Noting that most junior high level curricula do not take into account students' rapid mental and physical changes, the articles in this focused journal issue recommend works and teaching strategies that harmonize with these student needs. The titles and their authors are as follows: (1) "Adolescent Development and the Growth of Writing Abilities" (Barry M. Kroll); (2) "'Decentering': Growth in Writing Maturity through the Discovery of Real Communication" (Frank C. Cronin); (3) "Objectivity: A Criterion of Excellence in Personal Writing by Adolescents" (Elwyn R. Jenkins); (4) "The 'Middletown Spirit'--Catalyst toward Cosmopolitanism" (James P. Beck); (5) "Adolescent Students: Allowing for Student Characteristics in the Classroom" (Suzanne Padgett); (6) "The Uses of Student Journals" (Ken Autrey); (7) "Writing through Trust" (Marty Brewster); (8) "Focusing and Detailing: A Descriptive Solution" (Robert L. Wilson); (9) "The Cinquain: A Pathway to Improved Paragraphs of Character Analysis" (Jo Anne R. Bryant); (10) "Anton Chekov on Writing" (Ross Beatty); (11) "Using Essay Contests in the Classroom: for Fun, for Profit, for Practical Writing Experiences" (Suzanna G. Colby); (12) "Reading and Writing; Is There a Connection?" (Bonnie L. Miller); (13) "Mythology and Maturation" (Wilma Bell); (14) "The Responses of Adolescent Boys to Three Short Stories: Implications for Curriculum Selection" (Susan G. Bennett); (15) "'The Catherine Wheel': Bridging Adolescence and Adulthood" (Lynn A. Crandall); (16) "Classic Salability" (John C. Holcomb); (17) "Using Group Dynamics in the Classroom" (Pam Miller); (18) "Shakespeare in the 7th Grade? It Works" (Marilyn J. School); (19) "'The Scarlet Letter': A New Look at a Classic" (Virginia McCormick); (20) "Involving Students with the Short Story" (Charles R. Duke); (21) "'Doing' a Poem: 'The Lurpps Are on the Loose' or How to Start Losing Your Fear of Classroom Drama" (James Charnock); (22) "'Younits': Guided Independent Study" (Linda Shadiow); (23) "Developing Ethnic Literacy in the Elementary School through Reading and Literature" (Elizabeth E. Seittelman); (24) "International Growth of the Junior Novel" (Osayimwense Osa); (25) "Spycraft: A Study of Spies and Counter-Spies in the English Classroom" (Marie J. Wittek); (26) "A Rationale for Teaching Regional Literature in the Public School" (Christopher Gould); (27) "Yet Another Version of Pastoral: Hal Borland's 'When Legends Die'" (Dennis Walsh); (28) "Nonfiction: The Orphan of the Literature Class" (Margaret Grove Ferry); and (29) "A Teacher's Annotated Subject Bibliography of Resources for and about Lesbian and Gay Male Youth" (Edward C. Paolella). A section of Monday morning teaching techniques--"A Sweet Composition" (Connie Pilkington) and "Some Writing Every Day" (Carl L. Anderson)--concludes the journal. (HTH)