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…

Literature Circles are a great way to supplement a reading program in a literature-based classroom. In this lesson plan, students create and answer comprehension questions, discover new vocabulary, and examine elements of literature. The students feel ownership in Literature Circles, because they are responsible for the meeting. Any genre of…

Contends that the language of the suburbia--the language of the British middle class--is a dead language, because it has so few sources of contemporary enrichment and vitality, and because it is derivative and unoriginal and relies heavily on an imagery that stems from obsolete popular speech. (RJ)

Discusses a project which used menus from a local restaurant for teaching vocabulary and critical reading skills with fourth grade pupils. Both the students and the teacher judged the project successful in terms of pupils' increased interest and knowledge. (VJ)

Three essays discuss: (1) the use of word games in the language classroom, (2) the use of humor in correcting students' errors, and (3) using comic strips in the French language classroom. (AM)

Most learning centers for science are custom-made by enthusiastic teachers eager to experiment with a new way to make science come alive for students. Suggests a way to plan a science center for the classroom. (Author/RK)

Examines techniques of sexist role reinforcement in British and Malaysian newspapers. Features in the British press include modification, relexicalization, reductive language, puns, alliteration, and the classification of women as pin-up commodities or annexes of males. The less explicit sexist language in the Malaysian press shows an even greater…

Seven fables were read to 14 average learners and 14 children with learning disabilities (ages 10-13), and 4 possible moral choices were presented (1 correct, 1 related, and 2 incorrect). Children with learning disabilities less often selected the correct moral; and when they did, they were less capable of explaining their choice. (Author/JDD)

Examines the nature and structure of idioms and idiomatic language and offers suggestions for teaching them. Topics addressed include the relationship between idioms and erroneous language, idioms' appropriateness in context, proverbs, and metaphors. Some exercises are included. (Author/MSE)

Aspects of language that develop during the adolescent years are discussed in the domains of pragmatics, syntax, and semantics. Selected topics include complex conversational behaviors that adolescents employ, syntactic attainments associated with persuasive writing; and the understanding of proverbs and figurative expressions. Relevant…

Reviews literature on children's use of metaphors, focusing on how metaphorical language is used in the learning process and the implications for teachers in helping their students use metaphorical language and thereby build knowledge of the world. Asserts that teachers need to speak metaphorically and that conversation, writing, and literature…

One way in which the concept of sustainable development has been understood is through the metaphor of natural capital. This sees that the natural world has performing functions similar to those of economic capital. This metaphor is usually developed by applying to Nature standard economic techniques for capital valuation. However, where valuation…