Describes how a teacher used the novella as a writing project to help students appreciate literature during their junior year. Explains how the teacher introduces the idea of the writing project and how he instructs them in the task. (TB)

Argues for the value of reading and interpreting autobiographical writing in a high school literature class. Explains a teaching method whereby students are asked to choose a special passage and respond to it in their journals from a personal viewpoint. Suggests that the sharing of these passages in class builds class chemistry. (TB)

Examines Dora V. Smith, who was a pioneer in education, ahead of her time in calling for a student-centered approach in the teaching of writing and reading. Explains how she stood up for cultivating a child's personal interests, both in choice of reading material and in written responses to that reading. (TB)

Uses John Dewey to talk about a tendency among educators to indulge in either/or thinking or to label such-and-such an approach as "traditional" or "progressive." Suggests that this kind of thinking subverts meaningful dialogue and thoughtful analysis. (TB)

Describes a number of ghost stories from American cultures, all of which, despite their different origins, seek to stimulate horror, escapism, and fantastic pleasure. Suggests that the stories may be used to improve reading and writing and incorporate "rainbow" themes in the classroom. (TB)

Describes ideas for writing prompts and assignments proposed by three different teachers: (1) writing poems inspired by smells of herbs and spices; (2) writing about past perceptions and feelings after looking at a photograph; and (3) writing a "self-portrait." (TB)

Describes, in broad terms, a teacher's experience of teaching at a school for boys in England for a year. Talks about the ways that he had to adjust and the ways that teaching there were similar to teaching in the United States. (TB)

Examines the reading habits of middle school and high school students, presenting two case studies conducted by two new teachers. Shows that students read more than they are generally believed to read but their reading interests are not often tapped in school. (TB)

Suggests that students will not automatically make use of grammatical concepts, syntactic constructions, and language conventions no matter how they are taught such concepts. Argues that teaching "grammar" in the context of writing works better than teaching grammar as a formal system. Offers three examples of extended grammar minilessons. (RS)

Explores what "grammar" means. Suggests that grammar has a place in the writing classroom and the whole-language classroom. Suggests that modifying "grammar" with adjectives such as "functional" and "rhetorical" can contribute to positive, meaningful changes in the language arts curriculum. (RS)

Concludes that both sides of the "great debate" on teaching grammar are wrong--the problem will be resolved only when the majority of the profession becomes active and reformulates the question. Suggests that grammar and grammatical terms should be use as a tool to teach students how sentences work, including such things as how the human brain…

Suggests that English teachers need to know that grammar is a difficult subject; know what children know about grammar; know that grammatical error is complex; and know more about language than just grammar. Concludes with the advice of Noam Chomsky--that grammar should be taught for its own intrinsic interest. (RS)

Describes a course for preservice English teachers on descriptive grammar. Discusses definitions and aims and what to do about traditional grammar; transformational-generative grammar; language acquisition; and applied grammar. Presents teaching strategies. (RS)

Offers middle and secondary teachers a conceptual framework to guide their explorations into language with their students. Notes that many methods have risen and fallen. Concludes that, if students learn to generalize about language, they will be more successful in their usage of rules. (RS)

Asks pointed questions about English teachers' motives for teaching grammar and usage. Discusses what "usage" is; what "grammar" is; what "standard English" is; and what teachers of grammar and usage hope to accomplish by their teaching. Discusses the consequences of these realities for teachers. (RS)