Presents a bibliography of reading materials, fiction, and poetry, that may be used in language arts classes to dispel some of the misinformation about Native Americans. Provides a list of some of the elements that could be included in an educational unit on Native Americans. (TB)

Reviews 24 books that reflect how poets, writers, and illustrators continue to negotiate and enlarge the elusive boundaries of children's literature. Describes one featured book. Presents brief descriptions of books that deal with contemporary social realism and fantasy in young adult novels; picture books that use collage, montage, and gouache;…

Discusses two series of professional books (dealing with an integrated approach to literacy instruction and using poetry to help children feel the music of language) as well as three poetry collections that will be of interest to both teachers and teacher educators. (SR)

Describes an efficient, open-ended set of instructional activities for high school students that has students analyze song lyrics of R.E.M. (an alternative rock band from Athens, Georgia) for literary techniques, topics, themes, and form as preparation to experiment with reading, deciphering, and mimicking Emily Dickinson. (SR)

Interviews Jean Marzollo about her past, present, and future work in children's literature. Notes that her body of writing (more than 100 books of prose and poetry for young readers) transcends the boundaries of genre and disciplines, and is infused with a strong emphasis on rhyme and rhythm intended to capture the ears and minds of emergent and…

Uses four traditions of geography (spatial, area studies, human-environment interaction, and earth science) to show how poetry can be used to enhance the teaching of geography. Illustrates the explicitly spatial concepts present in selected poetry. (DAJ)

Students of English majoring in literature find it difficult to cope with literature in general and poetry in particular. This article discusses the importance of engaging students in activities based on literary theory that will help them learn to communicate their appreciation of a text in a professional environment. (Author/VWL)

Reports on an interview with Angela Johnson, winner of the Coretta Scott King Author Award, whose work centers on the themes of family love and the connections between generations, especially in African American families. Suggests activities related to her books and includes a selected bibliography. (LRW)

Higher level thought involves both critical and creative thinking skills. Although the psychological literature is rich with research on teaching critical thinking, relatively little published work addresses ways of promoting creative thinking. In this article we describe the use of poetry writing in an abnormal psychology class to encourage…

If students were as engaged in reading as they are in video games, television, and sports, the world would be rife with proficient readers. Using a variety of instructional strategies, teachers can make the reading experience more meaningful, increase comprehension, and build proficiency. Mastering cognitive skills can change student reading from…

The authors of this article argue that professional development on literacy instruction should go beyond instructional methods to teacher identity. Reading and discussing poetry and literature, as well as writing to examine powerful themes in teachers' lives, can help educators explore and deepen their identity as language arts teachers. Casbon,…

I invite and encourage students to take risks in their writing, to engage innovatively with a wide range of genre, to push limits in order to explore creatively how language and discourse are never ossified, but always organic, how language use is integrally and inextricably connected to identity, knowledge, subjectivity, and living. Informed by…

Arguably, the profoundest classical treatment of literary truth, and by extension, of truth in the arts, can be found in Aristotle's "Poetics." But as the writings of two twentieth-century theorists show, Aristotle's insights can be taken in very different ways. In this essay, the author contrasts John Hospers's anti-cognitivist reading of…

In a recently released report, "Poetry in America", the National Opinion Research Center (NORC), at the University of Chicago, presented the results of a study evaluating American attitudes toward poetry. Commissioned by the Poetry Foundation, one of the largest literary organizations in the world, the research finds that the vast…

In this article I integrate the process of the artist with the practice of mentoring. The acts of listening to inquiry into their lives and research. Particular attention is made to the context of working with graduate students in a faculty of education. I specifically draw on arts-based educational research methods to explore a poetic way of…