Making Language Visible in Social Studies

Sharon Besser is a teacher educator, curriculum writer, and researcher who looks at problems in education through the lens of Systemic Functional Linguistics. She has over 25 years of experience locally and internationally in support of Multilingual learners.Ruslana Westerlund is an educational consultant, author, keynote speaker, and researcher of disciplinary literacy through Systemic Functional Linguistics with more than 25 years of experience in the field of Multilingual learner education.

"Sharon Besser and Ruslana Westerlund’s Making Language Visible in Social Studies is a must-read resource for anyone who is passionate about teaching for equity through social studies. Their practical, empowering, and language-based disciplinary literacy approach provides teachers with a unique and effective path to maximally improve their students’ disciplinary expertise in social studies."Dr. Andrés Ramírez, Associate Professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Florida Atlantic University"Making Language Visible in Social Studies offers teachers of social studies the essential ‘behind the scenes’ support to integrate attention to the language and content of social science. The authors address both the ‘what’ of key disciplinary texts for learning and the ‘how’ of pedagogic practice, including authentic texts and practical activities to engage and support literacy for learning in social science."Sally Humphrey, Senior Lecturer, School of Education, Australian Catholic University "This book is a much-needed collection for teachers and teacher educators in need of resources to develop their knowledge base about how language is used in social studies. With practical concepts, ideas, and tools, this book will empower teachers to teach language in the context of social studies disciplinary genres. Chapters illustrate problems of practice with annotated social studies texts showing language features and functions that can be used in curriculum design and practical applications for both content and language teachers."Luciana C. de Oliveira, Ph.D., Professor and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Graduate Studies, School of Education, Virginia Commonwealth University"Social Studies teachers are literacy teachers. This book clearly shows what these teachers need to know about language and how to teach it in the context of social studies classes for the benefit of students’ acquisition of knowledge and ability to function as literate individuals."María Estela Brisk, Boston College, Emeritus Professor

• Chapter 1What does it mean to make language visible in Social Studies and why do we need to do it?Chapter 2What is the nature of language in Social Studies explanations?What do we mean by explain? Chapter 3 What is the nature of language of arguments in Social Studies? What do we mean by argue? Chapter 4How to make Language visible using the Teaching and Learning Cycle for Disciplinary GenresChapter 5A language-based approach to disciplinary reading