Presents an annotated list of 44 young adult books that represent the wide range of young adult literature available for teens. Represents a variety of genres from poetry to science fiction/fantasy to historical fiction and story collections. Lists the 2002 winners for six major awards. (SG)

Presents a case study about how one Midwestern United States community dealt with a censorship challenge. Discusses how the author recognizes his professional responsibility. Discusses the school district's "materials selection and review policy." Contains a lengthy letter the author sent to school board members, and several epilogues. (SG)

Argues that international children's literature is one of the most effective ways to integrate global perspectives into the middle school curriculum. Presents an annotated list of 15 international children's literature titles to provide teachers and other education professionals with a starting point in identifying quality children's literature…

Presents brief descriptions of 1999's list of Notable Children's Books in the Language Arts: 30 children's trade books published in 1998 chosen for their outstanding potential to enhance language awareness among students in grades K-8. (SR)

Explores how, although minority and female authors have found a place on many English departments' reading lists, the debate over the benefits of a diverse curriculum still linger. (EV)

Discusses possible reasons why Stephen Crane's short story "The Open Boat" does not go over well with students or the author's colleagues: (1) students cannot identify with the scenario of the story; (2) the story is a "guy" thing; (3) the teacher's enthusiasm kills the story; and (4) the story is intrinsically unteachable and dull. (RS)

Describes the positive results when a high school English teacher decided to have her students choose poems to be presented to and discussed by the class. Notes that Alice Walker's poems were chosen often by the students. Suggests students began to have a genuine interaction with these poems they chose themselves. (RS)

Presents annotations of 30 works of adolescent literature (published in 1999) chosen as the result of voting by students in five different regions of the United States. Notes that the goals of the project are to encourage young people to read and to make teens, teachers, librarians, and parents aware of new literature for young adults. (SG)

Explores the relationship between fathers and sons in two very different books. Notes that David and Daniel Hays'"My Old Man and the Sea" describes a journey around Cape Horn providing both sailors with a new perspective on their relationship. Considers how Tony Early's "Jim the Boy" takes readers into a happy North Carolina family. (SG)

When it comes to selecting science trade books, there are plenty of lists and guides that identify good books; however, when it is time to create a unit or add to the classroom library, selecting appropriate books can still be a challenge. Recommended books may not be available in the school or local libraries, and budget constraints may prohibit…

This article presents the results of two studies; the first of which offers insight into how three African American boys did and did not utilize a critical literacy stance to interpret texts while the second gives specific suggestions for how teachers might select and use texts in ways that foster students' critical literacy abilities. Results…

School administrators and teachers need to recognize that most persons--including would-be censors of school-related media communications--simply do not understand the complexities germane to measuring the impact of the mass media and the specific messages transmitted to broader audiences via a variety of media channels. In particular, what most…

The text samples presented in this document primarily serve to exemplify the level of complexity and quality that the Standards require all students in a given grade band to engage with. Additionally, they are suggestive of the breadth of texts that students should encounter in the text types required by the Standards. The choices should serve as…

Letting students as they read underline or highlight words they do not know allows teachers to find out the words their students do not know. This procedure also leaves a record of all the once unknown words for students to re-read later. It is an added advantage for teachers that it allows them to see how far into a book students have read, and…

This bibliography lists 106 items of children's literature suitable for use in a whole language classroom. The bibliography is divided into 15 sections, including alphabet books; rhythm, rhyme, and song; science and health; inventions and cures; mystery; fairy tales and folk tales; Native Americans; fun with language; math; friends; jokes and…