Describes Kids of Survival, a changing group of minority students in New York City, who create art in response to their study of literature. Details how this response reflects the social, political, and ideological factors that affect their daily lives. (MM)

Investigates the writing processes of nonstandard dialect, basic writers through the case study of an eleventh grade minority student. Offers teaching methods which utilize the strengths and address the underlying problems of nonstandard dialect students. (MM)

Discusses how writing response groups improve students' writing even when the students resist extensive between-draft revision. (MM)

Discusses expectations, and the results of those expectations, that a teacher may set for a new class. Suggests that a willingness to abandon the lesson plans and respond to the needs of the class is necessary. (MS)

Lists 10 ways to involve students in the teacher's writing that can be beneficial to both teachers and their students. (MS)

Proposes using ceremonies in civics to involve students in writing, and to develop understanding of the achievements of various leaders and the impact of significant events on society. (MS)

Advises teachers not to evaluate students on day-to-day growth, but instead to allow for measurable growth, evaluating them after a suitable period of time has elapsed. Assumes that true growth in writing occurs slowly, that it is seldom linear, and that distinctions between disparate texts remain spurious. (MS)

Presents two approaches to de-mystify the research process: (1) students assume the persona of a famous author and write letters to each other; and (2) students establish a research and development division for school staff, which allows students to screen proposals, prioritize suggestions, develop research and report strategies, and complete…

Offers three responses to the ENGLISH JOURNAL Forum on the English Language Amendment (v77 n3 March 1988) by Marjorie Ann Sucansky, Candette Gilner, and Trudy J. Sundberg. (MS)

Recounts the experience of analyzing Maya Angelou's poem "Harlem Hopscotch" and how it helped students see the extended metaphor and the parallels to life experiences. (MS)

Offers seven effective learning activities for the first day of class. (MS)

Offers annotated references to both print materials and software packages used for teaching writing. (MS)

Reviews adolescent literature, by Black female writers, that features young Black female protagonists. Discusses how the reading of ethnic literature, and the situations and people they present, can expand the cultural awareness of all students. (MS)

Experienced English teachers recommend worthwhile books for beginning English teachers. (MS)

Argues against bilingual education in the United States, asserting that the English language binds together a multicultural people. Claims that the Bilingual Education Act of 1968 is divisive, and that immigrants now have greater difficulty assimilating to American life because they can avoid learning English. (MM)