This guide, growing out of the annual evaluation by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) of English Language Arts curriculum documents (K-12), presents exemplary curriculum documents from the years 1986-1989. The guide presents documents which were commended by the NCTE reviewers and which demonstrate substantive, procedural, or…

Intended as a handbook for students of curriculum and teaching methods, this booklet surveys two of the three major elements of an English curriculum (goals and content) as defined by the National Council of Teachers of English. The first chapter traces some philosophical options open to the teacher and curriculum developer and offers a short…

That program development for the preparation of English teachers requires the collaboration of curricularists, educational philosophers and psychologists, and content specialists is the focus of this paper. One orientation to program development is considered in a discussion of social foundations, curriculum theory and development, English…

Each brief statement covers the areas of jargon, rhetoric, and humor in political language and how these may be approached in the classroom. (CRH)

The purpose of this book is to be a practical tool for those who work with children in grades 4-6 and who wish to make an equitable literature curriculum part of the school-centered reading experiences of the children with whom they work, as well as introduce literature of diversity into their own reading. It is especially meant to provide a…

Examines the history and psychology of adolescence, and of the adolescent and reading. Reviews research done by Victor Nell, who looks at the characteristics of the dedicated and absorbed reader. Asserts that teachers can benefit from an understanding of the psychology of teaching literature to adolescents. (MG)

Argues that relevant, multiethnic literature and meaningful, "democratic" activities provide a means of finding the solution to the literary tyranny that has dominated English studies for many years. (HB)

Traces the historically optimistic view of college-secondary school cooperation. Asks why such optimism has faded in recent years. Considers how college-level departments of English can collaborate with high school English programs, such as in collaborative conferences. (HB)

Describes how the English department at Merrimack College set out to revise the English curriculum as a participant in the MLA-FIPSE English Programs Curriculum Review Project. Shows how the faculty redesigned the curriculum, and articulates two strategies marking the successful phases of the process. (HB)

Discusses the role of theory in the classroom practices of English professors. Defines the centrality of theory in English instruction and claims that theory is always implicit in any reading of texts. Advocates empowering students to deploy their own theoretical positions in classroom discussion and practice. (HB)

Describes the Nebraska Literacy Project, a 5-week workshop for K-12 teachers modeled after the Nebraska Writing Project. Shows how teachers can encourage students to look closely at their own literacy histories and their daily practices as readers and writers. Presents the literacy histories as recorded by some participants. (HB)

Describes how the English department at Roger Williams University set out to revise and revive the English major under difficult circumstances during the 1988-89 school year. Shows how the faculty redesigned the curriculum, recruited new majors, and established support programs. (HB)

Considers the profound impact of severe budget cuts on the English department at Portland State University. Describes some of the surprising and peculiar types of behavior among faculty members resulting from intense departmental changes. Provides advice for chairs facing similar budget restrictions. (HB)

Discusses the seemingly contradictory nature of chairing an English department by highlighting the opposing impulses faced, especially as related to funding. Presents the situation in the form of a parable similar to a work by Franz Kafka. (HB)

Considers the rewards and sufferings of English department heads. Offers advice aimed particularly at those who have newly been appointed as department chairs. Describes the major challenges faced by department chairs. Provides a list of "dos and don'ts" for new department heads. (HB)