Picture a group of classroom teachers gathered around a table late one afternoon discussing the results of the statewide writing assessment, the returned scored papers scattered across the table top. This article details research exploring which rhetorical elements are associated with statewide assessment scores and considers the role and…

Why do educators teach literature? The author thinks they can hear the answer in the voice of Huckleberry Finn and David Copperfield and Holden Caulfield and the omniscient narrator in "Beloved." It's the wonderful sound of those words, the gorgeous flow of those well-crafted sentences, and the marvelous way Twain and Dickens and Morrison and…

"The Road" has been an important part of the author's English IV Honors course for several years now. Undeniably bleak, it details a father and son's journey through a seared, post-apocalyptic wasteland. As they travel through the burnt remains of America, they are threatened by starvation, dehydration, and scattered, hostile humans. Although his…

An oxymoron is a simple contradiction, a juxtaposition of two inharmonious terms, such as "fiend angelical" in Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet." At first glance, literature and professional writing seem to be polar opposites; however, when one views them together, one can see unique, often interesting possibilities that add…

In 2004, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) concluded that "literature reading is fading as a meaningful activity, especially among younger people." How can educators continue to teach students about the power of literary response when the priority is for them to achieve proficiency on standardized tests, whose scores can only be narrowly…

Street fiction is a popular new genre of novels that focus on contemporary urban life. Marc Lamont Hill, Biany Perez, and Decoteau J. Irby introduce this genre, describing what it is, who writes it, and who reads it. They also offer critiques of the genre and strategies for linking street fiction to the English classroom. (Contains 1 note.)

Discusses how traditional character types (such as Rip Van Winkle, the Ben Franklin character, and the Great Puritan) that Twain criticized through his satire survived his attacks and can be found today in many kinds of literature, including film and television. (SRT)

An analysis and appreciation of H. L. Mencken the writer, and Henry Mencken the man. (RL)

An exploration of the assumptions underlying current literary experiments might help both teacher and student to find a perspective from which the past may be viewed. (Author/MB)

Two professors offer positive and negative responses to the need for an accurate representation of reality in literature, offering insights into the ways that reality forces itself on art. (RL)

Too much emphasis is placed on writing "rules" and organization, not enough on how to acquire a smooth writing style. (DD)

The key to the success of classroom poetry reading is to personalize it. (Author)

The high school students who spent five weeks studying the style and craft of Ernest Hemingway experienced the power and plus points of apprenticeships. Several assignments that helped the high school juniors to analyze Hemingway's work on short stories and learn from this master craftsman are presented.

Reviews new publications dealing with the teaching of poetry and the consideration of values in the language arts classroom. (RBW)