Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) is a branch within linguistics that calls attention to the specific function that certain segments of language are serving within texts or discourse. This approach helps learners of all linguistic backgrounds interpret the impersonal and often dense texts of academic disciplines.Â
To support multilingual learners with comprehending - and composing - texts with normative social science discourse patterns, an SFL approach helps call attention to common features and functions of such texts. Specifically, teachers can scaffold comprehension by highlighting or prompting for:
What a text says about what is happening
What text shares about people's actions or points of view
What text conveys about how information is organized (Schleppegrell & Achugar, 2003)
In this module we will consider how this SFL approach can be layered upon students' work with oral histories and their analysis of expository text that affords some background knowledge for their interviews. Using anticipatory guides before and after reading helps set a foundation for the new information and is a straightforward way of introducing SFL once texts are directly engaged.
Click HERE to learn about engaging oral history in your classroom.