This paper outlines the fourth-year film appreciation course at Rand College of Education in Johannesburg, South Africa, designed to develop a greater critical awareness in students so they are able to distinguish between good and mediocre film and video material. Some attempt is made to establish what qualifies material to be regarded as…

This paper adopts a Christian perspective in a self-reflexive analysis of Steven Covey and his popular self-help book, "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People." It opens by giving a brief overview of the author, describes his guiding idea of "principle-centered learning," and then discusses the book's spiritual foundations.…

Reader's Theatre can be used to combine basic literature and writing instruction with creative arts. Improvisational playmaking by students, using literature in the form of plays, prose, and poetry, forms the basis of Reader's Theatre. Use of Reader's Theatre in the classroom can: (1) foster deeper understanding of character, setting, and plot…

Suggests the importance of George Orwell's "1984" for today's students and recommends specific analytic and descriptive writing activities to develop critical reading skills. (MM)

Summarizes the essential research on the interrelationships of reading, response to literature, and composition. Shows that readers and writers are both creators of meaning. Discusses a plan by which students develop--and appreciate--their responses to literature and integrate the acts of reading and writing. (RL)

Reports on a high school honors seminar that focuses on a single author each semester. Provides details of the semester during which Ernest Hemingway's work was studied. (JT)

Describes a classroom activity designed to teach students how to skim and to read critically that is applicable to all content subjects. (MKM)

Proposes that the study of the short story should have a prominent place in any high school English curriculum. Provides suggestions for such a course. (RL)

At the learning stations outlined in this article, children are taught to recognize biography as a literary form. The center is also intended to make history "come alive" for children and to reinforce their ability to distinguish between fact and fiction. (Author/SJL)

Describes the Young Critics Club at Perrot Memorial Library in Old Greenwich, Connecticut, a forum for readers in grades 5-8. Lists rules for members, provides examples of critical responses, and describes two other youth book review boards. Also includes an annotated bibliography of guides for book discussion groups and top choice and honor books…

Notes that beginning foreign language learner-readers lack linguistic and cultural knowledge assumed in foreign language literary texts, gaps often resulting in possible "mismatches" between the readers' actual cognizance of linguistic and cultural norms and the level of understanding assumed in the foreign text. (40 references) (Author/CK)

Recommends that children, teachers, and parents critically read children's literature to identify and clarify ideological perspectives. Lists types of books for multicultural collections, presents guidelines for critical discussions about books, and identifies types of biases in books. Suggests that children's books open multiple perspectives…

Interviews Susan Miller, a teacher of composition studies and author of well-known articles about the field. Discusses what it means to be able to write, and the cultural forces that have shaped her as a writer and teacher of writing. Argues for a renewed focus on the act of writing and the production of texts. (PM)