In a composition classroom with a multicultural emphasis, reader response techniques can give students the chance to consider their own positions in the dominant culture, to confront racist attitudes within themselves, and to try to empathize with minority views. These techniques lead to a more student-centered classroom where students not only…

Honors education is not immune from the current controversy concerning the role of the literary canon. Indeed, the problem seems especially crucial for honors programs, for their curriculums are often multi-disciplinary in their approaches to culture and history. The solution may lie in what Linda Hutcheon calls the "poetics of the…

Outlines essential elements of critical reviews and presents findings of a study which examined the format of dissertation reviews in previous issues of the BULLETIN. Presents guidelines for writing the summary and critical evaluation sections of a dissertation review. (GEA)

By examining the works of classic American authors, this book presents the idea that individual human beings can break free of the structures of thought into which they are born and that, by reimagining the world, can change it. In chapters on Herman Melville, Henry David Thoreau, Edith Wharton, Richard Wright, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Abraham…

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…

Gives insights from a writer's agent into the crucial importance of the first paragraph of a short story. Alerts the teacher that he or she almost certainly employs a similar procedure for assessing suitability of a story for classroom use. Admonishes teachers to begin at the beginning when guiding students through a work of fiction. (SG)

Considers the issue of literary canons, raised in the context of a week-long series of lectures and discussions on "the Victorians" in an Elderhostel program, with participants for whom these texts were the product of their parents' generation and of their own childhood reading. Raises substantive questions about the meaning of a…

Focuses on the Nuyorican stage of Puerto Rican immigrant literature, suggesting topics and structural characteristics to discuss and teach along with other American literary traditions. Points out that Nuyorican literature shares many of the concerns of these other traditions. (SR)

This viewer's guide reflects some of the best classic and contemporary film titles available. These are films that reflect the traditional values of faith, family, and freedom. Seventy-five films are reviewed in the categories of achievement, communism, conscience, entrepreneurship, faith, family, freedom, crime and justice, regulation and…

Argues that librarians, teachers, and parents can and should become book critics, since all perform acts of criticism when they select picture books to read aloud or to recommend to children. Discusses limitations of book criticism, skills or sensibilities needed, and the steps involved. Outlines four activities that help develop analytical…

Designed for young adults, this book on William Shakespeare's tragedies is one of an anthology series providing accessible resources for students researching great literary lives and works. Contributing writers' essays in the book are taken from a wide variety of sources and are edited to accommodate the reading and comprehension levels of young…

This handout is a guide to library resources in the J. Murrey Atkins Library at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, for the study of the 19th-century English authors Branwell, Anne, Charlotte, and Emily Bronte. The guide is intended to help readers find resources in the Atkins library for biographical and critical material on the Brontes.…

This handout is a guide to library resources in the J. Murrey Atkins Library at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, for the study of 20th-century American author William Faulkner. The guide is intended to help readers find critical and biographical information on Faulkner. It explains important reference sources in the Atkins library…

This publication includes descriptions of arts programs, units of study, lesson plans, and course outlines submitted by Illinois arts teachers who answered the invitation to document their successful approaches to art edication. This compilation was not designed to be prescriptive, but to be representative of activities in Illinois. The articles…

Telling stories from secondary and college English classrooms, this book explores the new possibilities for teaching and learning generated by bringing together reader-response and cultural-studies approaches. The book connects William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, and other canonical figures to multicultural writers, popular culture,…