Examines traditional theoretical assumptions about the pedagogy of writing and critical thinking, and shows that they are linked dialectically. Illustrates how a pedagogy of writing can be used as a learning vehicle to help students learn and think critically about any given social studies subject. (Author/MLF)

Offers an account of school literacy development for all children. Uses a metaphoric "drinking god" to capture the influence that children's nonacademic textual experiences have on their entry into school literacy. Aims to describe how children use old resources from familiar practices and adapt them to enter into new ones. (SG)

Examines the assumptions that underlie critical reading and critical literacy. Argues that there are fundamental philosophical distinctions between liberal-humanist critical reading and critical literacy, and demonstrates why educators need to acknowledge and understand these differences. Suggests that practices associated with critical literacy…

Presents an interpretive text which functions as a report of the author's personal engagements with literary fiction and with philosophical, theoretical, and historical writings. Provides a theoretical and historical overview of literary anthropology as a research method. Concludes with a discussion of what literacy anthropological methods might…

Considers how critical texts confront difficult topics. Argues that students need to read, write, and talk about these relevant issues. Suggests that reading literature can be an ethical as well as an intellectual process, and as such it can assist adolescents in coping with their tumultuous lives. Focuses on Laurie Halse Anderson's novel "Speak."…

Notes that it is usual in Australia for drama as a learning activity to follow reading of the text. Provides examples of how process drama methodology was used as a teaching and learning activity during the reading of a young adult novel. Provides the students' perspective of why and how drama engaged them in a critical interpretative reading of…

Addresses legitimate concerns about significant problems related to the need for reading instruction in today's secondary schools. Suggests ways to use literature that appeals to students' interests while emphasizing the development of critical reading skills. Considers how to match literary interests with reading skills instruction. (SG)

Describes a seminar in which students get creatively involved in the process of textual construction by collaborating in the rewriting of a dramatic text. Notes that the theatre practicum is propitious for this type of re-creative learning because dramatic writing is specifically designed to generate another text, and a wide array of concrete…

Discusses texts that provide current thinking about and by women actors regarding the intersections of feminism and theatre. Focuses on the works' discussions of the Stanislavsky system and the Method as technique for actors and on the sense of these techniques' impact on feminist performance practice. Concludes that only by examining the dynamics…

Introduces "Language Arts" readers to a remarkable and inspirational woman whose contributions over more than four decades added immeasurably to the understandings of children's oral language, critical reading, and writing. Lists multiple ways that Martha L. King's impact on the field of language arts is reflected. (SG)

Uses the blues to teach the universal Faust theme, which was a common motif expressed in many lyrics coming out of the Mississippi Delta region in the United States during the 1920s and 1930s. Uses this opportunity to open students' eyes to a musical form often overlooked and misinterpreted in mainstream culture, and to improve students' critical…

Presents a rationale for instruction in critical reading (i.e., using a questioning attitude, logical analysis, and inference to judge the worth of what is read). Discuss factors involved in critical reading, including previous thinking, attitudes/prejudices, topical knowledge, and knowledge of critical reading skills. (DMM)

Argues that summaries are useful before, during, and after reading to help students become strategic readers. Discusses classroom applications of chronological and problem-solution "frames." (RS)

Argues that teachers should look at standardized tests first before designing tests that will evaluate students' critical thinking and reading. Describes five standardized tests appropriate for use with college students and adults. (RS)

Contends that teaching students to read is the same as teaching historical interpretation. Provides a framework for teaching historical interpretation through a case study of books concerning Thomas Jefferson and his alleged illegitimate children. Identifies motives governing academic writing. Provides an analytical framework for historical…