Presents an annotated bibliography of works by writers discussing their own writing processes. Includes numerous references to interviews with poets and novelists. (JAD)

Examines results of a study using the inquiry method in composition instruction. Findings suggest that writing tasks that engage students in specifiable inquiry strategies should be an important part of every writing curriculum. (RAE)

Argues that writing instruction is most effective when instruction focuses on inquiry which includes: utilizing concrete data, solving problems by using thinking strategies inherent in various writing tasks, focusing on student-centered problems, and encouraging student interaction with a minimum of teacher lecture. (JAD)

Suggests the following small group activities for improving reading comprehension: (1) introductory activities; (2) studying symbolic episodes; (3) synthesizing ideas within a literary unit; and (4) weaning students from teacher dependence. (JAD)

Compares the French school system's emphasis on writing with the American school system's lack of priority for writing instruction. Argues that teachers in France are effective because they are free to concentrate on teaching, without having to perform duties unrelated to teaching. (JAD)

Uses Martin Jamison's "Rivers" to illustrate a reader-response approach to poetry. Describes the process of students creating their own "poems," while analyzing the author's poem. Concludes that this approach encourages the necessary personal connection required for poetic involvement. (JAD)

Presents five teacher responses to the following questions: (1) "In what ways do you see the study of a Foreign language as important to the study of English?"; and (2) "How have you worked with foreign-language teachers in your school?". (JAD)

Presents junior and senior high school teachers' suggestions for short stories to read aloud in a single class period, including "The Laughing Man" (J. D. Salinger), "A & P" (John Updike), "Epicac" (Kurt Vonnegut), "The Story of an Hour" (Kate Chopin), and "The Yellow Wallpaper" (Charlotte Perkins Gilman). (MM)

Describes the efforts of one teacher-researcher to explore the effectiveness of different peer response strategies in the writing class. Notes that teacher-researcher projects can help to develop and assess writing curricula in ways that are outside the scope of specialists and external evaluators. (MM)

Counters Donald Barr's assertion that works such as J. D. Salinger's "Catcher in the Rye" and William Golding's "Lord of the Flies" are unfit reading material for adolescents ("Should Holden Caufield Read These Books?""New York Times Book Review," May 4, 1986). Shows how these works address adolescents' moral condition. (MM)

Discusses difficulties in teaching/reading "depressing" twentieth-century American literature. Suggests that the underlying themes are not depressing, and illustrates this assertion with examples from Edith Wharton's "Ethan Frome" and F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby." Provides an annotated list of 25 "positive" novels, biographies, and…

Advocates using "classics" to teach remedial English classes. Outlines several misconceptions about teaching the classics to lower-ability students, and recommends several selections which can be used in remedial classes. (MM)

Describes and recommends several young adult books on athletics, animals, and artistic endeavors. (MM)

Describes an approach to teaching George Orwell's "1984," emphasizing the main characters' struggles through the themes of innocence and experience, conformity and rebellion, love and hate, discovery and creation, and death. Notes that this reader-response approach forces students into the process of self-examination. (MM)

Discusses the attractions of teaching students about the Vietnam War. Provides a list of selected resources, including novels, personal narratives, films, drama, and poetry. Suggests general nonfiction and bibliographies for teachers as well. (MM)