Treffer: Grammar for Science: Pairing Form and Function for Technicality, Precision, and Persuasion

This article describes how a class dedicated to supporting language needs in concurrent science courses developed complex grammatical literacy with an emphasis on a functional understanding of language for technicality, precision, and persuasion. The success of the curriculum was predicated on three factors: the grammatical content selection and sequencing, activity design, and assessment design, all motivated by the needs of the students in their concurrent courses. Specific content was chosen, including transitivity and clause forms, the systemic functional grammatical concepts of logic, circumstances, and grammatical metaphor, and the Appraisal notion of engagement. By moving from forms of language to functions and meanings, students built the skills to negotiate complex grammatical structures in textbooks and word problems and therefore access the scientific knowledge. Regular group work and discussion focused on texts that students brought from their science classes, allowing students to slowly build familiarity with concepts in a way that emphasizes scientific understanding over grammatical perfection. The assignments included group analyses, a short conversation with the instructor on an individual analysis, and both individual and pair written assignments where sources were rewritten with strategic language use to paraphrase and position sources, claims, and information. While achievement levels varied, students anecdotally reported being able to read more quickly, identify key information under exam conditions, and apply the knowledge learned in new courses and assignments.

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