Describes five young adult novels that may help young adult males shape their identities in positive ways by showing the consequences of bad male behavior. Describes briefly 10 more new or overlooked young adult books worth reading. (RS)

Describes two student teachers' experiences with their students on September 11th, 2001. Comments that the crazier things get "out there," the more teachers and public education may be among the only things that can make a difference. (SG)

Asks herself how she can teach at this difficult time. Comments that she teaches carefully, desperately, deliberately, and honestly and in the same ways that thousands of teachers before her have taught in times of crisis, grief, and fear of what the future holds. Concludes that this may be the most important time in her life to be a teacher. (SG)

Argues for the use of nonfiction in classrooms. Presents three passages from sources usually far removed from the typical secondary language arts classroom to help make the point. Concludes that just as the study of fiction, drama, and poetry help students explore their thoughts and feelings, nonfiction can offer a reality check with which to…

Presents a question and answer format addressing what to do with a student who in the beginning of the fourth quarter has no chance of passing. Discusses some effective strategies for classroom management that have worked for experienced teachers. (SG)

Presents the idea of "contemplative reading" and suggests that certain nonfiction works evoke an experience of contemplative response that is familiar to innumerable teachers and other readers. Notes that by looking at the big picture, good contemplative writing can balance the tendency toward overemphasis on negative, problem-based works in some…

Notes that the key to making nonfiction work in the classroom is to connect it to the basic curriculum set forth by the school. Describes how the author's use of nonfiction slave narratives grew out of her teaching of two works of fiction. Discusses how she teaches slave narratives as a separate unit. (SG)

Presents student responses to nonfiction literature of the Vietnam War. Describes reasons for teaching the nonfiction literature of the Vietnam War. Concludes that this literature is accessible and engaging to students, and it deals with issues that speak to students in powerful ways. (SG)

Describes how a teacher found literature for Upward Bound students. Presents Geoffrey Canada's "Fist, Stick, Knife, Gun: A Personal History of Violence in America" as a nonfiction work to provide clarity and connections that might not have been available in a fictional work, yet it had elements of literary fiction that made the text engaging. (SG)

Notes that by exploring Depression-era teens' letter writing, language arts teachers can enjoy more fruitful uses of nonfiction with their students. Discusses how reading, analyzing, and responding to the letters could help minimize the widening gap between the 1930s and the twenty-first century. Concludes that researching everyday Americans'…

Discusses how earlier in his career the author did nothing to make nonfiction an integral part of his curriculum, nothing to help students critically read it or, more important, use it to inform the nonfiction he was asking them to write. Discusses a series of writing assignments using nonfiction. (SG)

Describes how nonfiction literary prose offers advantages that literary fiction does not by showing a sense of honesty that comes with a single voice telling things as they are seen by that person. Discusses important distinctions between personal essays and autobiographies. (SG)

Suggests that primary sources and nonfiction offer valuable opportunities for interdisciplinary learning and critical thinking in all fields of study. Finds that the primary sources often provide the most engaging activities for the class. Describes a teacher's use of primary sources and activities she incorporated into her classroom. (SG)

Argues that white students need to know that there have been heroes as well as villains on the white side of the never-ending national struggle over racial differences. Suggests that students of color need to know that whites can be allies; for some, this may be a new idea. (SG)

Describes the computer as a hammer, a tool with unique qualities that allows people to perceive, manipulate, and express language in ways quite different from traditional media. Explores the tool of the multimedia presentation, a common use of technology in classrooms today. Describes a simple project with sixth graders that incorporates reading,…