Suggests that real life can be depressing enough without subjecting teenagers to a steady diet of reading assignments whose content is largely negative. Laments that a search has turned up so few examples of "good" literature and asks for suggestions. (RBW)

Describes children's reactions to a television adaptation of a juvenile novel. Finds that the children enjoyed discussing the adaptation with the interviewer and usually sought out the original book to read on their own. Concludes that both books and their televised version should be incorporated into a wider approach to teaching fiction. (MM)

Argues that it is not enough to teach students the techniques of interpreting literature, but that it is necessary to demand that students develop cultural literacy. States that college teachers need to show students that they too read literature for its bearing on the common life. (MM)

Describes the developing use of visual aids in the English classroom, from picture books and magic lanterns to projectors, films, television, videotapes, and computers. (MM)

This document contains the following papers on reading, language arts, and literacy from the SITE (Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education) 2001 conference: (1) "Improving the Teaching of Reading, Language Arts and Literacy through WebCT: A Work in Progress" (Linda Akanbi); (2) "A Survey of Computer Software…

Sophie and Cody in "The Wanderer" (Sharon Creech) share the duties of recording their journey to an ancestor's birth land. The strong bond of family and accomplishments through the voyage home personified the embodiment of an adventurer. For Sophie and Cody, close family bonds were forged and washed clean by the sea. Odysseus, the…

Intended for teachers of grades 4-8, this book presents eight plays based on classic mysteries by famous writers such as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Ellery Queen, Dashiell Hammett, and O. Henry. The excitement of mystery stories offers a great way to introduce young people to the pleasures of reading. The plays in the book have…

Based on Thomas Paine's pamphlet "Common Sense," this lesson plan presents activities designed to help students understand that as the American Revolution approached, writers created highly persuasive documents calling for separation from England. The main activity in the lesson involves students in writing a persuasive essay. It includes…

Based on Benjamin Franklin's "Poor Richard's Almanac," this lesson plan presents activities designed to help students understand that Ben Franklin is known, among other things, for his wit and wisdom; that Franklin published an almanac for 25 years; and he scattered aphorisms throughout the almanac. The main activity in the lesson is for students…

This report shows findings and recommendations from the Planning Task Force, a group of faculty and administrators at the City College of San Francisco in California (CCSF) that addresses the establishment and strengthening of linkages between non-credit programs. The Planning Task Force employed several methods of inquiry in order to determine…

Illustrates applicability of scientific scrutiny to secondary education by demonstrating how to relate to "natural" language instruction to student attainments, how variations in grading practices affect student performance, how knowledge gained in recitation is related to that gained in silent study, how to determine whether education…

Offers a detailed description of a unit designed to explore the effectiveness of communication through the media that emphasizes all modes of communication--listening, speaking, reading, and writing. (AEA)

Presents a policy statement by the National Council of Teachers of English that identifies the ways in which the study of English contributes to the knowledge, understanding, and skills of those who will make up the society of the future. (HTH)

Classroom behavior was observed over a six-month period in 68 junior high school classes to determine (a) the temporal stability of the behavioral indexes and (b) reliable trends over the school year. A certain deterioration occurs in late spring and observations obtained in midyear are less likely to be distorted. (Author/GK)

Lists and annotates research studies in six major categories: bilingualism and bidialectalism; language and verbal learning; literature, humanities, and media; teacher education; testing and evaluation; and written and oral communication. Category subdivisions are: preschool and elementary, secondary, college and adult, status surveys, and reviews…