Strengthen your teaching skills to help children develop their essential literacy abilities.

Language is at the heart of what we do, how we live and the ways we learn. Teaching Language in Context explores how an explicit understanding of how language works can help you make informed choices in your teaching. Written by leading Australian experts in a functional approach to literacy, it equips you with the knowledge to refine your own literacy capacities and develop the skills and strategies you need to support your students in meeting the challenges of learning to critically read and compose texts.

The third edition includes essential updates and revisions focused on recent developments in research and teaching. New content explores the use of language for responding, poetry in teaching language, and the use of imagery to explain different forms of multi-modal texts across various curriculum areas. With the inclusion of ‘Think about it’ and ‘Have a go!’ activities to help you reflect on your learning and familiarise yourself with language features, Teaching Language in Context will strengthen your language skills for the evolving learning space.

PART 1: LANGUAGE AND LEARNING

1. A functional model of language

2. The functions of language

3. Introduction to a teaching-learning cycle

PART 2: LEARNING ABOUT LANGUAGE 

4. Language for appreciating and creating story worlds

5. Language for recounting what happened

6. Language for responding

7. Language for observing and describing the world

8. Language explaining how and why

9. Language for persuading others

10. Language for inquiring

11. Poetry: playing with language

Beverly Derewianka is a Professorial Fellow for the School of Education at the University of Wollongong.

Pauline Jones is an Associate Professor for Language in Education at the University of Wollongong.

Chapter 1