A multi-level language toolkit for the Australian Curriculum: English

In its Language Strand, the Australian Curriculum: English (ACARA, 2012) refers to the importance of students learning to describe language as a system, paying attention to both structure (syntax) and meaning (semantics) at word, sentence and text levels. Yet English teachers in Australia remain uncertain about how to make principled connections between language as system and language as text. It is clear that the role of a linguistically informed knowledge must be addressed if teachers are to support their students to develop the 'dynamic and evolving' body of knowledge about language (KAL) required by the new Australian Curriculum. Focusing on persuasive texts, this paper uses the lenses provided by the Australian Curriculum: English to explore how language construes meaning at group, sentence and text level. The analysis contributes towards a multi-level language framework to help teachers to help students construct and appreciate the valued forms of argumentation required in the new Curriculum, as these draw variously on logical reasoning and emotional impact.