Recounts the personal experiences of a science fiction writer and suggests ways these experiences apply to the teaching of creative writing. (JL)

Offers reasons why popular literature, such as the work of Judy Blume, and the literary "classics" do not keep adolescents interested in literature and reading. Suggests several authors and books that are especially suited to the reading needs of young adults. (RL)

The ability to question and the desire to be exact can be nourished by students' reading and writing responses to Thoreau's works. (RL)

Suggests that nonfictive writing typically employs a vocabulary different from that used in works of fiction. Characterizes the vocabulary of essays, asserts that students are usually not given enough assistance in acquiring such vocabulary, and offers steps for giving students help in acquiring the vocabulary of essays. (RL)

Common pitfalls in technical writing and how to avoid them are outlined. These pitfalls include goobledygook words and phrases, plodding style, failure to follow the prescribed format for publication or proposals, misuse of words, inconsistencies, and failure to edit or proofread adequately. (MSE)

Valgardson discusses his attitudes toward his work and toward the teaching of writing. (RL)

Describes writing assignments in which students develop paragraphs incorporating various sense images. (RL)

Provides a semester syllabus for a course in twentieth-century world literature and suggests selections to add to a world literature survey based on works of Nobel Prize winners. Includes an annotated bibliography of background information on both the literature and the philosophies of the twentieth century. (MKM)

Critiques the work of Appalachian writer Gloria Houston who has written six children's books based on the culture and history of rural North Carolina. Her most successful work, "My Great-Aunt Arizona," presents an alternative to the usual stereotypes of backwoods teacher and school. Includes a bibliography of Appalachian children's…

In his works, Richard Wright denounces murder while advocating collectivism as an essential ingredient for effecting social change. The short story collection "Uncle Tom's Children" and the novel "Native Son" are the focal points in this analysis of Wright's recurring themes. (SLD)

Four African-American and West Indian novels of childhood illustrate relationships and bonding between mothers and sons: (1) "Go Tell It on the Mountain" (James Baldwin); (2) "Not without Laughter" (Langston Hughes); (3) "Amongst Thistles and Thorns" (Austin Clarke); and (4) "In the Castle of My Skin"…

This article explicates the Cultural Modeling Framework for designing robust learning environments that leverage everyday knowledge of culturally diverse students to support subject-matter-specific learning. It reports a study of Cultural Modeling in the teaching of response to literature in an urban underachieving high school serving…

Based on the idea that the study of postmodernism is a useful and valuable pursuit because it engages students in discussions of fundamental questions about the individual's situation in the world, this book takes an interdisciplinary approach to address postmodernism effectively. The book conceives postmodernism as a widespread cultural…

One of the greatest myths or fictions of nonfiction is that it contains no fiction. Ben Franklin's flight from Boston to Philadelphia illustrates how changes occur in the retelling of the "facts" of a life. In his "Autobiography," Franklin writes that his friend, Collins, arranged for a ship's passage for Franklin by telling…