Examines some considerations that Shakespeare's plays raise for students and teachers of political science. Using the plays "Richard II and III" and "Henry IV, V, and VI," Gleicher discusses the genre of the history play, describes the historical and political position from which Shakespeare wrote, and identifies themes in…

"The Horse Dealer's Daughter" is usually taught as being about love's redeeming power. Usual interpretations of this story, however, ignore its title. It is also about a woman who discovers and uses her sexual power. To begin discussion, students are asked how many have ridden a horse and whether they have ever bought or sold a horse at…

Shakespeare's plays are the apex of western achievement in the humanities and as such afford a highly fertile mechanism for teaching gifted elementary and secondary students. Studying Shakespeare facilitates the understanding of an earlier form of the English language and illustrates the evolutionary nature of language. Aside from a sense of…

Designed to make the study of Dickens'"Great Expectations" an appealing and worthwhile experience, this paper presents a unit of study intended to help students gain (1) an appreciation of Dickens' skill at creating realistic human characters; (2) an insight into the problems of a young man confused by false values and unreal ambitions…

Intended for college teachers and students of Anglo-Saxon literature, this paper provides an overview of the sophisticated poetic devices used by the "Beowulf" poet. The paper examines how old English words for color range in hues in a way that modern English words do not, and how these words for color are used in "Beowulf."…

Argues in favor of a reader-response approach to the process of selecting the literary works students read in introductory or survey courses. Offers a rationale for using "The Tempest" in such a course. (FL)

This book challenges current paradigms of literature instruction by making a strong case for teaching critical theory in high school literature classrooms. The book urges teachers to expand their theoretical repertoires. It argues for the importance of multiple perspectives in enabling students to better read and interpret literature, as well as…

Suggesting that many works by and about women are available, accessible, and necessary to balance the high school English curriculum, this book offers diverse selections from women writers and introduces practical ideas on how to integrate them into the curriculum. Multicultural and feminist, the book is intended for teachers already engaged in…

Intended for college students and teachers of English literature, this paper examines the lives and works of three great medieval Anglo-Saxon priestly scholars whose Latin writings have preserved the Anglo-Saxon roots of the English language. The paper first describes the works of Aldhelm, born in 650 A.D., whose poetry was not in the Latin…

Describes a teacher's experience teaching sixth grade drama in Britain, where drama is viewed as distinct from literature and stresses role playing. Outlines particular improvisation activities, scriptwriting projects, approaches to class discussion, and the use of dramatic activities to teach other subjects. (JG)

It is proposed that the training of teachers in the techniques of language instruction can work in two different directions: teachers trained in universities, who have the most confidence in their subject-area abilities, need training in methodology; teachers educated in teacher training institutions are methodologically well prepared, but they…

Two articles address teaching English in the Peoples Republic of China. In "Why Bother About Culture in English Language Teaching?," Hu Wenzhong attempts to determine opinions about the importance of awareness of cultural traits through a study of 36 English-speaking teachers at Chinese institutions and 64 Chinese students who had…

Intended for college teachers and students of Anglo-Saxon literature, this paper provides an overview of the poetic devices available to poets of the fourteenth century. The paper examines how the "Pearl" poet made use of numerical symbolism and the principles of formal logic as structural devices, giving examples of these devices from…