Describes a young man who suffered multiple handicaps and cruel deprivations from birth, became a street person at an early age, and who, after a suicide attempt, responded well to intensive time-limited psychotherapy with a Zen approach. Includes his spontaneously written poetry which recorded his gradually reducing alienation. (SR)

Discusses briefly four recent anthologies of poetry by members of ethnic and racial groups traditionally underrepresented in the poetic canon. Concludes that much contemporary multicultural North American poetry can be of value to poetry therapists, who should familiarize themselves with it. (SR)

Notes that the relationship between father and adolescent son is one of the most difficult of human associations. Argues that the poetic, specifically the use of popular music, humor, and poetry/creative writing, can facilitate communication between father and son. (SR)

Provides a narrative on the role of metaphor (in particular, Aesop's fable of the hare and the tortoise) in working with an 11-year-old boy with learning disabilities and severe emotional problems. (SR)

Describes how seven elementary-school teachers (who described themselves as whole language teachers) learned more about language arts through collaborative teamwork, participation in research, and professional writing over a three-year period. Notes dramatic changes in the teachers' views of themselves, their teammates, their instructional…

Compares students' perceptions of themselves as readers and as writers. Finds that students in a traditionally academic classroom defined writing as handwriting, while students in the other classroom (which used an emergent literacy approach) saw themselves as authors despite the fact that some students were still in the early stages of writing.…

Investigates whether or not SRQ2R (Survey, Read, Question, Recite, Review) usage is facilitated by pretraining in text structures or main ideas. Finds that SRQ2R was effective in improving fourth- through ninth-grade students' higher-level thinking skills and their comprehension of expository material. (RS)

Discusses three basic principles of whole learning that provide the framework for course instruction: (1) literacy processes are used on a daily basis; (2) students are given much opportunity to use and practice what is learned; and (3) learning is a social process. Notes that preservice teachers are resistant to implement content area reading…

Suggests that relationships among anachronisms, schema theory, and thinking skills can be combined to produce useful classroom tools, and that teachers can easily construct materials to enhance thinking skills. (RS)

Examines and discusses several fifth-/sixth-grade students' written responses to literature in terms of what they reveal about the writer's knowledge and understanding of how literary texts work. Suggests that students' written responses to literature can provide invaluable pedagogical information and support to encourage children in their growth…

Describes an exercise for grade school through high school students that focuses on describing abstract emotions through allegory. Notes that some examples include hate, depression, happiness, and patriotism. Provides examples of student writing from prior trials of this exercise. (PA)

Explains the guidelines for an exercise based on the poem "The Little Mute Boy" by F. Garcia Lorca. States that students are to: discuss synesthesia, the substitution of senses; explore the surreal senses; think about life without a sense; create a net of surprises; write a poem; and read the poem aloud. (PA)

Describes an exercise designed for K-6 grade levels based on books where the characters undergo transformation. Explains that students should write a story in which the main character goes through a transformation, and then act out the story. Emphasizes that younger students may not pay attention to the "why" or "how" of the transformation…

States that using diverse types of museums as sources of information for writing helps to stimulate imagination and personal expression. Describes many possible approaches, including poets in museums, curriculum collaborative programs, intensive student writing projects, high school programs, and after-school programs. Discusses problems that may…

Describes an experiment conducted with students in grades two through six and grade nine. States that the focus was on writing about old age. Reveals stereotypes about the elderly. Discusses how students were encouraged to write about the aging process and their feelings about aging. Concludes that aging is thought of as a major human concern, but…