Serving as an ideal entry point for children to self-expression and creativity, these participative poems by a storyteller blend the bounce and rhythm of Caribbean memory with universal aspects of childhood experience. The poems take the oral and musical folklore of the Caribbean and link it to the verse of the traditional English nursery rhyme to…

Creative writing is not a magical art from magic wands, but an everyday practice in the hands of steady writers. Creative writing calls, above all, for self-discipline. Along with intellectual and emotional stamina, a poetic writer needs sensory awareness. The writer also forms a mysterious sixth sense--intuition. In search of the good words, the…

This issue of the Illinois Association for Gifted Children (IAGC) Journal focuses on curriculum. Featured articles include: (1) "Curriculum: What Is It? How Do You Know if It Is Quality?" (Sally Walker); (2) "Tiered Lessons: What Are Their Benefits and Applications?" (Carol Ann Tomlinson); (3) "Do Gifted and Talented Youth Get Counseling, Models,…

This document contains 51 poems, essays, and short stories that were authored by adult student writers throughout Ohio. The works were selected from 130 pieces of writing submitted by the students of 51 adult basic and literacy education (ABLE) teachers who encouraged their submission for presentation at the first Ohio Literacy Resource…

This booklet presents the Written Response part of the English 30 Grade 12 Diploma examination in Alberta, Canada. After instructions for students, the booklet presents the first part of the examination in which students respond to Thom Gunn's poem "Tamer and Hawk," which addresses the nature and effect of a ruling passion in an…

Based on characters in the Arthurian legend, this lesson plan presents activities designed to help students understand that many writers have told the tale of King Arthur and the people around him, including Guinevere, Lancelot, Merlin, and Mordred. The main activity of the lesson involves students writing a dramatic monologue supposedly composed…

This article proposes a model for sensitizing students to the richness of literary texts based on Lee and VanPatten's (1995) structured input/output approach to teaching foreign languages (FL). It begins by discussing the difficulties and challenges of intermediate-level FL courses, noting that the concept of "bridge courses" may be faulty because…

This paper intersperses events and experiences from the poet Nikki Giovanni's life--she emerged from the Black Rights Movement in the late 1960s--with student assignments in prereading, reading, discussion, and writing about Giovanni's poetry, specifically the poem "Nikki-Rosa." In addition, the paper describes an oral history project…

This booklet presents a book list, activities, and teacher resources to provide teachers a starting place for works of adolescent literature that will initiate conversations and questions about gender roles and the perceptions of appropriate behavior and activities. It is designed to bring teachers' attention to more recent titles in order to…

This anthology, of more than 225 short poems by Polish authors, was created to be used in world literature classes in a high school with many first-generation Polish students. The following poets are represented in the anthology: Jan Kochanowski; Franciszek Dionizy Kniaznin; Elzbieta Druzbacka; Antoni Malczewski; Adam Mickiewicz; Juliusz Slowacki;…

Within the past few years the subjects of international peace and arbitration have come to have a place of importance in schools of all grades in the United States, and the interest in these subjects is increasing from year to year. As one means of fostering this interest many schools observe in a special way the 18th days of May, the anniversary…

Negritude begins with a recognition, a consciousness of blackness, then proceeds to an acceptance in which blackness is praised; the qualities of blacks are elaborated; a heritage is created; the plight of blacks is described and white values and civilization are belittled. (Author/JM)