A manuscript dated 1651 and now housed at the National Library in Florence, Italy, suggests that the document may be the first Italian adaptation of the Spanish drama, "El burlador de Sevilla y Convidado de Piedra" ("The Deceiver of Seville"). The Spanish tragedy, written in 1630 by Gabriel Tellez, known as Tirso de Molina,…

This curriculum guide in literature, developed as part of a total English curriculum for pre-kindergarten through grade 10, suggests that students can best understand literature by recognizing its internal forms (i.e., characteristics that recur in settings, characters, and narrative patterns). Materials cover (1) an overview for teachers on the…

The Quinmester course "Shakespeare" is designed to bring out behavior patterns in characters revealed through dialogue in the plays of Shakespeare. Selections include sonnets, the romantic comedy "A Midsummer Night's Dream," the history play "Richard II," and the tragedy "Hamlet." The sonnets are analyzed…

Curriculum reform begun in January 1968 in the English department at Bethany College (Lindsborg, Kansas) is detailed in this article. New offerings feature three "mode" courses: (1) the Romance-Epic, (2) the Comic and Satiric, and (3) the Tragic. Two new majors, the English major and the English teaching major, are examined; degree requirements…

Selections from world literature can increase high school students' interest in reading, their familiarity with age-old literary themes, their understanding of literary genres, their awareness of varying cultures, and their skill in analyzing and writing about literature. A world literature course with those aims introduced in a small Wisconsin…

Demonstrates how reading, and creative thinking can increase literacy and create historical empathy in a sixth-grade class. The centerpiece of the class on ancient civilizations is an adaptation of "Antigone," by Sophocles. Recommends the use of dramatic literature because of its ability to engage and transform students' thinking. (MJP)

Victims of warfare, famine, slavery, and isolation, the Southern Sudanese are one of the most undereducated populations in the world. Since the inception of formal education in southern Sudan a century ago, schooling has largely consisted of island-like entities surrounded by oceans of educational emptiness. Islands of Education is the first book…

Noting that instructional films can serve as a valuable tool to motivate students and to help them organize, interpret, and evaluate concepts presented, this program guide is designed to assist teachers in planning instructional activities that will effectively integrate films into the English language arts curriculum. The first section of the…