This article describes an instructional lesson the author developed to help students use parody to read and write original poetry. The author begins this article with an introduction to parody and a rationale for using it as an instructional strategy. Then, he describes materials and procedures he used and he shares samples of student writing. He…

As a literacy consultant who has been working in a high school for close to two years to help close the reading achievement gap between low-performing and high-performing students, the author contends that while certain students may be "overserved" by the social climate of the school, he did not believe they were being "overserved" with texts in…

This article focuses on writing instruction and seeks to: (1) define the expectations of first-year composition (FYC) programs; (2) consider the factors shaping high school writing instruction; and (3) explore the gap between the goals of each. The authors have interviewed secondary writing teachers and college first-year composition instructors…

To "empower students to think and act more effectively" concerning violence and bullying within schools, Allison L. Baer and Jacqueline N. Glasgow suggest close examination and discussion of literature that foregrounds violence and bystander participation. Baer and Glasgow recommend several useful novels for addressing the various roles of…

As online research has become an increasingly standard activity for middle school and high school students, Wikipedia (http://www.wikipedia.org) has simultaneously emerged as the bane of many teachers who include research-focused assignments in their courses. An online encyclopedia that allows anyone to edit its entries, Wikipedia has educators…

In this article, several teachers share their ideas on what they enjoy about coaching, directing, or advising. One of them, Mary Ann Yedinak, teaches middle school language arts, has a family, and has several partially written books still stored on her computer. However, she still wants to add an extracurricular activity such as Drama Club to her…

A middle school English teacher who frequently observes student teachers notes some of the basic truths of the classroom usually encountered by new instructors. Discusses ways that teacher deportment affects student attitude, the importance of teaching by example, the value of reading aloud, and more. (JG)