Sentence Composition - A Developmental Project

This close-to-practice research project explores rhetorical pedagogies for teaching sentence-level expression in collaboration with English subject teachers at Västra Engelbrektsskolan, Örebro and Lapplands gymnasium, Gällivare. The aim is to explore the relevancy and viability of sentence composition for English language learning in the context of compulsory and upper-secondary school. The project has two phases, materials development and lesson studies. In the developmental phase, researchers and teachers collaborate in the development of teaching materials that use authentic models to construct exercises in sentence combination, chunking, expansion, and imitation and incorporate these in lesson plans for teaching targeted skills in sentence-level expression. In the lesson studies phase, materials are trialed through a series of iterative classroom interventions. The lead teacher at each school plans, conducts, and reflects on classroom interventions in collaboration with an observational team, which observes their impact on language learners and assists with data collection. The goal of the lesson studies phase is to work collaboratively to identify improvements, implement refinements, and reflect on results. An analysis of the materials developed and their impact learning will be conducted. Results will be disseminated by means of presentations and publications, thus contributing to knowledge of how sentence-based pedagogies can support English language teaching and learning in the context of compulsory and upper-secondary school in Sweden.