Engaging Students in Academic Literacies : SFL Genre Pedagogy for K-8 Classrooms

The second edition of this important and practical text provides specific information to guide teachers in planning and carrying out genre writing instruction in English for K–8 students within the content areas. Informed by systemic functional linguistics (SFL)—a framework conducive to instruction that views language as a meaning-making resource—this book guides teachers by presenting concrete ways to teach writing in the language arts, science, and social science curricula. Introducing theory of language that is effective in addressing the writing development of all students, especially multilingual/multicultural groups, the book provides essential scaffolding for teachers to design and implement effective, inclusive curricula while building their own knowledge.

Fully up to date, the second edition features new genres appropriate for middle school, examples of student writing, an expanded focus on genre pedagogy, a new chapter on bilingual learners, guidance for teaching in the middle grades, as well as clear steps to prepare genre units based two decades of experience working with whole schools. The chapter units cover distinct genres, including memoirs, historical, genres, fictional narratives, arguments, and more. With ready-to-use tools, the new edition prepares elementary and middle school teachers to meet and adapt to the variable demands of their own educational contexts. Easy to navigate, this teacher-friendly text is an essential resource for courses in academic writing, English education, and multilingual education, and for pre-service and practicing English Language Arts (ELA) teachers who want to expand their teaching abilities and knowledge bases.