A communication instructor used research findings by African American scholars to expand the communication arts curriculum and the courses he taught. The rhetorical communication theory course at Ohio Dominican College traces the development of rhetoric from the classical period. Two primary assignments in the course are a research paper on a…

Middle school students need to attain well in the affective dimension in reading. Affective objectives emphasize, among other things, students achieving quality attitudes toward reading. Quality literature might well assist the emerging adolescent to enjoy and grow in reading skills. Learners should have ample opportunities to choose reading…

Classroom teachers of adolescents need to analyze the material they use for instructional purposes, as well as the materials they suggest for independent reading, to be certain that both incorporate text which is informational or technical, since experience suggests that this type of material is generally preferred by readers of this age group.…

Providing young children with a better balance between narrative and expository text makes sense. Initially, children develop fluency through familiar narrative structures and themes. As the children achieve reading fluency, however, they benefit from increased exposure to expository text. Supporting this thrust are varied approaches and…

The first textbook censorship challenge reached the courts in 1949, when a group of Jewish parents objected to Jewish stereotypes in literature used in the classrooms. This New York case is a reminder that (1) would-be censors do not always come from the far right; (2) while most censorship cases go to court for the purpose of having controversial…

Secondary school reading teachers are confronted with the goal of enticing adolescents to a lifelong appreciation of books. Unfortunately, teaching the "classics" of literature frequently entails stylistic enrichment and understanding of literary devices, something of a "bottom-up" approach, that turns many students away from…

The rights and responsibilities of boards of education in restricting the availability of certain materials through school libraries are considered in this report. The document first treats the relationship between the demands of the First Amendment and parents' expectations regarding the appropriateness of certain materials for their children.…

Provides various definitions of censorship; describes a case of censorship in New Brunswick, Canada; explains what happens to materials that have been challenged; and provides a challenged materials policy and a list of books that have been challenged in Canada. (SRT)

Presents the results of a survey which found that: (1) the current treatment of language, generally concentrating on the factual and informative at the expense of the imaginative, is creating its own brand of linguistic deprivation; and (2) this is particularly noticeable in foreign language teaching. (SED)

Discusses the difficulties connected with preparing students to read "the classics" for pleasure. (EL)

Argues that English teachers should expose students to the craft of play production. Suggests building a drama unit from the production approach and presents an example of such a unit. (FL)

From a sample of young adult novels, describes how teachers are portrayed as objects of humor, love, and outright hatred and as shrewd manipulators and innocent victims. (CRH)

To elicit student interest, teachers must search out works that have manageable sentences, vocabulary, accessible plots, characters, dialogue, and relate to the current cultural values of their students. (CRH)

Implications for citizenship education in "The Paideia Proposal" and "Paideia Problems and Possibilities" are discussed. Teacher education should develop skills necessary for the Socratic method of seminar discussion and require readings of historical documents such as the "Declaration of Independence." (PP)

Describes the efforts of educators throughout the twentieth century to challenge committees, commissions, and teachers of English to investigate and communicate possible solutions to problems faced by real English teachers in real classrooms. (MM)