Teachers' dismissal of Robert Cormier's books as "too depressing" suggests a lack of sound critical understanding of his work and a lack of faith in individual young people. The body of adolescent or young adult literature has come a long way in recent years. The writing has shown a much fuller range of literary quality and the content…

Concept learning and synectic strategies must be incorporated into the language arts curriculum to ensure concept development. (JH)

The author describes how character wheels can be used to produce writing and literary analysis exercises for adolescents. The character wheel describes a character, an object, or a concept six ways: (1) physical description, (2) thoughts, (3) behavior, (4) speech, (5) setting, and (6) reaction of others. (CH)

Discusses the need for reference librarians to learn reference materials well enough to be able to review materials and correctly refer patrons to information sources. The review process is outlined and some evaluation of current reference services is provided. (CLB)

Suggestions to help social studies teachers use historical fiction and biography to teach critical reading to intermediate grade students are made. For example, teachers should help students to check various sources for the author's qualifications, purpose, and bias and assist students in analyzing language and writing style. (RM)

Shows how students can benefit from expressing their emotional responses to literature in writing. (EL)

Discusses the redesign of the sophomore literature course at Francis Marion University by an interdisciplinary team. Considers the three diverse epistemologies found in different disciplines, concluding that literary study is best pursued within the rhetorical tradition of analysis and disputation. (DMM)

Suggests that films can enrich students' understanding of the literature on which they are based and can strengthen the same academic competencies students are expected to develop through reading. (MM)

Argues that paragraph form congruent with the patterns and habits of thinking develops from the writer's sensitivity to the impact of visual images on the reader's mind. (MM)

These official scoring guide for reading/literature present details of the 6-point scoring system used in Oregon schools for the 1989-99 and 1999-2000 school years for grades 4-12. They list the attributes of students' responses to merit a score from 1 (lowest) to 6 (highest) in the areas of comprehension, extending understanding, reading…

The first step in learning to appreciate art is learning to classify a work according to its primary purpose. The artist creates art for one of three reasons: to recreate the physical world (Imitationalism); to express an idea or feeling (Emotionalism); or to create an interesting design (Formalism). A classified work may then be critiqued by: (1)…

Describes in detail an elective unit that used novels, plays, films, and historical texts to engage student interest in a difficult and relevant topic. (JL)

Examines patterns of instruction in literature, particularly the transactional strategy proposed by Louise Rosenblatt, that emphasize the reader's immediate experience with the text. Illustrates the effective application of response-based teaching of literature. (RL)

Suggests ways to get students interested in talking seriously about comedy. (RL)

Discusses reading and teaching Renaissance poetry in terms of the poem's "resonance," its capacity to speak to contemporary readers directly and draw them into its historical world. Advises teachers to expand the resonance to illuminate the poem's background, as exemplified by the poetry of Thomas Wyatt in the court of Henry VIII. (DF)