Notes that even specific journal writing assignments tend to elicit intimate feelings and expressions from students. Notes that English teachers often question their ability to respond in positive ways to such intimacies. Argues that English teachers should learn about legal implications, response options, and their own individual values to…

Describes how the emotions surrounding death created a communion between a teacher and her class. Presents four poems, one written by the teacher, concerning the death of family members. (RS)

Describes some of the concerns English teachers in Duluth, Minnesota, have expressed about exploring suicide through literature, followed by the opinion of suicide experts that such concerns can and should be overcome. Suggests ways to turn the study of literature into an opportunity to deepen students' understanding of suicide. Includes a…

Finds the film "Dead Poets Society" superficial, misleading, and seriously flawed. Examines seven pedagogical issues raised by the film, including (1) should a teacher who suspects that students are about to break school rules connive at their misconduct? and (2) are "sensitivity games" likely to have a lasting effect on student attitudes and…

Notes that the notion of authors consulting their audiences is an old one. Discusses how Homer, Ernest Hemingway, and James Joyce reworked their writing to suit the taste of their audiences. (RS)

Discusses how eight English teachers have dealt with recent censorship issues in their schools. (RS)

Annotates eight young adult novels readers of "English Journal" considered the best written in the 1980s. List 40 young adult novels from the 1980s considered by "English Journal" reviewers to be the best written. (RS)

Notes that when students write and exchange poetry and letters, they feel drawn by the responsiveness to their words of "real" audiences. Argues that students sharing letters and poetry give voice to ranges of experience, to name features of their worlds that might otherwise have remained unnamed. (RS)

Examines the characteristics and classroom performance of underachieving high school English students, and explores ways to respond to their special needs in the English classroom. Focuses on communication and writing through dialogue journals, and discipline through behavior modification techniques. (MM)

Explores why many secondary students resist writing by examining the extrinsic and intrinsic factors that affected one student's motivation to write. Determines that students' past experiences with writing profoundly affect their willingness to write. Describes ways to preserve and foster young writers' inclinations to write. (MM)

Describes how portfolios (collections of students' work) can be used successfully in the writing classroom to evaluate student writing and encourage students to write more. Details how to adapt the portfolio method for grading, type of student (introductory or advanced), and type of writing. Discusses the benefits of using portfolios. (MM)

Critiques the practice of conforming to Standard English when teaching writing. Argues that when more attention is paid to form than to content, students' words and thoughts become devalued. Emphasizes the need to teach students to hold their own voices sacred, and discusses instructional strategies which encourage this attitude. (MM)

Describes interdisciplinary strategies that develop civic literacy by empowering students as members of a democratic community. Concludes that civic writing, using the research skills of inquiry and advocacy, is a successful catalyst for developing civic community. (MM)

Describes differences between a middle school in a low socioeconomic neighborhood and a high school in an affluent suburb. Suggests four ways to create language arts classrooms that have basic literacy as the primary focus yet are vital, dynamic places where students interact with the subject matter and with each other. (MM)

Describes a video/language arts curriculum for at-risk students, based on Paulo Freire's "education for critical consciousness." Discusses students on a Navajo reservation learned basic literacy skills while drawing on their personal experiences. Shows how Freire's pedagogy of listening, dialogue, and action were incorporated into all stages of…