A Genre-Based Approach to English Language Development Reading Instruction: Filling the Sentence-Level Gap

• In Event: 31.091 - Roundtable Session 10
  In Roundtable Session: 31.091-24 - Reading and Writing Instruction in K–12 Contexts

Abstract

This paper describes a genre-based approach to ELD reading instruction influenced by work in systemic functional linguistics (SFL) and focused on conscious attention to language features characteristic of specific genres. Through a qualitative, interaction-based methodology, the data illustrate an approach to reading instruction that combines sentence level emphasis with attention to meaning, text structure, and the genre of description, resulting in considerable student engagement and an ultimate display of comprehension. The approach promotes attention to grammatical features of text, which are often stressed as a dimension of reading fluency but not always attended to in practice. The study differs from most SFL research in analyzing an ongoing teacher-designed curriculum centered on academic genres.

Author

• Deborah Poole, San Diego State University