This special journal issue recounts the first 74 years of the Illinois Association of Teachers of English (IATE). Sections discuss the following topics: (1) IATE's founders; (2) its association with the National Council of Teachers of English; (3) changes in the educational system over the 74-year period; (4) trends in English education during…

The focus in this issue of the Illinois English Bulletin is on student writing in the high school and college years. The lead article reports on a University of Illinois committee on the use of English, which reviewed both the writing abilities of incoming freshmen and the provisions for further instruction in writing throughout the undergraduate…

Commemorating the end of George Orwell's year, 1984, the majority of articles in this journal issue are devoted to some aspect of language. The first article alerts teachers to the need for a critical examination of Orwell's underlying assumptions about language change in "Politics and the English Language." The next five articles deal…

The articles in this focused issue draw attention to works of contemporary literature with classroom potential. Four articles suggest new approaches for the reading and teaching of such established writers as Robert Frost; Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.; Eudora Welty; and Saul Bellow. Two other articles examine the bestsellers "Ordinary People" and "The Color…

This issue of the "Illinois English Bulletin" is devoted to developing critical awareness, through poetry, values, the elements of fiction, and literary study. The first section considers approaching narrative through the use of popular materials and includes two essays: "Grim Tales in the English Classroom" by Larry Danielson and "From the Comics…

This journal issue presents teaching ideas based on the city of Chicago and the literary works of its citizens. The first article describes a combined social studies/English course based on the study of Chicago's influence on literature and history. Included is a course outline with required readings, class activities and assignments, an…

The ten articles in this journal report on research and practice in the teaching of writing. Topics covered include sentence combining as a composition technique, peer evaluation in a technical writing class, a plan for teaching paragraph construction, the use of literary humor in a writing class, methods for setting the scene, how students view…

The eight articles in this journal issue deal with the classroom study of language. They address such topics as dealing with student dialects and teaching about dialects; creating environments in which "languaging" can take place; using stylistic analysis to explain a literary text; teaching high school students to write research papers on aspects…

Exploring a variety of ways to train students to think critically within the context of writing and literature classes, this journal issue presents cognitive strategies for teaching poetry, short stories, composition, the research paper, and critical reading. The titles of the articles and their authors are as follows: (1) "Constructing the…

Teaching the general student is the focus of this journal issue. The nine articles deal with the following topics: teaching the noncollege-bound students, strategies for teaching complex literature to general students, teaching western novels as an introduction to literature, linguistics for the junior high school general student, teaching how to…

Containing 14 essays from teachers at the high school and college levels, this journal issue addresses the problem of the overburdened English teacher, describing the nature of the overload but also offering practical help. The beginning article describes the enormity of the total English teaching load, including the heavy load of grading papers,…

In this special journal issue, ten teachers who have consistently produced award-winning student writers share their thoughts on the teaching of poetry. The first article provides reminiscences of student poets taught by one teacher and provides a guide for use in the close reading and analysis of poetry. The second article suggests techniques for…

Containing 13 essays selected from teachers at many levels and from specialists in various branches of the English profession, this journal issue provides English teachers with the opportunity to answer the many charges currently being levelled at education. The opening article highlights the issues raised by the report of the National Commission…

In this issue, articles deal with various aspects of the relationship between reading and the English teacher. Titles include "Literary Humor" by Wilmer Lamar and "200 Adolescent Novels Worth Reading" by Ken Donelson; both suggest reading materials. Practical teaching tips are provided in "Comprehension Is Comprehension, Is . . ." by Jerry Walker,…

This special journal issue contains nine articles on the subject of using popular literature in the classroom. Subjects covered in the articles include (1) using vernacular supernatural literature to teach the skills of literary analysis, (2) teaching Agatha Christie's "Curtain," (3) pairing the classics with detective fiction, (4) using fantasy…