ABSTRACT
This chapter describes a metalanguage for discussing the language, organisation and social functions of the written genres of schooling, or knowledge genres, that has been developed in the Reading to Learn teaching methodology and teacher education programme. The metalanguage is informed by systemic functional linguistics (SFL) descriptions of genres, grammar and discourse semantics, but it is designed to be directly appliable in teacher education and classroom practice, and to be readily learnable for teachers. Key design principles include approaching patterns of genre, grammar and discourse from the perspective of register, and embedding metalanguage in teaching practice. The metalanguage is built up in four steps that follow the phases of the Reading to Learn teacher education programme. The first embeds metalanguage for genre functions and structures in strategies for reading and writing whole texts. The second outlines metalanguage for detailed reading and rewriting of text passages. The third introduces knowledge about grammar from the perspective of register and the fourth discusses discourse semantic systems from the perspectives of register and genre.
