Includes four teachers' recommendations of summer reading for other teachers. Details Anita Shreve's "The Last Time They Met"; Barbara Kingsolver's "Small Wonder"; Lynda Barry's "Cruddy"; and Ina Rilke's "Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress." (PM)

Details an English teacher educator's struggle with his implicit part in prejudice during his high school years. Notes that the literature curriculum of English classes at that time represented a white perspective on the human experience. Contends that the study of diverse literature affords students the opportunity to become socially conscious.…

Suggests that using scenario activities can provide the means for training teachers to lead meaningful discussions. Provides sample scenarios and discusses how teachers model the process and adapt it to small and large group discussions. Contends that the power of discussion accrues over time when the conversation leads students to new and broader…

Explains a research paper assignment in which students design their own thesis and link an original theory to an article found in a popular magazine. Provides three example assignments. Concludes the students then feel comfortable during later classroom discussions when introduced to the views of literary critics. (PM)

Proposes that students writing public letters to their forebears might provide a reminder of how individuals and communities can learn from the experience of their foremothers and forefathers. Includes the author's letter to her grandfather, who was imprisoned in internment camps for Japanese Americans during World War II. (PM)

Explains a writing assignment called "occasional paper," a brief written reflection that is read aloud and discussed but not turned in. Notes that it is important that these papers be easy to write. Contends that since adolescents experience nearly everything as personal, the occasional paper offers them an entry into thinking that is abstract and…

Discusses three areas of student concern in differences between high school and college: the differences in punishment for cheating; the differences in what constitutes cheating; and the differences in their own attitudes about cheating. Proposes that high school teachers can help their students by creating a clear and consistently enforced…

Contends that the requirement of a PowerPoint presentation as part of the research process would benefit students in the following ways: learning how to conduct research; starting their research project sooner; honing presentation and public speaking skills; improving cooperative and social skills; and enhancing technology skills. Outlines the…

Notes that African American literature has always had science fiction elements in its focus on narratives of the alienated and marginalized "other." Contends that Octavia Butler and Virginia Hamilton are two African American writers of science fiction who examine the connections between the stories of a culture and the genre of science fiction.…

Explains a mix-and-match vocabulary game that gives students correct definitions but made them work for it. Notes that in the game, the students have to use a dictionary and interpret the definition. Contends that this sparks critical thinking and conversation about words within groups. (PM)

Provides lists of different categories of young adult literature. Suggests that someone should create an award that recognizes young adult books suitable for adults. Annotates 20 new or overlooked young adult books. (PM)

Argues that the real problem in schools and in society as a whole is not the lack of imagination, but that excessive imagination is running wild. Considers how someone whose imagination is out of control can still be a "convergent" thinker, believing there is only one answer or solution to a dilemma or problem. (SG)

Describes the incorporation of thematic teaching into the author's Reading-Writing Workshop class. Shares a few activities from one coming-of-age unit that increased engagement and helped students generate writing topics that genuinely interested them and related to the same theme. (SG)

Presents four educators' recommendations of fantasy literature for high school and middle school students. Gives reasons for each selection and suggests points on which to focus. (SG)

Recommends a handful of activities that have consistently proven both useful to the author and helpful to his students. Describes activities including the Thesaurus Game, Word Pairs, Signs and Notices, the Sears Roebuck Game, the Mental Symposium, and Cubing. Concludes that these six devices prod students in directions that help them concentrate…