ABSTRACT
This chapter describes an approach to bringing explicit attention to language in kindergarten to year 12 (K–12) classrooms by focusing on grammar as a resource for meaning-making. It urges applied linguists to continue to contribute to this agenda so that all teachers can be better prepared to support second language (L2) learners in learning language as they learn school subjects. The chapter shows how content and language teachers in K–12 classrooms can support the ongoing language development of L2 students through a focus on patterns of language in their subject areas. It reviews previous research on grammar in K–12 classrooms and then offers an extended perspective on the systemic functional linguistics (SFL) approach to teaching grammar. The chapter also describes research that has responded to calls for supporting K–12 learners with a more explicit focus on language, as well as studies that use new tools from SFL to assess language development.
