This paper suggests how the "weird fiction" of H.P. Lovecraft might be mobilised within secondary English classrooms to examine aspects of visual literacy, literary style, narrative form and intertextuality. The approach that is outlined is characterised, after Lovecraft's famous monster, as a "Cthulhuic literacy" and is…

Developing disciplinary literacy in history requires that classrooms become an environment where students can engage in discursive practices typical of the profession. Disciplinary literacy refers to the specialized ways of reading and writing used in history to construct historical arguments and ways of reasoning. Learning history includes using…

This article discusses the comparative application of critical discourse analysis to student and teacher editions of the two most widely used high school American literature textbooks by Christian publishers, examining them through the lens of critical theory. The study examined all parts of the student and teacher editions, excepting literary…

Explains how Louis D. Rubin's theory of the "Great American Joke" (the gap between our cultural ideal and the everyday facts of American life and society) can be used to help students understand humor in an American literature unit. (SR)

This paper argues that secondary social studies teachers should draw illustrations and insights from creative writers such as Willa Cather, particularly when teaching about leadership, heroism, deviation, and innovation. Traditionally, social scientists have proceeded deductively describing human behavior in terms of averages, norms, and frequency…

Describes a high school elective course. (DD)

Describes using the art and music of Impressionism to approach Stephen Crane's "The Red Badge of Courage," enabling students to understand how Crane's series of vivid episodes and brilliant but detached images melt into one another, forming a whole picture. (SR)

Intended primarily as an aid for secondary teachers of American literature, this book discusses fiction in which the hero is a young person. The techniques of teaching content and style of literature are presented. Twenty-three works of fiction are considered. (DB)

Compares and contrasts two adolescent novels, S. E. Hinton's "The Outsiders," and B. Ellis' recent "Less than Zero." Argues for the social relevance and educational worth of both novels, showing that they raise moral and social issues teens need to think about and are already confronting. (JG)

Provides a list of 118 reasons why the author's students claim they study American literature, including: (1) to broaden their vocabulary, (2) to learn from other people's experiences, and (3) to develop an open mind about different kinds of literature. (JD)

Explains an approach to teaching American literature that begins by using regional materials to interest students in reading and then expands to include classical works. (EL)