Provides sample classroom exercises to develop middle school and high school youngsters' sensitivity to language skills, spelling, and grammar. Includes riddles, puns, puzzles, and other games drawn from J. Shipley's "Word Play." (JG)

Inaugurates a new column addressed to those in language arts leadership positions, particularly the English department chair and the district and state supervisor or consultant, but also other English education administrators. Describes scope of the column and solicits suggestions for articles. Discusses the role of chairs and consultants in…

Presents a high school student's story about fishing, analyzes the story, and provides study guide questions for students intended to amplify the reading. Invites "English Journal" readers to use this story and study guide in their own classrooms. (JG)

Explicates D. Trudell's poem about two men, unknown to each other and both approaching middle age, who shoot baskets in a moment of camaraderie. Describes use in the classroom of the poem's evocative potential to introduce students to aesthetic experience and the idea of a controlling metaphor. Quotes student responses to questions about the poem.…

Argues that the cultivation of the imagination in schools and colleges is largely ignored because of utilitarian biases in the education system, where achievement is determined by quantitative measures of cognitive skills. Discusses Williams' view that acts of the imagination transform reality and applies view to English education. (JG)

Discusses the negative impact of poetry instruction based on scansion, biography, genre theory and formal principles. Describes three alternative lesson plans using imagist poetry, specifically that of Williams, because it rejects formal traditional rules and provokes student response. Concludes that students appreciate stylistic traits and that…

Describes one teacher's experience teaching English in Japan, and the effect of this experience on his current teaching style in an American high school. Notes that he now injects Japanese culture into class discussion and frequently compares and contrasts English literature, language and cultural history with that of Japanese. (JG)

Describes a junior high class activity called the "International Language Census," in which international students learned each other's equivalents of "good morning" and "thank you." Notes that non-American students who were socially isolated grew less shy and became occasional centers of attention. (JG)

Recommends using C. Achebe's English language novel, "Things Fall Apart," in a unit on tragedy. Provides plot summary and topics for discussion of cultural values and socialization. Notes that besides illustrating character traits, themes and plot structure of the tragic genre, the novel provides an opportunity for learning Nigerian colonial…

Discusses the use of non-native English literature in the American English classroom. Views the transformation of English by non-English sensibilities as a source of vitality in the language. Concludes that contact literature helps students appreciate language change and stimulates reader response. Provides bibliographies of works by international…

Reexamines assumptions about teaching the research paper, including the following points: (1) research is suitable for all high-school students, not just college-bound seniors; (2) research is not natural, but requires much training; (3) real research does not restrict sources; (4) teachers can not teach research without doing research themselves;…

Discusses a method for involving students in topics so that research evolves from a desire to know. Describes using response group discussion about real life problems to find topics, freewriting loops, and class presentation before and during research. Reports positive atmosphere and interest. (JG)

Describes a research paper project for high school students that requires them to incorporate source information into a conversational letter. Builds topic around an imaginary class reunion aboard an ocean liner. Notes that the students internalize the assignment, find a practical reason for using reference books, and actually enjoy the research.…

A former editor of "Scholastic Voice" speculates on why one set of writing assignments, based on reader response to writings by a handicapped teenager, produced such outstanding results. Describes the uncommonly high involvement of student readers, who wrote over 3,000 letters to the author, and undertook classroom writing with enthusiasm and…

Describes a writing assignment in which students collected oral histories from Vietnam veterans in their community, edited the transcripts of their interviews, prepared manuscripts for a booklet of ten interviews, and composed cover letters for the final product. Notes positive effects of both the revision work and the primary research. (JG)