Examples of Big Ideas with Content & Language Objectives

Prepared by Jeanette Gordon

Illinois Resource Center

Examples are all related to Graphic Organizers since

they are so helpful for ELLs and easy

to differentiate.

BIG IDEA: We eat different plant parts.

Content Objective: Classify foods based on plant parts.

Organizer # 1

fruit of some plants leaves of some plants stems of some plants

roots of some plants seeds of some plants flowers of some plants

LANGUAGE OBJECTIVE: Students practice the structures: This is lettuce. Lettuce is a leaf. OR These are peas. Peas are seeds.

CHALLENGE: Students use the structure, “Beets belong(s) in the roots category. ” Give more information about the plant or tell about cooking or eating the foods.

Include pictures of foods from different cultures.

Organizer # 1

fruit of some plants leaves of some plants stems of some plants

roots of some plants seeds of some plants flowers of some plants

LANGUAGE OBJECTIVE: Students practice the structures: This is Spinach. Spinach is a leaf. OR these are apples. Apples are fruits.

CHALLENGE: Students use the structure, “Yuca belong(s) in the classification roots”. They give more information about the plant or tell about cooking or eating the foods.

YUCA Flor de calabazaPassion Fruit

Examples progress from elementary to secondary

1st grade science (See next slide)

Big Idea:Transportation changes over time.

Content Objective:Sort pictures into a Venn: Transportation now, 100

years ago, both now and then.

Language Objective: Roundrobin (take turns sharing orally in a team) and

use the sentence prompts when sorting.

Start with just one aspect of comparison, as modeled in the next slide. Transportation vehicles

Source: Kidspirationwww.Inspiration.com

we have___they had_

They had ___, and so do we.

They had ___, and we do too.

They didn’t have___

Illionois Standards for next slide

STATE GOAL 18: Understand social systems, with an emphasis on the United States.B. Understand the roles and interactions of

individuals and groups in society.

English Language Proficiency Standards• English Language Proficiency Standard 5: English

language learners communicate information, ideas, and concepts necessary for academic success in the content area of Social Studies.

FAMILY WORK

Inside Outside

CHALLENGE: Think about all cultures. Pay attention to the job, not the tools used to do the job.

BIG IDEA: Family members work together to do chores and errands.CONTENT OBJECTIVE: Sort work pictures into Venn.

LANGUAGE OBJECTIVES:

Describe pictures: He is _____ing. She is ______ing. They are ____ing.  Ask, “Do you agree?”Challenge: Use prompts to agree, disagreeand support opinions.

InsideOutside

Job, Drying the clothes. People can dry clothes inside or outside.Job Fixing the sink. In some warm countries, sinks can be outside.Sinks are on the pier to clean the fish.

CHALLENGE for preceding slide

I agree with_______that ____________.

I concur with _____that ______________.

I support that idea because____________.

I disagree with________ that ___________.

In some cultures people might __________.

In my opinion ______ could be done______.

If people didn’t have____, they would have to__________.

Compare & Contrast: Introduce multiple aspects of comparison with pictures

SUGGESTIONS FOR PRECEEDING SLIDE

• Numbered-heads together– What is the most important way the two

picture stories are similar? Who is doing what where?

“In both picture stories _________________”

• What would be important to talk about to describe the differences?– Examples: characters, setting, purpose,

quantity, containers, cost, payment method

COMPARE AND CONTRAST DIAGRAM Name: _______________________________________Date:_______________

Story 1 _________________ Story 2_________________

How Alike?

Young boys are___ shopping for food with a parent.

How Different?

________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________

With Regard To

GO.6.2 www.region15.org/curriculum/graphicorg.html template modified

A young boy is shopping for food with

an adult.

Use this organizer before a

Venn with multiple

aspects of comparison.

• Use Numbered-heads together to ask the comparative questions for the preceding slide.– How are the main characters the same? How are they

different?– How are their problems the same? How are they

different?– They both had common ideas for solving their

problems? How are they similar? What are the differences?

– What was similar about how the problems were solved? How were they different?

– How was the solution the same? How were they different?

– Compare the endings of the stories. Contrast the endings.

        

BIG IDEAS: • All people share similarities

and are unique from all others.

• Graphic organizers help organize information.

CONTENT OBJECTIVE

• Compare and contrast yourself and a classmate.

• Discuss your aspects of comparison.

Classmate Comparison to Introduce aspects of comparison

LANGUAGE OBJECTIVES:

1. Orally interview each other. Use sentence prompts if needed. (see next slide)Write (or draw) information on a Venn Diagram. 2. Use sentence prompts to write comparative statements based on your Venn.  

Challenge: Use paragraph frames to write paragraphs comparing and contrasting yourself and a classmate.

Sample Questions for Classmate Interview1. How old are you?

2. Where do you live?

3. Where are you from?

4. How many brothers/sisters do you have?

5. How long have you lived in____?

6. What is your favorite subject in school?

7. What is your favorite book?

8. What do you like to do in your free time?

I am ________years old.

I live in ________. (city name)

I live on ________. (street name only)

I live at _________. (address)

I am from ____________.

I have ____OR I am an only child.

I’ve lived here for _________.

My favorite subject is __________.

My favorite book is.

I like to _________.I

SIMILARITIES: How are and your classmate alike?

1. ____________ and I are alike in many ways. (Name of classmate)

2. We are both______________________.

3. ____________ and I both live _________.

(Name of classmate)

4. We both speak _____________________.

5. We are in the same grade in school.

6. ___________________ and I have the same _________________________.

7. We are almost the same age.

8. We have a common interest. We both like ____________________________.

9. We are both studying __________________________________.

10. His (or her) family is ____________________________, and so is mine.

11. __________________________ likes to ___________________, and so do I.

(Name of Classmate)

12. I want to be ____________, and so does __________________________.

(Name of classmate)

13. Our favorite _________________ is _____________

DIFFERENCES: How are you and your classmate different?

1. ____________________ and I are different in several ways.

(Name of classmate)2. ______________________ likes to play __________________, but I don’t. (Name of classmate)3. ____________________but I like_____________ (Name of classmate)4. I have ___________________________ , but he (or she) doesn’t.

5. We enjoyed different _______________________.

6. ____________________________________ has __________________, but I have ______________________

(Name of classmate)

7. His (or her) family is ________________________, but mine is ______________________________.

8. His (or her) hair is __________________________, but mine is ______________________________.

9. He (or she) is taller (or shorter, older, younger) than I am.

10. I am taller (shorter, older) than ____________________________________ is.

(Name of classmate)

Write your own sentences or try the challenge.

CHALLENGE: Write two paragraphs.

How are your and your classmate similar and how are you different?

________________________ and I interviewed each other to determine how we are alike and different.

(Name of partner)

It is evident that we are alike in many ways. The most significant similarity between us is that we both

______________________________. Each of us _______________________________________________ _.

We _________________________ the same _____________________________________________________.

Like __________________________, I __________________________________________________________.

Another similarity between us is that__________________________________________________________.

________________________’s favorite ________________ Is ___________________, and mine is too.

We also share a common interest in ____________________________________________________________.

A surprising likeness is that both __________________________ and I ________________________________.

In addition to our similarities, we differ from each other.

A significant difference is that ___________________________________, but I ___________________________

While _________________________________ likes to ___________________________, I _______________________.

(His or her) favorite _______________________ is ______________________; however, mine is __________________.

Unlike ______________________________, who ________________________________, I ______________________.

Another difference between us is that I ___________________________, while ________________________________.

To me, the most unique difference between us is ________________________________________________________.

I ________________________________________, but __________________________________________________.

In conclusion, we found that although we differ in many ways, we also have a great deal in common.

Standards for next slide

CC. 3 R.L. 2 Key Ideas and Details. Recount stories including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text.

CC.4.R.L.9 Integration of Knowledge and Ideas: Compare and contrast the treatment of similar themes and topics (e.g., opposition of good and evil) and patterns of events (e.g., the quest) in stories, myths, and traditional literature and traditional literature from different cultures.

English Language Proficiency Standard 2: English language learners communicate information, ideas, and concepts necessary for academic success in the content area of Language Arts.

Language Arts Example

Big Ideas: Narratives typically contain the common features of a plot line.

All cultures have ways of explaining the unknown.

Throughout history stories have been written to help explain the unknown.

Picture,www.amazon.com Source: Hampton- Brown publishers

Content Objective: Compare and contrast the plot line of two fables or two myths that reflect cultural explanations of the unknown.

Language Objectives: Read 2 stories and collaborate with a partner to complete a Venn to compare and contrast plot characteristics. Use the Venn and the comparative template to write a comparative paragraph. Challenge: Write a comparative essay.

Note:Students with lower language and literacy skills can read two below grade-level stories to learn the same big ideas and do the Venn. They would use the template or sentence prompts.

(Ending)

DIFFERNTIATION IDEA: Compare developmentally appropriate narratives related to a common theme.

Children’s story about an episode in Richard Wright’s,

autobiography, Black Boy

An excerpt from Maya Angelo’s I Know Why the

Caged Bird Sings

Government Example CHECKS AND BALANCES

BIG IDEA: In democracies power is divided, balanced, and the groups with power have ways of checking the power of other groups.

CONTENT OBJECTIVE: Use a comparison matrix to compare and contrast how the 3 branches of government in the US check each other and how the people check each branch.

LANGUAGE OBJECTIVES: Read developmentally appropriate resources and collaborate with your team to complete the matrix. Individually or with a partner, use the sentence prompts to explain how the branches and the people check each other.

CHECKS AND BALANCES In democracies power is divided, balanced, and the groups with power have ways of checking the power of other groups.

EXCECUTIVE LEGISTATIVE JUDICIAL

PRESIDENT veto a bill passed by Congressrefuse to pass legislationcall sessions of Congressrecommend legislationsend troops w/o war declarationpropose budget

grant pardons and amnestyappoint judges

CONGRESS approve federal judgesapprove treaties/appointmentsoverride presidential vetoimpeach & remove from officedetermine number of judgesapprove budget

remove senators and representatives from office

approve federal judgesdeternine number of judgesstart Constitutional amendmentscreate new courts

SUPREME COURT

declare a law unconstitutionaldeclare pres. act unconstitutionalstop or limit presidents actionsforce president to do something (place an injunction on pres.)set up investigation

declare a law unconstitutionalset up an investigation(Note: supreme court can also declare state laws unconstitutional)

THE PEOPLE vote for president & vice presidentlobby/special interest groupscampaign for candidateprotests and letter writing

vote for senators & representativeslobby/special interest groupscampaign for candidateprotests and letter writing

(Voting indirectly influences appointments. People do not vote for federal judges)protests/ special interest groups

Use the following sentence prompts to express what each branch can do and how that power is checked.

• The president can, _________________, but_______________.

• The legislative branch can ______________, but _____________.

• The Supreme Court can ___________, but _____________.

• The people can ________________, but _________________.

CHALLENGE: Use the more challenging sentence prompts to promote more sentence variety OR read a more complex selection.

Prepared by Jeanette Gordon and Danette Erickson Meyer

DIFFERENCES

1. ___________has the power to _____________, but ___________.

2. While ________can _____________, _______________________.

3. _____________can_____________; however, ________________.

4. One way _____ can check the power of _________ is by _______.

5. Even though the Constitution gives _______________the power to

_________that power is curtailed by _________’s option to

__________________________.

6. _____________has the right to ___________, but ________checks

that power through _________________.

7. Given the right to __________, _______can limit _______’s power

to ______________________________________.

8. Despite the _________’s Constitutional right to _____________,

____________ can prevent abuse of that power by ___________.

9. The ultimate check on governmental misuse of power is held

by____________ who have the power to __________________.

Match graphic organizers with important understandings/big ideas. History examples follow.

• People can use webs for most content, but seek ways to promote more thought.

• Rank the elements.• Connect the

elements.• Select a follow-up

organizer that requires more challenge.

Source: Region 15 organizers.

Understanding: People explore, immigrate and migrate for many reasons, usually in an attempt to improve their lives.

Content objectives: • Complete a web of reasons people immigrate

and migrate.

Challenge: Rank the reasons from the most to least important.

Language objectives:• Use cause-effect sentence prompts to express

reasons with variety.• Use comparatives and superlatives to rank.

SENTENCE VARIETY TO EXPRESS CAUSE AND EFFECT

1. _________________________, so____________________________ .

2. __________________________because_________________________.

3. Because ________________________, _________________________.

4. Since____________________________, _________________________.

5. __________________________ since ___________________________ .

6. _______________________; consequently, ________________________ .

7. ________________________; therefore, ___________________________ .

8. ________________________ causing ____________________________ .

9. __________________ which causes (caused) ______________________ .

10. ____________________ resulting in _______________________________ .

11. _______________ which results (resulted) in ____________________ .

12. ___________________affects (affected) __________________________ .

13. Now that ____________, ______________________________________.

Big Idea: When people make important decisions, it helps to consider both positive and negative aspects of the available choices.Topical Idea: Early immigrants had to make difficult decisions about whether to stay in their countries or to immigrate to the new world.

Small font in previous slide, so copied here.

Language objective1. Use vocabulary to express possible positive

and negative consequences

+ -advantage disadvantage

benefit problem

reward risk

possibility

consequence

outcome

result2. Use cause-effect sentence prompts for variety.

(See slide 27.)

SENTENCE VARIETY TO EXPRESS CAUSE AND EFFECT

1. _________________________, so____________________________ .

2. __________________________because_________________________.

3. Because ________________________, _________________________.

4. Since____________________________, _________________________.

5. __________________________ since ___________________________ .

6. _______________________; consequently, ________________________ .

7. ________________________; therefore, ___________________________ .

8. ________________________ causing ____________________________ .

9. __________________ which causes (caused) ______________________ .

10. ____________________ resulting in _______________________________ .

11. _______________ which results (resulted) in ____________________ .

12. ___________________affects (affected) __________________________ .

13. Now that ____________, ______________________________________.

Jamestown: Fishbone OrganizerTopical big idea• Settlers at Jamestown encountered difficult conditions, but

their own actions made the situation worse.

Big Idea • When people have problems, it is easier to see external

causes than to perceive how internal perceptions and actions influence outcomes.

Content Objective • Analyze why the first immigrants in Jamestown were

starving and complete the fishbone organizer.

Language Objective • Given multilevel text options, read, take notes and share

answers with team. • Use the cause-effect sentence frames to write sentences.

Use one organizer with multilevel readings.

Challenge based on John Smith’s original account.

Similar activity: Ancient Sumerians

Big Idea The inventions of those in a society affect their lives and that of others.

Content Objective Analyze how the inventions of the Ancient Sumerians affected their society.

Language Objective Given multilevel text options, read, take notes and share answers with team. Use the cause-effect sentence frames.

ChallengeWrite the cause-effect sentences in the order they occurred, focusing on how different inventions led to others.

Sumerians could grow more crops

they invented irrigation. they invented the

plow,Sumerians could grow

more food.there was a lot of food

more people could live in one placeCity states

beganthere was a large

population

Sumerians settled in the area

they could get water and food

Few farmers were needed

specialization of

labor began.Sumerians invented writing

they could keep recordsMany scribes

learned to write communication to

improveSumerians invented the wheel

improved transportationThey invented

bronzestronger plows

They had a large population

collaboration on zigguratsThe Sumerian

discoveriesall other

civilizationsaffected

I understand,I can improve my own life and that of others

Multilevel Follow-up Activities

• Match pictures to the cause-effect prompts.

• Use different prompts to rewrite some of the same relationships.

• Given the cause, write the effects or vice-versa.

• Write a paragraph or essay explaining how the accomplishments of the Sumerians led to other advantages and more inventions.

• Such prompts make effective test items.