THIS CULMINATING UNIT OF THE 12TH-GRADE OREGON LITERATURE CURRICULUM IS BASED UPON ONE WORK, "HAMLET." THE TEACHER VERSION INCLUDES DISCUSSIONS OF (1) THE RELEVANCE OF HAMLET'S CHARACTER TO MODERN TIMES, (2) THE PROBLEMS IN THE CHARACTERIZATIONS OF THE GHOST, CLAUDIUS, AND HAMLET, (3) THE PLAY'S THREE-PHASE STRUCTURE, (4) THE PLAY'S…

THE FIRST OF THESE TWO 12TH-GRADE UNITS IS DESIGNED TO SHOW STUDENTS THAT THE UNIMAGINATIVE OVERUSE OF LITERARY CONVENTIONS LEADS TO TRITENESS, VERBOSITY, AND DULLNESS. LESSONS ARE ORGANIZED BY GENRE AND FOCUS ON LITERARY SELECTIONS WHICH SHOW VARYING DEGREES OF ORIGINALITY IN THE EMPLOYMENT OF LITERARY CONVENTIONS. AMONG WORKS DISCUSSED ARE…

Children's books published between 1910 and 1960 reflect a changing world and new attitudes toward children. In 1910, although some of the moral tales of the earlier Puritan era survived, the didactic period in children's books was nearly over. From 1910 to 1925, a transitional period, writers began to look toward the children's own world. Then,…

Comics--as a special literary genre--must be judged by special criteria. In fact, the four-panel daily comic strip must be judged by different standards from the full-length comic book or the single- or double-frame comic. Among the four-panel strips are found comics that make a claim to literary quality--"Li'l Abner,""Pogo," and "Peanuts." These…

This article describes the problems that the College Entrance Examination Board's Committee of Review for the Examinations in English encountered in creating a fair, objective, hour-long literature achievement test which would meet four objectives--to measure the breadth of a student's reading, his understanding of that reading, his response to…

A good, sequential literature program for secondary school students should deal simultaneously with literary forms, with the chronological development of literature, and with broad themes of human experience. By employing the abundance of teaching aids, texts, and improved foreign translations available today, an imaginatively planned program can…

Selected works in translation currently available by and about 33 Soviet Russian authors comprise the major portion of this annotated bibliography. Approximately 850 items published between 1920 and 1966 are included. Materials relating to Sholokhov, Leonov, and Esenin are especially well represented. Separate sections provide references to…

This book is a systematic examination of the range of fiction available to Australian children during the first one hundred years of the nation's existence, 1841-1941. The author discusses books written either by Australians or visitors and published in Australia and books set in Australia but published overseas. He places these books within the…

A quinmester course which concentrates on two Shakespearean tragedies is outlined. The focus of the course is on the tragic hero, his development, tragic flaw, and eventual downfall. Performance objectives, course content, teaching strategies and learning activities, and lists of student and teacher resources are provided. The course is designed…

Relates the experience of a teacher who discovered that students enjoy studying literature if they are allowed to experience it rather than analyze it. Contends that the effort to teach books at the secondary level using literary criticism is a misguided response to a national literacy crisis. (SRT)

Intended for teachers of grades 4-8, this book presents eight plays based on classic mysteries by famous writers such as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Ellery Queen, Dashiell Hammett, and O. Henry. The excitement of mystery stories offers a great way to introduce young people to the pleasures of reading. The plays in the book have…

This book aims to help teachers bring literature to the classroom as a vehicle for language and concept development, creative expression, and the development of higher thinking skills while promoting the joy of reading. Most examples in the book were selected to make Latino authors more visible to teachers, as well as to provide experiences of…

Uses the author's experience writing, "Harriet Beecher Stowe: A Life," as a centerpiece for an examination of the art and craft of biography. Discusses some of the pitfalls and problems, not only in research and representation, but also in the critical reception and intended audience of a biography. (MJP)

Objectives of this study were to examine effects of text genre (narrative and expository) and format (familiar and traditional) on teaching strategies mothers used when interacting with their children during reading tasks; and the effectiveness of mothers' teaching strategies in eliciting children's participation in joint reading tasks. (PCB)

An Australian study investigated differences in writing context, process, and product with 51 eighth-grade girls using word processing and pens. Findings indicated the computer classroom was more student centered, less teacher dominated, and more work focused; and quality of writing was rated significantly higher. The importance of genre in…