This article explores the benefits and problems of teaching with challenged books in the English language arts classroom. Challenged books initiate important discussions and provide opportunities for students to explore diverse perspectives. Methods for helping teachers and schools prepare for potential challenges are also discussed. The authors…

America's strength lies in its inherent diversity--an enduring truth that makes the Eurocentric nature of our educational curricula troubling. Despite this foundational reality, curricular materials remain predominantly Eurocentric, often excluding authentic representation and inclusion of Black/African American experiences in children's and young…

In the United States, adult education for emergent multilingual language learners (EMLL) is governed by the American Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA). The AEFLA defines literacy as an individual's ability to read, write, and speak in "English." This definition erases the multilingual and multicultural assets that adult EMLLs…

Character education is described as curriculum specifically developed to teach children about the quality and traits of good character. One means in which children can learn about good character is through the pages of high quality children's literature. In this study, the author defines the characteristics of an effective character development…

State and national education initiatives provide American students with opportunities to engage in close readings of complex texts from diverse perspectives as they actively construct complicated understandings as they explore complex texts. Opportunities for interdisciplinary units emerge as the role of non-fiction in English/language arts and…

In searching for a way of teaching American history as something that truly belongs to women, and men, to the powerful as well as to those who lack power in a formal sense, as something that is not the story of white people with an interesting person of color charitably thrown in for good measure, Boisseau writes that while many influential…

Teach "The Little Prince" to senior English students? Senior Advanced Placement English students? What could these people who had analyzed "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man," wrestled with "The Sound and the Fury," dissected "Heart of Darkness," and deconstructed "East of Eden" possibly find of value in a "children's book"? The tendency to…

Drawing on and reexamining theories on gender and literacy, derived from research performed between 1974 and 2002, this qualitative study explored the gender assumptions and expectations of 19 preservice and practicing secondary language arts teachers in a graduate level adolescent literature course. The theoretical framework was structured around…

Reading aloud is often considered an elementary classroom activity, but think again. Lesesne offers research and classroom evidence that confirm reading aloud as a valid strategy for all ages of students. She also includes annotated lists of professional books that provide rationales and suggestions for teachers, as well as books, recent and…

Describes Judith Guest's "Ordinary People," a novel about abandoning the protection of being ordinary that can provide insight for both adolescents and adults. Suggestions for using the novel in the classroom are provided by Jona J. Mann. (KS)

Attracting middle grade readers is a true art. When talking to middle grade teachers, they understand that you have to have a hook to catch these students. In this article, the author suggests several books that are perfect for character studies and for encouraging kids to develop characters of their own.

This issue of the "Indiana English Journal" is devoted to various facets of folklore. Topics of articles are folklore museums as resource sites for teaching; American folklore and the English classroom; writing about folklore in the freshman English class; some folklore and related materials for composition classes; developing teaching materials…

The 11 articles in this publication discuss many topics regarding literature for children and adolescents, including the following: the major problems facing teachers and writers alike as they strive to communicate with the young; E.B. White's "Charlotte's Web"; two views of the American Revolution found in "Johnny Tremain" and "My Brother Sam Is…

Libraries need to reach out to teens and enhance their skills in serving the teenage population. Through the Louisiana Young Adult Services program, it is hoped that all staff working with young adults will be reached to accomplish the following: (1) promote a better understanding of the psychology of this age group; (2) increase skills in…