Illustrates ways in which becoming a reader of young adult literature enriched the author's life by making her a better teacher, allowing more connections to students, increasing student involvement, broadening her view of literature in general, connecting her with a rich network of professionals, and putting her back in touch with a part of…

Offers 50 diverse suggestions intended to offer students new ways to think about a piece of literature, new directions to explore, and ways to respond with greater depth to the books they read. (SR)

Presents two brief articles--the first discusses purposes for using children's picture books in a secondary classroom, activities for children's literature, and integrating children's books into the classroom curriculum; and the second discusses using folktales in the classroom to engage reluctant readers and writers, suggests ideas/topics for…

Sketches out several projects and assignments that focus on the family and suggests some contexts that can be used to give them structure. Suggests that this is an appealing way to end the school year, offering strong material to keep students involved. (SR)

Discusses having students dig deep into a novel to create material that demonstrates their understanding of the characters; and having students illustrate their understanding of poetry by the way they read it, by the music they select to have in the background, and by the connecting commentary that links poems together. Provides sample rubrics to…

Presents three brief articles written by teachers that 1) describe a collection of approaches that utilize newspapers and magazines as the "excellent teaching tools they are"; (2) plunge students into critical analysis through the use of advertisements in magazines; (3) present ideas on how to teach students to create writing prompts from news…

Discusses getting started, organizing a thematic unit, developing a unit around classroom concerns, and skills students need. Discusses creating a thematic unit in American literature focused on Henry David Thoreau. Presents a series of nine questions for teachers to ask themselves when selecting a novel for use in a thematic unit with middle or…

Describes how an English teacher uses ghost stories in his classroom to further students' interest in and understanding of epics. Presents a short unit in which all the class work focuses on scary kinds of things. (SR)

Describes ways short story collections can be integrated into the English curriculum, including a short story fair, a short story hunt, using single short stories to extend a unit, using a short story by itself, using a collection as a whole, and using short stories as part of a focus on writing. Offers a list of short story resources. (SR)

Describes assignments which engage students and are suitable for end of year: (1) a video or booklet for incoming students describing what the grade they are about to enter is all about; (2) a book of poetry for a special person; (3) a research packet for next year's students; and (4) a letter from parents explaining their feelings for their…

Describes a teacher's awakening to the possibilities of teaching nonfiction, including autobiography and biography. Provides approaches to teaching nonfiction, with emphasis on plot, setting, characterization, and theme. Reviews specific teaching skills needed for nonfiction. (TB)

Provides language arts teachers with specific techniques to help content-area teachers get more writing into their classrooms. Suggests that some of these techniques might be helpful to language arts teachers themselves, especially in getting students to think about learning. (TB)

Lists 24 writing lesson plans or teaching approaches designed to keep students engaged toward the end of the school year, including list making, ABC stories, fractured fairy tales, cut word stories, "bummer behavior" letter writing, and using children's books as a stimulus. (TB)

Offers possibilities for integrating race and gender issues into the fabric of the English language arts classrooms. Presents six brief activities that raise the issues. Presents 20 brief activities to further engage students in race/gender issues. (RS)

Suggests the use of children's literature as a model for junior high students' writing. (DD)