Normative texts in the social sciences (written and otherwise) have some consistent features of discourse that can be helpful for all learners to unpack, especially those developing English in US schools. One frequent feature is nominalization, verbs or adjectives that are turned into nouns in order to convey a process or emphasize an action. This also makes sentences longer and more abstract.
Another frequent feature is argumentation: the practice of making claims (including agreement or disagreement with others' claims) and supporting those claims with evidence and lines of reasoning. One way to support students' development of argumentative skills is the Because-But-So series of prompts (adapted to your specific content, of course). This can be carried out orally or in writing, and drawing on students' translanguaging strategically. This can also be fortified by Building Up Ideas in pairs or small groups to add detail, depth, and supporting evidence or reasoning to each claim.
Here is a list of questions and visual prompts that can help students identify issues about which to engage in argumentation, although they can (and should) also draw from their own work such as Testimonio and Community Asset Mapping.
Proceed to ENGAGE the content of this module.