One of the best methods in the English language arts classroom is to educate students through the world of stories. The beauty of storytelling is that it often has a more powerful impact on young adults than a didactic lecture or a textbook chapter. Many times students would say that they internalize a message much more willingly through reading a…

This column shares innovative lesson ideas grounded in current literature or action research. Two books are discussed: Lesley Atwater Kahle's book "Cut Word Story," which allows students to become individually engrossed in words and grammar within stories that they create; and Anete Vasquez's "Literary Analysis 101", which gives teachers a simple,…

High school teacher Susan Arpajian Jolley emphasizes experience and understanding by using the related novels "Wide Sargasso Sea" and "Jane Eyre" to help her students travel into unfamiliar cultural territory. "Wide Sargasso Sea" relates to Caribbean history and culture, feminism, race relations, colonialism, and personal identity.

In the book "Choice Words: How Our Language Affects Children's Learning", Peter H. Johnson illuminates the power of classroom discourse and encourages us to become more conscious of and reflective about what we say and how we say it. Johnson presents five categories of classroom discourse with a chapter on each.

A survey shows that in 1992, 60.9 percent of American adults read at least one book in a year, which was 56.6 percent in 2002. For literary texts the figure was 54 percent in 1992, which reduced to 46.7 percent in 2002. According to the California State Librarian Emeritus Kevin Starr the decline in reading is connected with several cultural…

Several years ago, Ruth Vinz, other colleagues at the Teachers College and Greg Hamilton worked together on a book for English teachers "Becoming (Other)wise: Enhancing Critical Reading Perspectives" that challenged some of the more popular and mainstream conceptions of a multicultural literature education. Principles theorized by the team while…

Several books that provide guidance for the gay and lesbian teenagers, their friends and families are presented. The books depict the challenges faced by the gay and lesbian teenagers, conflicts among the young adults and parents or caretakers and the rejections faced by the heterosexual parents and friends.

Introduces two books about magic, one a collection of essays "Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader," which describes the author's inherited lifelong passion for books and reading; and the other a novel, "Mangos, Bananas and Coconuts: A Cuban Love Story," which tells a story of love and magic that seems both real and surreal. (SG)

Discusses John Dixon's book, "Growth through English." Notes that it was an elegant summary of the ideas generated through the Anglo-American Conference at Dartmouth College in 1966. Considers what would still sound fresh and invigorating nearly 35 years later and what would sound quaint and dated. (SG)

Reviews a few authors (from Louisa May Alcott to Francesca Lia Block) who have had a significant effect on young adult (YA) literature and who are most familiar to the author. Presents a starting point for a discussion or study of the foundations of YA literature. (SG)

Considers the teaching of grammar and its importance in the writing classroom. Examines what grammar is; why writing instruction has moved away from grammar; differing opinions regarding grammar and writing instruction; and grammar's place in the writing classroom of the new century. Argues that grammar must be applied to students' own writing.…

Presents the core requirements for teachers of English in Israel, which outline the core knowledge and performance that graduates and practicing teachers should shave mastered. These requirements are divided into five domains, and each of the domains includes standards. Both knowledge and performance benchmarks are defined for each standard.…

Explores the origins of the word "plagiarism" and concepts of authorship. Examines a number of current issues concerning plagiarism, for instance, how the term complicates teacher-student relationships and peer cooperation in writing. (TB)

Traces the history of the speech of New Yorkers, compares the speech of New Yorkers with the speech of those living elsewhere in America, and discusses the low prestige of New York City pronunciation. (DD)

Reviews research on sequences in language development and suggests ways to base instruction on each student's level of development. (DD)