In this article, the author discusses how students create their arts projects by responding to Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "Rime of the Ancient Mariner." In creating their arts projects, students incorporate film, painting, performance, and other arts in their imaginative and innovative responses to Coleridge's classic work. The author discusses…

Presents activities dealing with components of literature, literary devices, and persuasive material. (DD)

Describes the experience of one English teacher who bent the rules of the school when faced with the task of writing an "interim report" on a bright yet underachieving student. Shows how a teacher's willingness to improvise and invent methods and rules in individual cases is sometimes essential for student growth and well-being. (HB)

Describes a three-week unit in which students read a biography of famous person, prepare a first-person narrative, make an appropriate costume, and record the video biography. Notes that students integrate reading, research, and speaking skills on their way to starring in their own one-person show. (RS)

Describes the findings of the National Assessment of Educational Progress's "Reading Report Card" issued in September 1993. Critiques the report for methodological reasons. Argues that the report is virtually worthless regarding the reading skills of American students and should receive a failing mark. (HB)

Describes the experience of one English teacher who utilized teacher research to restructure and revitalize her teaching. Describes the dissatisfaction and disillusionment of her students, attitudes that prompted the changes. Narrates the particular events and techniques used by the teacher, especially with regard to her concept of cooperative…

Argues that bulk mailings can successfully be used in the classroom to teach reading, writing, and critical thinking skills. Provides examples of activities addressing salutations, alliteration, connotations, rhetorical appeals, sentence structures, close reading, and vocabulary development. (KEH)