Table of Contents

Acknowledgements Notations 1. A functional approach to writing development 2. Writing stories in subject English 3. Writing to respond to and evaluate other texts 4. Reconstructing the past: recording and describing historical events 5.Reviewing the past: interpreting, explaining, arguing and debating historical events 6. Observing and writing about the natural world 7. Interpreting phenomena of the natural world 8. The developmental trajectory in writing References Index

Promotional Information

Tracks the developmental changes in writing across the schools curriculum, enhancing a key area of research in applied linguistics.

About the Author

Frances Christie is Emeritus Professor of Language and Literacy Education at the University of Melbourne, Australia and Honorary Professor at the University of Sydney, Australia.

Beverly Derewianka is Professor of Language Education in the Faculty of Education, University of Wollongong, Australia.

Reviews

‘The authors have made a tremendous contribution to our understanding of the paths learners follow in written language development from early childhood to late adolescence. They provide, for the first time, detailed and clearly articulated descriptions of the language students learn to control as they write key genres across the curriculum. The book will be a frequently-consulted reference work for teachers, curriculum developers, and writing researchers.' - Professor Mary J. Schleppegrell, School of Education, University of Michigan, USA.

School Discourse is an invaluable resource for teachers working with primary and secondary students in educational institutions where the medium of instruction is English. Not only does the book present what genre types students are supposed to make meaning with but it also projects the trajectory of writing development across developmental phases. This might also have implications for improving writing programmes in institutions of higher education, where instruction builds on what has been covered in primary and secondary schools.
*Australian Journal of Linguistics 31:3*