Notes that many preservice teacher education students in a composition methods course confess they did not prewrite seriously in middle and high school, and that many did not prewrite at all. Introduces a technical writer who spends 80% of his writing time in prewriting activities alone. Discusses strategies to help students realize the value and…

Describes how as part of a nine-week unit on tolerance and prejudice, the author's middle school students became immersed in Holocaust literature. Notes that the theme of bearing witness, of never forgetting, which runs through the literature, is the central driving force of work in the classroom. (SG)

Notes that the primary goal for teaching literature is to encourage students to see themselves as having a voice in the question of what constitutes literary merit by defining reasonable parameters by which to judge a creative work. Discusses how the author uses comic books in most of his composition classes and all of his literature classes. (SG)

Discusses how students can relate to Mark Mathabane's autobiographical novel "Kaffir Boy"--his questioning why he must attend school, his open defiance of his father, and his struggle to resist peer pressure. Examines where an all-white high-school faculty started in terms of developing a multicultural literature program, where they have been, and…

Discusses the author's experiences as a homosexual teacher at Berkeley High School. Examines how language is used regarding homosexuality and bisexuality. Concludes that teachers have an obligation to educate other teachers on the impact of homophobia and homophobic language. (SG)

Considers reasons that teachers and students alike do not read for pleasure. Lists three steps to address this: defining the teacher's reading philosophy; defining students' reading philosophies; and fusing reading research and curricular expectations. Describes how the author focuses her curriculum to accommodate more reading. (SG)

Describes the author's way of meeting grammar education learning objectives. Structures the class by presenting model sentences to the students and doing imitation writing activities, practicing different sentence constructions in class. Concludes that by using this "language play," students' sensitivity to language (and to what it can do)…

Discusses how Francine Prose accuses English teachers of assigning simplistic, badly written books that breed incompetent writers and readers who loathe literature. Notes that Prose focuses her contempt upon "To Kill a Mockingbird" and Maya Angelou's "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings." Suggests that students show teachers how to help them love…

Notes that one teacher's experiences in project-based online learning initiatives have informed her thinking about classroom-based learning and teaching practices and her work with students. Notes that, nine years later, their Holocaust/genocide theme-based Internet project involves students in over 16 countries. (SG)

Explores the relationship between fathers and sons in two very different books. Notes that David and Daniel Hays'"My Old Man and the Sea" describes a journey around Cape Horn providing both sailors with a new perspective on their relationship. Considers how Tony Early's "Jim the Boy" takes readers into a happy North Carolina family. (SG)

Presents 11 titles selected for the 2000 Honor List for young adult literature. Notes that the books were selected by combining their favorites with the best-book list compiled by the editors of such publications as "School Library Journal,""Booklist," and "Horn Book." (SG)

Argues that the classroom itself is the greatest point of impact to work with students against the tide of disengagement that often appears in seniors. Discusses how assignments can be geared toward the idea of keeping students connected. Discusses the importance of teaching to lifetime goals. (SR)

Discusses the many benefits of service learning, and offers examples from the author's high school students. Notes literacy and language arts service learning projects; the importance of integrating service learning into a regular program of instruction; programs and resource materials that support service learning at the K-12 level; and students'…

Offers the author's reflections on how and why she adjusted her limited implementation of whole language teaching by integrating literature and writing, using novels that reflect issues of significance to students, having students write for real audiences, and creating democracy in the classroom where students think, discuss, and act critically on…

Offers brief descriptions from seven secondary school teachers describing a workshop or inservice activity that has been particularly valuable for their teaching, including a Shakespeare seminar, a Socratic teaching seminar, English-as-a-second language courses, a new teacher induction program, a program on the "Brody paragraph" method, and the…