Describes how the authors used process drama as a tool by which students assume the persona of characters in a literary text and improvise what the characters might say and how they might react in challenging situations. Discusses how students created modern dramatic interpretations of traditional texts in order to solve problems that parallel…

Describes how allowing students to follow their creative impulses led to a unit in the author's tenth grade English class that rekindled an appreciation for imaginative, even whimsical, thinking. Discusses her experiences with this project. Considers why it is important to imagine. (SG)

Examines the place creative writing might logically take in the study of literature. Contends that rather than supplanting conventional literary criticism in the classroom, such writing--what the author terms "imaginative response"--can readily complement and ultimately enrich formal analysis. Defines "imaginative response" broadly as responding…

Describes the author's experiences with a new teaching assignment with a diverse group of students whose problems ranged from gang related arrests to previous school failure. Presents a "reading the postcard" activity. Concludes that the understandings students gain, the cognitive connections they make, and the processes they experience give them…

Considers how in the name of imagination, teachers often design activities and assignments that violate the text around which the lesson is focused and that mislead students about its meaning. Argues that imagination for its own sake is not the key to good classroom practice or profound understanding. Suggests that the best communication comes…

Presents a brief discussion of critical topics addressed in fantasy literature that can help build a foundation for bringing this well-loved genre into the classroom in a meaningful way. Considers fantasy literature's mythic structures and heroic cycles, and religious commentary. Discusses history in fantasy, gender roles, and social commentary of…

Notes that the process of creating a poem not only demonstrates the inherent characteristics of the imaginative experience, but when it is written and shared in a supportive group, it validates diverse student voices and establishes the foundation for a classroom community. Presents three techniques that are important and valuable methods to…

Describes how the author puts people in place to deal with the technology in order to allow teachers to focus on the content and the instruction. Notes how Weblogs allow anyone to publish on the Internet. Describes a variety of uses for Weblogs in the classroom. (SG)

Describes an effective but new twist on the use of young adult books as bridges to the classics. Considers how "Frankenstein" is a novel written for today. Aims for his students to see that literature can be a way to discuss important issues. Discusses how to bridge Walter Dean Myers' novel "Monster" to "Frankenstein." (SG)

Describes the author's experience with the Secondary Section of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). Recommends that educators should belong to NCTE's Secondary Section--one primary reason is that the "English Journal" is published by NCTE for secondary teachers. Considers how because reading it regularly can change teachers lives,…

Notes that despite students' attitudes, educators need to remember the best in those students, the times when they show enormous kindness. Describes an example of this one winter day in the author's ninth-grade English class. (SG)

Asks why students must learn English. Addresses motivation for teaching and learning English. Suggests a better approach that places observation first, then the classification and interpretation of perceptions, and then the formation, assemblage, and revision of complete thoughts. (SG)

Presents three teachers' recommendations for works of literature that use a strong oral tradition. Discusses each of the teacher selections: "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (J.K. Rowling); "Cuentos: Tales from the Hispanic Southwest" (compiled by Juan B. Rael); and "The Way to Rainy Mountain" (N. Scott Momaday). (SG)

Discusses a four-week unit of study for an 11th-grade honors class on Zora Neale Hurston's "Their Eyes Were Watching God." Notes how they listened to the novel on audiocassette; discussed it in "Porch Groups"; reflected on what they read and heard in their notebooks; responded to each other's entries during Notebook Swaps; and invited a visiting…

Considers how a teacher can help students become avid readers. Describes how cultivating a culture of reading in ninth-grade English has increased student interest and renewed the author's teaching. Suggests that all students are readers, but that the conditions of reading change from person to person. (SG)