Describes methods of approaching Toni Morrison's novel, "The Bluest Eye," for the secondary classroom. Suggests that it was the students' responses to the novel that showed to the teacher the importance of this controversial work. Provides numerous examples of students' written responses to the novel. (HB)

Describes a method of including students into a community of readers through which they are encouraged to respond individually to literary texts. Shows how writing prompts can be used in the classroom to foster reader response and the integrity of each reader's interpretation of a text. (HB)

Contains responses to SCST "Position Paper" on teaching introductory-level college science courses. (ZWH)

Defines four kinds of poetry readers: paraphrasers, thematizers, allegorizers, and problem solvers. Recommends an approach to reading a poem that treats the poem as an expansive space in which to romp and play, to explore and travel. Illustrates problem making and lists questions for students. Discusses how to respond by questioning. (PRA)

Considers the benefits and impact that come from reading texts aloud with other persons. Provides a plan by which partners can read books together aloud. Claims that this is a vital and habit-forming activity. (HB)

Describes a method ("buddy book journals") of encouraging independent reading among students. Outlines the activity, in which students select partners with whom they read and study a particular book. Argues that this method is an excellent means of generating thoughtful response to literature. (HB)

Reviews perspectives on how children's literature is used in the classroom, and how literature contributes to a broader conception of literacy. Deals with literature as a tool for the development of various sorts of literate abilities, and literature as the enabler of literary understanding. Offers a concrete example involving first and second…

Clarifies the "efferent" and "aesthetic" stance on Louise Rosenblatt's theoretical continuum by relating her model to the plot, characters, and scenes in Lois Lowry's "The Giver." Shows that Rosenblatt's view applies to the ways readers read texts and to the way characters in the texts read their text-worlds. Presents…

Shows the need for teachers to acknowledge to themselves the extent of self censorship in their reviewing and purchasing decisions. Discusses teachers' and students' responses to the novel "I Hadn't Meant to Tell You This." Offers strategies that encourage and support the use of Social Issues Realism, and strategies that support a…

Details the planning and the specific assignments involved in teaching "Great Expectations" over a period of nine months. Explains how the novel was coordinated with other reading using the themes of Judgment, Influences, and Control. (NH)

Reviews the use of Web sites for classroom-based literature seminars. Discusses the use of seminar management pages, literature information pages, links to online full texts, web tutorials, literature forums, and online examinations. Concludes that dedicated Web sites can contribute to enhancing literature seminars if designed and used in a…

Presents an analysis of Mary Wilkins Freeman's "The Revolt of 'Mother,'" focusing on the gendered nature of language. Asserts that the author's empowering discourse and speaking voice, within the male dominated literary arena, is an act of language appropriation, and that students who participate in the analysis of discourse can also be empowered.…

Asserts that Martin Amis' contemporary novel, Night Train, is a remarkably effective tool for introducing postmodernist notions in general literature classrooms. Presents a definition for postmodernism and brings the reader through a detailed analysis of the language and structure of the novel. Concludes with students' reaction to the analytical…

Suggests that class discussions of George Eliot's Middlemarch should focus on students' responses to the social, moral, and psychological problems presented in the novel. Asserts that the novel teaches students important lessons about the limitations of human nature and the impact of internal and external constraints on ideals. (Contains 14…

Making connections for teachers between Shakespeare and his historical context on the one hand and secondary students on the other, this book presents background information, commentary, resources, and classroom ideas to enliven students' encounters with Shakespeare. The book concentrates on "Romeo and Juliet,""Julius…