Designed for media specialists and educators, this issue reviews 16 short films for children under the age of 14. Films included in the review range from 2 to 29 minutes in length and include song, puppet, verbal, nonverbal, and live-action animation. Topics cover fantasy and fairy tales, handicapped children, advertising techniques, inner city…

This teaching model, involving character analysis in literature, illustrates effective instruction that engages students in an interpretive problem, helps them make complex interpretations, and enables them to transform their conclusions into effective literary analysis. The introductory activity in the model is a discussion of a student…

This paper provides a creative approach to developing literary understanding and writing ability in students in a college introduction to literature course. Eight assignments are described which pair literary works having some feature in common. A sample suggestion from the first group of exercises, concerned with characterization, is as follows:…

The honors program described in this language arts curriculum guide has three components: language study, literature, and composition. The first section of the guide describes the language study component, which deals with content areas, general objectives, and performance strategies. The second section discusses the combination of literature and…

Discusses the importance of voice in writing and suggests that the current interest in the writing process encourages students to increase their power of expression without distorting their voice beyond recognition. Includes samples of student writing. (MM)

Chinua Achebe is one of Africa's best-known and most influential contemporary writers. His first novel, "Things Fall Apart," is a narrative about the European colonization of Africa told from the viewpoint of the colonized people. Published in 1958, the novel recounts the life of the warrior and village hero Okonkwo and describes the…

Zora Neale Hurston's work is lively, lyrical, funny, and poignant, but this consummate literary craftsperson was also a first-rate ethnographer, conducting field work for Franz Boas and for the Works Progress Administration (WPA). "Their Eyes Were Watching God," often acclaimed as Hurston's masterpiece, is perhaps the richest beneficiary…

Based on Mary Shelley's novel "Frankenstein," this lesson plan presents activities designed to help students understand that active readers interpret a novel (its characters, plot, setting, and theme) in different ways; and the great literature can be and has been adapted in many ways over time. The main activity of the lesson involves students…

Investigates the representation of German women in the German media during the allied occupation. Initially vilified as fraternizers, they soon became portrayed as the stoic rebuilders of nation and family as the country moved toward reconstruction. Considers the complex, symbiotic relationships among social memory, popular culture, and historical…

Schon has contributed significantly to knowledge in the areas of curriculum and supervision. Discussed are three concerns about Schon's formulations on teacher education: (1) the practical format in practice; (2) the dichotomy between reflection-in-action and technical knowledge and science-based knowledge; and (3) the dichotomy between tacit and…

Examines five different examples of scribble art with the purpose of entering the experience of the scribbler through empathetic understanding. The participants include a schizophrenic adult; a blind, deaf, and autistic 10-year old; a known artist; a precocious 3-year old; and an elephant. Paper discovers commonalties in their efforts. (MJP)

Presents a sample lesson plan using Discipline Based Art Education (DBAE), an approach that integrates social studies with related content from other disciplines. The lesson plan combines economics, art history, aesthetics, and art criticism in its "Analysis of a Fresco Depicting Production in an American City." Includes follow-up…

Vincent Scully, Yale art historian, discusses urban architecture, classical influences, and the role of technology. He argues for a public architecture that expresses and supports the concept of communities, and discusses the decline and rebirth of American cities. (MJP)

Presents a case study of one teacher's method of teaching literature. Discusses the emphasis on a process of critical interpretation of subject matter, transformation of that content, and continuous learning based on the literal and metaphorical aspects of content. Concludes that critical thinking is encouraged by organizing imagery, forms of…

Contends that a work of art may have more than one story to tell and that the full meaning requires knowledge of the artist's background and culture. Presents four classroom lessons based on three paintings and a beaded belt. Includes full-page color photographs of the art works. (CFR)