ABSTRACT
Chapter 3 described in general terms some features of the registers that are typical of schooling. This chapter reviews research that identifies these features as markers of students’ writing development and shows how the features participate in the texts of schooling. Using the academic register features described in chapter 3 poses challenges for student writers. Not only do they need to know the grammatical features to draw on, they also need to know when and how to use them effectively for different tasks in different contexts. This knowledge depends on experience with the contexts and purposes for which those features are functional as well as knowledge about the grammatical choices that realize the context and purpose. Although the focus here is on the grammatical choices, it is important to keep in mind that it is the social experience and opportunity to engage in purposeful uses of language that makes possible the understanding of how grammatical choices make the meanings.
