Reacts to recent curriculum changes in Texas and California by offering a facetious teaching plan for reading whereby all the teacher's work is to be done for them in the form of workbooks and worksheets on skills. Suggests that children can read the same book for all six years of elementary school. (TB)

This is a reply to Mark C. Schug and Richard D. Western's article "The Homeless Social Studies Teacher: How Muzak Progressivism Has Harmed Social Studies Education." The Schug and Western article breaks down into three distinct sections: (1) a quasi-satirical analogy of teaching to tax accounting; (2) a description of the problems of progressive…

Examines the role of satire in immunizing receivers to counterarguments and concludes that attitude changes effected in low ego involved subjects are not maintained when influenced by counterarguments. (MH)

To shift the focus away from the writing instructor as the primary audience for written compositions, these writing assignments address the issue of audience directly. The assignments include the following: (1) select a magazine and analyze its audience; (2) compose a letter to the editor; (3) write an article for the selected magazine about an…

Explores the way in which female characters were represented in the novels written at the height of last century's feminist movement. Women portrayed as venturing beyond the traditional roles of wife, mother, and keeper of the home inevitably met defeat, thereby warning those tempted to challenge the social conservatism of the times. (MB)

Explores how the formal television elements that constitute the ritual space of the talk show establish and contextualize the socio-centrality of the star host--specifically examining the comedy of Johnny Carson and David Letterman, examples of the Yankee character as a champion of common sense and cultural consensus. (NKA)

Offers 10 reasons for not eliminating counseling programs in schools. Counters arguments for eliminating counseling programs because of budget constraints. Argues that children still have emotional problems which require counseling. (ABB)

Argues that both the students and the adviser must be responsible for ensuring that humorous or satirical articles in student publications are not libelous. (SRT)

Suggests a method of teaching the poetry of Alexander Pope that focuses on the satirical nature of his writing. (AEA)

Challenges the influence of Shel Silverstein's "The Giving Tree": the way it is being viewed, used, misused, understood, and misunderstood by parents, teachers, librarians, and children. (HOD)

Reports on ways of having fun with the classics of literature. Describes classroom uses of parody and satire to emphasize the themes and characterizations found in Shakespeare, J.D. Salinger, Ernest Hemingway, and other noted authors. (RL)

Examines within Laurence Sterne's "Tristram Shandy" two representative orientations (reasons and experience) as indices of popular attitudes about the rhetorical arts during the eighteenth century. Argues that, as a satire on rhetorical pretensions and excess, this novel is an important document in the venerable battle between the…

Discusses movie "How I Got into College," satire of college admission process and highly effective counseling tool. Describes three college counseling programs using the film in senior family workshop, junior guidance group, and senior counseling group. Presents guidelines to develop program using the film to help students and parents reduce…

Satirical writing offers a means of encouraging students to criticize those forms of victimization and inequality that trouble them most without that overt, dogmatic indoctrination of a political agenda that many would consider an anathema to democratic teaching. The indirect, satirical jab provides students with an intellectually challenging and…

Offers several suggestions for teaching George Orwell's "Animal Farm" to high school students. Included are strategies for (1) teaching themes of the story, (2) interpreting the story on several levels, (3) seeing the connections between language and politics, (4) using group activities, and (5) using visual aids. (JC)