The ability to read is well-recognized as essential to being successful in school history. To be able to read history textbooks effectively, students can be made aware of some features typical of history discourse. Knowledge of how nominal groups are functional in history discourse can help students and teachers engage with the meanings presented…

Eleventh grade English class "special students" with a fourth or fifth grade level of reading ability are won over by an enterprising teacher reading stories by Boccaccio, Chaucer and Shakespeare and introducing them to opera. The so called difficult kids often have more aptitude and talent than given credit for by shortsighted teachers and…