Examines several novels, short stories, and movies in a mini-course on the image of rural America in popular culture to determine if the idyllic picture of country life sometimes favored in the media leads to a mythologizing of country life. (NKA)

Considers the changes the world has undergone (advances in technology) since World War II and uses this as a basis to analyze why students increasingly seem to find the novel a difficult form to handle. (NKA)

Discusses the gradual rise in teenage suicides since the 1950s, and offers some pointers for using writing (with "Romeo and Juliet" as source literature) as a basis for group discussion. Adds that suicide is a theme and a reality that can be addressed in the English classroom. (NKA)

Outlines some strategies that students can follow when beginning a research assignment, especially useful when they are new to the process of research. Draws parallels between some characteristics of group conversations and research, such as originality of conversation and originality of writing/research. (NKA)

Describes one method of peer review used by a secondary school department head when asked to evaluate teachers in her department. Visits to individual classrooms included observation and notetaking, a narrative response to each teacher, and a final conference during which each teacher could respond to the narrative. ( NKA)

Reports on two studies conducted in college freshman composition classes dealing with gender-based variations in verbal behavior. For an in-class assignment, students described two objects, a metal washer and a piece of cloth; for an out-of-class assignment, students wrote a letter to a landlord asking for a $300 deposit refund which had been…

Contributors discuss aspects of occult literature and present varying views on whether it is creative and involving or macabre and satanic. (JD)

Discusses the following problems that many authors of young people's books share: (1) financial expense involved in responding to letters; (2) mail sent to the wrong address, with illegible return addresses, or without accompanying, stamped envelopes; (3) predictable contents, such as requests for information, material demands, or expectations of…

Provides a list of 118 reasons why the author's students claim they study American literature, including: (1) to broaden their vocabulary, (2) to learn from other people's experiences, and (3) to develop an open mind about different kinds of literature. (JD)

Contains 10 points of advice for those who want letters of recommendation from teachers. (JD)

Claims that written tests are superior to objective, scan-tron tests in literature, composition, and vocabulary because they require students to think on paper. Describes the following types of in-class written tests and examines the advantages of each: literary essay, topical composition, imitation, brief answer, timed rewrites, and vocabulary…

Describes how one 71-year-old Chinese student learning English as a second language succeeded by following the ethic "must study hard--work hard." Commends this approach and claims that age should not deter one's enthusiasm for learning. (JD)

Claims that high school curricula should provide opportunities for students to vicariously explore the relationships, roles, and ideas that appear in Shakespearean drama. Uses the dilemma dramatized in "Hamlet" as an example. (JD)

Claims that most teachers who read "The Great Gatsby" in high school English courses do not notice the work's extensive use of nautical imagery. Cites examples and claims that close reading reveals Gatsby to be not only the dreamer and unsuccessful suitor but also the American fisherman who "hooks a big one." (JD)

Describes the exuberance with which one teacher approached her first years in the profession. Claims that, after 14 years of teaching, she still has both the desire to open young minds to new ideas and a love of literature. Claims that many curricula today do not devote enough time to literature. (JD)