‘This is a message for …’: Third graders’ use of written text functions to facilitate interpersonal relationships

Abstract

This article describes the ways in which a class of 7-and 8-year-old children used writing to communicate. Using Halliday's Systemic Functional Linguistics as a theoretical frame, I examine what functions these messages served, how functions varied from child to child and how the practice of message-sending evolved over time. Analysis of data revealed that: (a) children employed all of the functions enumerated by Halliday and (b) children varied significantly in the types of functions that characterized their texts. I argue that the learning environment created by the teacher-one of trust and student choiceserved to nourish the message-sending practice.

Friends and authors: Spontaneous co-composing in a writing workshop

“…The written ‘messages’ so popular during the autumn semester (Jaeger, 2016) had all but disappeared after winter break, but on this occasion, Sam decided that a written apology was in order. Rodrigo’s response is in Figure 1.…”

“…And this environment influenced the children's writing, as well. As described in Jaeger (2016), in the autumn semester students sent written messages with compliments and concerns to their classmates. This practice peaked in November; by the beginning of the second semester it had all but vanished from the scene, suggesting it had fulfilled its purpose.…”

“…I spent 21 hours (11 visits) in Lea's classroom during the autumn semester, taking field notes (Jaeger, 2016); I generally sat apart from centers of activity, but I sometimes engaged students in conversation about their work and responded to direct requests for assistance-finding materials, for example. Thus, by the second semester I was familiar with classroom routines and interacted frequently and easily with the children.…”