The Quinmester course "The Outer Limits" involves an exploration of unknown worlds, mental and physical, through fiction and nonfiction. Its purpose is to focus attention on the ongoing conquest of the frontiers of the mind, the physical world, and outer space. The subject matter includes identification and investigation of unknown…

Drawing on case studies of five elementary school teachers in one inner city school, the author explored ways teachers foster social inclusion in their classrooms. Rooted in classroom observations and extensive teacher interviews, teachers' teaching methods and practices were examined as a base from which to explore socially inclusive pedagogy in…

The purpose of this article is to show how traditional science fiction, an empowering literature of social criticism, can be used by environmental educators to reach the traditional goals of environmental education. The sub-genres of science fiction are discussed along with ways in which they can be used to reach certain goals of environmental…

This article discusses phonological meanings and their realization in fiction texts and the problematics of their translations. The various views linguists appear to have about what phonological meanings are and how they are expressed linguistically are examined. Furthermore two linguistically oriented approaches on translation theory, Nida's and…

This document contains a short fictional story about a girl who, with the help of a fictional guardian armadillo, learns how to say "no" when her friends want her to do something she thinks is wrong. Readers will learn how to say no without losing their friends. (NB)

This document contains a short fictional story about three brothers who must decide how to spend $200 after their mother receives an unexpected bonus. The boys in the story have a brainstorming session and seek advice from adults before reaching a compromise that is acceptable to all of them. Readers learn about compromise, money management, and…

The author attempted to create an awareness of the representative fiction which is read by adolescents in order to dramatize the high regard, however misguided, our society places on the cult of violence and killing as part of youth's initiation into the adult world. (Author/RK)

A survey of books for young people reveals that some of the best (and even award-winning) novels deal with the controversial issue of religion. Although most of these books deal with religion only in the background, some clearly present this issue in the forefront. One book, Cynthia Rylant's "A Fine White Dust" (1986), traces a religious…

An exploratory study investigated preoperational children's understanding of the fictional movie character E.T. (The Extra-Terrestrial). Of 40 participating children (ages 40 to 66 months), 85 percent indicated they had seen the movie. Data were collected according to an interview method, and responses were recorded on audiotape, transcribed, and…

Heads of special collections of pulp magazines, the medium for popular fiction prior to the introduction of mass market paperbacks in 1939, were surveyed to help analyze and address the problems facing these collections. A survey mailed to special collections administrators gathered background information from the four largest collections…

To perceive the incongruous in fiction, children must have internalized the events of the everyday world. Then they can appreciate the kind of joke "frame" (or pattern) that exists in literature. Elements of humor were tested in a study of eight and nine year old children in England and the United States--22 in each country. Selections from eight…

Discusses the importance and the effect of pictures and illustrations in children's literature. (RB)

Discusses the importance of the reader's response in achieving an understanding of literature. (RB)