Describes the characteristics of the Tech Prep reader and writer. Recommends a language learning environment to foster literacy for these students, and provides a 17-item annotated bibliography of adolescent literature to motivate these reluctant readers. (SR)

Describes how an English teacher in a Queens, New York, ghetto school introduced her grade nine students to Charles Dickens's "Great Expectations." Focuses on students' responses, which eventually became enthusiastic, and discusses the use of classics within the curriculum. (KH)