In an introductory-level Romantic Poetry course, a loose-leaf notebook is kept on reserve in the library to serve as a classbook or collaborative journal in which all class members (including the teacher) write comments as the semester progresses. Entries are dated and addressed to individuals or to the class as a whole. Informal entries allow…

Finding ways to build on the language abilities students of diverse cultures bring to school, this book recounts an experiment in helping urban African American high school students to interpret literature by drawing on their own rich oral tradition of "signifying." The book defines signifying as a contest in which the most imaginative…

Jill Paton Walsh's "The Green Book," the story of a group of humans and their life on a new planet, captures the imagination of learners and provides a compelling context for learning. Several groups of learners including fifth graders and adult teacher practitioners responded to the book in unique and interesting ways. As the setting,…

A study explored what an outside-the-classroom, authentic literature discussion involved. Three book club discussions (involving a leaderless group consisting of members of varying professions meeting monthly to discuss fiction and nonfiction reading selections) were audiotaped, transcribed and coded. Results indicated that: (1) when allowed to…

The summary information in this report provides teachers, school administrators, students, and the general public in Alberta, Canada with an overview of results from the June 1998 administration of the English 30 Diploma Examination. The information in the report is most helpful when used in conjunction with the detailed school and jurisdiction…

Designed to supplement the actual reading of children's books, this book provides an introduction to children's literature. It focuses on general trends and patterns rather than plot summaries. The two-part organization of the third edition explores first the foundations and contexts, then the various genres of children's literature. Discussion…

This paper analyzes the curriculum materials of the California Literature Program, a distinctive literature curriculum for grades K-6, in terms of how it addresses the critical/aesthetic approach. The paper notes that although a sequence of concepts, skills, and attitudes about literature in parts of the program can be identified, the organizing…

Teaching "some" literature in a college composition course is important because it offers variety, enlivens classroom discussion, introduces different writing styles, and helps students to understand and study life. The debate over the appropriateness of literature in the composition classroom has been ongoing. Erika Lindemann believes…

As teachers experiment with the many related types of response-centered approaches (including whole language and literature-based instruction), many are uncertain about the place of instruction in these paradigms and their role in it. For pedagogical purposes, it is unproductive to conceptualize the teaching and learning of reasoning in general…

To help improve students' ability to interpret and write about literature, teachers should get rid of old habits. The old habits include giving quizzes to make sure students read assignments, and assigning readings just because particular works are part the literary canon. Once a teacher assigns a novel and gives a quiz, everything the teacher and…

One hundred undergraduate business students completed a questionnaire designed to determine their reactions to a traditional and a "flashier" textbook format. Before completing the questionnaire, subjects spent several minutes examining two business textbooks--one an older textbook with black ink on white paper, narrow margins, and few…

Sections of the newspaper "USA Today" were compared with corresponding sections of four major newspapers--the "New York Times," the "Wall Street Journal," the "Los Angeles Herald Examiner," and the "Los Angeles Times"--to determine what editorial components made "USA Today" different and…

In order to help teachers identify works of literature that will remain vibrant parts of their students' lives and give them new insights into themselves, their friends, and their enemies, this journal contains articles suggesting works that the authors found most meaningful to themselves. Titles and authors are as follows: (1) "'April Morning':…

By applying Kenneth Burke's concepts of Order, the Secret, and the Kill to the newspaper-audience-advertiser relationship, the narrow imagery that depicts that relationship only in economic terms can be counteracted. Burke's maps of hierarchy, mystery, and transcendence in human action allow the depiction of a complex meshing of patterns,…

A study investigated whether newspaper mug shots are perceived by readers as being positive or negative in tone and whether the mug shots that are selected match the roles of their subjects in accompanying stories. Twenty-three news and feature stories with associated mug shots were clipped from seven daily newspapers. Pictures and stories were…