The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) urge English language arts teachers to assume responsibility for teaching technical reading, along with literature, poetry, and composition. Ideally, each teacher assumes a share in developing reading proficiency within his or her content area, but state assessments may implicitly compel school districts to…

The author of this article posits that some teachers leave the profession because they entered it with unrealistic expectations, and that the reality of multiple preparations, unpaid orientation sessions, and large student loads is overburdening.for new teachers. Many new teachers leave their positions because of the dissonance between their…

If new teachers are going to do more than endure a rocky start, they need to develop a deep understanding about learners and about teaching their own discipline effectively. These authors were interested in what new teachers perceived and reported about the mentoring they had received in a comprehensive induction program. What did they find…

Throughout the author's 10 years in the middle school classroom, Anne Frank remains one of the most powerful figures that her students take away from their eighth-grade year. At first glance, her students don't think they share much more than their age with the World War II heroine. They are from almost every part of the world "except" Europe;…

Ms. Mayer, a recently retired English language arts teacher, frequently used strategies described in John Golden's book "Reading in the Dark: Using Film as a Tool in the English Classroom." In this book, Golden suggests that ELA teachers "reverse the order: use a film clip to practice the reading and analytical skills that we want our students to…

Standard histories of NCTE attribute the organization's beginnings in 1911 to rebellious teachers who opposed college entrance requirements imposed upon them by elite colleges and universities. This narrative offers an appealing account of NCTE's history. In this article, however, the author pursues a different line of historical inquiry by…

Learning its history has been one of the great pleasures of working on the centennial of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), a project the author began in 2003 that is now almost finished. This centennial, of course, is not the only time NCTE has looked backwards to its history. A case in point is the 1960 golden anniversary,…

The author conducted a two-year study of the career portfolio programs in place at high schools in two Midwestern communities. By pursuing this research project, the author was able to develop answers to his questions about career portfolios and student differences. More generally, this project allowed him to reflect on the ways all writing…

It's a common dilemma in many classrooms: Give your students an inch and they often take a mile. As teachers, they've probably all been in the situation where they want to encourage student participation and find a way to engage students in a particular text or topic, yet they err on the side of caution to keep the imagined mayhem at bay. Because…

The authors' belief that using LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender)-themed literature in schools is possible and necessary, coupled with students' sense that either it cannot or is not being done, prompted them to write this article. While the authors are sympathetic with students' perspectives, and agree that examples are limited, such…

It has been almost 30 years since the last systematic look at writing instruction in middle schools and high schools in the United States (Applebee, Writing). Since that report, there have been a number of significant changes in the contexts in which teachers teach and in which their students learn to write. Stretching back to the 1969-70 school…

Stephenie Meyer's "Twilight" offers readers romance, mystery, suspense, and action. This young adult novel tells the story of the forbidden relationship between Bella and Edward, exploring complexities that cause readers to consider how love involves sacrifice and choice. "Twilight," a Best Book for Young Adults and Quick-Pick for Reluctant Young…

To "help students think carefully about specific words and their uses," Darren Crovitz and Jessica A. Miller conceive a diagram that visually expresses the spaces and ties between words. Students eagerly explore contextual connotations and defend subtle shifts in word meaning, discovering how time, use, and circumstance all influence meaning.…

Teachers across the country consider the best methods to teach writing in the middle school and high school. They aspire for students to produce writing aimed at real audiences and purposes, writing that follows the author's thinking and leads readers to discoveries about the topic. Many teachers believe that a formula in writing could offer…

In this article, the author vitalizes her British literature course by asking seniors to investigate, through an I-Search paper, the concept of heroism. Students research a historic or contemporary individual, drawing on their understanding of heroic literary figures previously studied, and interview family, community members, and others connected…