A teacher in the high school drama club recounts the experience of producing a controversial play about teenagers, "Sometimes I Wake Up in the Middle of the Night." Reports initial apprehensions and eventual satisfaction of actors, the drama coach, and audience members. (JG)

Describes a classroom program in which students adapted and then produced a play based on the adolescent novel "The Chocolate War." Notes group improvisation strategies for adapting internal monologue to dialogue. Argues the advantages of such a project over class discussion and book reports. (JG)

Describes a junior high school program offering drama as a course elective. Cites fairy tales, and Western or melodramatic plays as most effective for student involvement; recommends avoiding those about teenagers. Notes educational advantages of this program for handicapped, special education, disruptive, and low reading skills students. (JG)

Describes a program to help secondary school students develop speech skills by exploring social issues through role-playing. Notes that this method motivates discouraged students, reduces communication anxiety, improves research skills, fosters appropriate verbal and nonverbal skills, and stimulates affective learning. (JG)

Describes a teacher's experience teaching sixth grade drama in Britain, where drama is viewed as distinct from literature and stresses role playing. Outlines particular improvisation activities, scriptwriting projects, approaches to class discussion, and the use of dramatic activities to teach other subjects. (JG)

Address to a convention of secondary school principals analyzes the effect of successful communication between principals and faculty, stresses the need to make English teaching relevant to the community, especially by teaching moral values, and calls for a reduction of class size for English teachers. (JG)

Discusses the impetus towards social relevance among educators in the 1960s and 1970s, then assesses the resulting interdisciplinary orientation of elementary and secondary school English curricula in the 1980s. Surveys ways that English classes address the social consequences of science and technology. (JG)

Argues for the validity and effectiveness of using film excerpts to teach high school English. Suggests various methods for using commercial films on VCRs to study themes, formal elements of literature, literary terms, and the aesthetic decisions behind film adaptations. (JG)

First of a two-part series identifying probable changes in English instruction resulting from technology's impact on society and schools. Predicts consequences of interactive reading and writing software, style checkers, teacher-monitored networks in electronic writing labs, computer generated texts, and desktop publishing. (JG)

Compares the difficulties students face in the junior high years to the obstacles of Odysseus. Notes hierarchical skill levels needed to understand and interpret literature; suggests using different print and nonprint media to improve interest in stories; recommends doing more writing and talking about fewer works. (JG)

A middle school English teacher who frequently observes student teachers notes some of the basic truths of the classroom usually encountered by new instructors. Discusses ways that teacher deportment affects student attitude, the importance of teaching by example, the value of reading aloud, and more. (JG)

Discusses the philosophy of publishing high school student writings in "English Journal," and calls for submissions. Prints a student short story, analyzes its merits, suggests ways to use it for teaching, and approaches to revision. (JG)

Discusses method to improve students' sensitivity to poetry. Describes teaching a poem by Neruda through such class activities as reading aloud, student writing imitating the subjective stance of the poem, class discussion about these essays, and further response writing. Views this approach as a kind of translation. (JG)

Four teachers discuss benefits of humor and the disadvantages of sarcasm. Includes a humorous piece on teaching cheating in the classroom. (EL)

Describes teaching a unit on Appalachia in a six-week winter elective. Describes studying the people, coal mining, crafts, music, religion, and folklore of the region. (EL)