The authors present a new young adult novel as a focal point for preparing prospective secondary teachers to employ a rich variety of literacies to enhance literature instruction. The hope is to encourage literature teachers to consider a wide range of useful methodologies available across generations of educational research. By demonstrating how…

Eighth-grade teacher Lesley Roessing designed an assignment that makes individual student research useful and accessible to the entire class. She outlines steps students take to create a guide to supplement their reading of "Waiting for the Rain: A Novel of South Africa." She then builds on the research experience in another unit by addressing…

Imaginative account of an encounter between a modern English teacher and John Dewey, applying Dewey's insights to contemporary issues in English education. (DF)

Four teachers comment on (1) the humanities as works of art, (2) ways to use multimedia programs in emphasizing the humanities, (3) the lifelong influence of one humanities course, and (4) the need to concentrate on each separate humanities discipline in teaching an interdisciplinary course. (EL)

Describes a high school Humanities program for the study of Man's dilemmas, demonstrated in current problems of alienation, and reflected in literature, art, music, and drama. (Author/GB)

Author discusses performance contracting in terms of accountability, individualized teaching, extrinsic rewards, testing, and the corruption of both language and the process of education." (Author/SP)

Argues that the purpose of humanities courses ought to be not to make us feel good about ourselves, but to make us aware of ourselves." (Author/RD)

Describes classroom experiences while teaching a unit on Matisse to gifted students. (EL)

Reports on a four-year-old, team-taught secondary interdisciplinary program that combined English, social studies, biology, and geometry. The course was organized into three phases: (1) the "Paper Chase," teaching learning skills; (2) "Welcome to the Monkey House," which addressed fundamental human issues; and (3) "Phase Out," or personal…

Sixteen non-college-bound high school juniors and seniors met once a week with two to five teachers for a year-long humanities course in which they probed some of man's eternal concerns and achievements in the areas of music, history, drama, philosophy, art, and English. The response from students and teachers alike was generally quite favorable.…

The image of the labyrinth from mythology can find modern day parallelisms in architecture, art, music, and literature--all of which contributes to a humanities unit combining the old with the new. (MM)

Points out that composition and literature often can be best taught when combined with architecture, philosophy, music, or other subjects. (EL)

Describes a series of procedures that can objectively measure student growth in interdisciplinary humanities courses at the secondary or college level. Preinstruction and postinstruction assessments determine student attitudes, responses to literature, art, and music, and knowledge of course content; midcourse individual conferences are also used.…

Describes two double-period humanities courses taught in the 10th and the 11th grades (based on the rigorous New York State Regents standards) that interweave literature, history, political philosophy, art, historical documents, and personal experience. Describes the 10th-grade course that includes Western civilization and the 11th-grade course…