What is English as a school subject for? What does knowledge look like
in English and what should be taught? Making Meaning in English
examines the broader purpose and reasons for teaching English and
explores what knowledge looks like in a subject concerned with
judgement, interpretation and value.
David Didau argues that the content of English is best explored through
distinct disciplinary lenses - metaphor, story, argument, pattern,
grammar and context - and considers the knowledge that needs to be
explicitly taught so students can recognise, transfer, build and extend
their knowledge of English. He discusses the principles and tools we can
use to make decisions about what to teach and offers a curriculum
framework that draws these strands together to allow students to make
sense of the knowledge they encounter.
If students are going to enjoy English as a subject and do well in it,
they not only need to be knowledgeable, but understand how to use their
knowledge to create meaning. This insightful text offers a practical way
for teachers to construct a curriculum in which the mastery of English
can be planned, taught and assessed.