place to start is the state English language development (ELD) or English as a second language (ESL) standards.”
(p. 26, Making Content Comprehensible, 2010)
In NC, this would be the WIDA ELPS

6. Comparing MPIs and Objectives
Content Objective
MPI
Not always measurable and observable
Academic achievement
Includes a specific form of support
Drawn from subject area SCOS
Defines what a student will know or be able to do
Lesson-level
Students receive differentiated support; all students meet one objective per lesson
Distinct for each individual proficiency level represented in a classroom
Academic language
Includes R, W, L, or S
Linked to content
Based on WIDA ELPS
Measurable and observable
Language Objective

7. The Role of the MPI in Lesson Planning
Three possibilities:
Use the MPI as a language objective
Use the MPI as a content objective
Use the MPI in addition to the content and language objectives
Let’s examine each one…

8. The MPI may be used as a language objective
Advantages
Challenges
MPI’s share many features with Language Objectives
MPI’s are more specific than LO’s; the result will be more detailed LO’s
Teachers often differentiate forms of support for individual students in a given classroom, while MPI’s include specific forms of support

9. The MPI can not be used as a content objective!
SIOP lessons include a language objective and a content objective
The WIDA ELP Standards focus on academic language, not academic achievement
Content objectives are drawn from the subject area SCOS

10. The MPI may be used in addition to the content and language objectives
Advantages
Challenges
While MPI’s and objectives share many features, they are three distinct concepts
Writing three separate goals for every lesson is time-consuming
The large amount of overlap between MPI’s and language objectives will result in repetition

11. My Recommendation: ESL lesson plans should include: WIDA Standard
Language Objective in the form of an MPI
Content Objective pulled from NCSCOS for the appropriate subject area

12. Example – 3rd grade ESL lesson
Essential Question: How do plants grow?
WIDA Standard:
Standard 4, the Language of Science
Language Objective in the form of an MPI:
Students will be able to write a sentence describing each step in the life cycle of a plant, using the Avenues photofile picture cards
Content Objective pulled from NCSCOS for the appropriate subject area:
Students will be able to identify the steps in the life cycle of a plant
(From 3rd grade science, Goal 1, Objective1.03: “Investigate and describe how plants pass through distinct stages in their life cycle including growth, survival, and reproduction”)