Discusses a teacher's difficulties in using reader response approaches to engage her students at an urban alternative high school. Examines their resistances to discussion and personal response. Offers a few approaches the teacher has been trying, with some success, to overcome these resistances. (TB)

Shows how one teacher answered student questions about how a particular piece of literature came to be regarded as worthy of in-depth examination. Proposes that students be taught about various critical approaches, including Jungian/archetypal criticism, formalism, reader-response criticism, socio-historical and biographical criticism, and…

Explains how a teacher uses a mystery novel and an aesthetic approach to literature appreciation, as opposed to one concerned with facts in the text, to engage students and prep them for writing their own mystery stories. Shows how one student in particular overcame her sense of exclusion and felt a part of the "literacy club." (TB)

Suggests that Chris Crutcher, therapist and author of novels for young adults, views the world as a place where God, if He exists, does not prevent or cause good or bad things to happen to people. Suggests that Crutcher sees the human spirit as the ultimate determinant along with human relationships. (TB)

Shows how a teacher used paintings as a basis for writing exercises designed to teach students about the subjectivity of interpretation and the importance of visual imagery. Describes a number of specific writing assignments and classroom activities involving description, interpretation, drawing, poetry, and research papers. (TB)

Makes a case for asking students to produce their own film version of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream." Explains how to manage student filming projects logistically; how to teach students about filming techniques through the study of modern movies; and how filming becomes a lesson in the interpretation of Shakespeare. (TB)

Explains how the movie "The Lion King" may be used to elucidate Shakespeare's "Hamlet," a play about a prince who does not always seem heroic to modern audiences. Gives specific points of comparison between the two works concerning heroes, characters, conflicts, themes, ending scenes, and archetypal patterns. (TB)

Explains how a teacher used Shakespeare plays to engage special needs and at-risk students with whom she had had limited success in engaging in other ways. Describes Shakespeare-related activities such as journal writing, acting, and something the teacher calls "write around," which requires students to visit different stations and write short…

Describes a simulation game requiring students to role play and complete extensive writing exercises to help them become interested in Willa Cather's "My Antonia" and the pioneer experience of relocation and resettlement. Contains an extensive description of the simulation rules and procedures. (TB)

Reviews five characteristics of Gothic literature that makes it appealing to adolescents: (1) extremes of emotion; (2) journey of self-revelation; (3) individual against the unknown; (4) rebellion against authority; and (5) sympathy with the outcast. Appends a 30-item bibliography of recommended Gothic literature. (TB)

Makes a case for asking secondary students to read their compositions aloud to their peers. Reviews techniques that may be taught to prepare students for public reading and listening. Describes a program in which high school students write custom-made stories for individual elementary school students. (TB)

Explains how a teacher, a Belizean of African descent who immigrated to the United States, feels about having grown up reading only Western literature. Explains the costs of such limited reading in psychological and emotional terms. Gives a brief review of a few well-known Caribbean authors, including Julia Alvarez and Jamaica Kincaid. (TB)

Encourages teachers to try to introduce a new novel or two into their curriculum. Gives four specific ways that teachers can relieve pressure on themselves as they prepare to work with a new novel and four specific ways to prepare for introducing a new novel. Provides approaches to introductory activities in the classroom. (TB)

Provides activities to be used when teaching novels, including reading aloud to students, using student-generated questions for discussion, having students write on key words selected from the text, having students brainstorm together on butcher-block paper before writing an essay, and playing bingo with students to help them recall the…

Discusses the possibility of vertical connectedness in K-12 education through references to journal articles and the author's own reflections. Suggests that middle school teachers may be leaders in a movement toward eliminating redundancy and gaps between grade levels. (TB)