Revisiting the writing assignments that the author has given to his sophomores and juniors over the past four years, he can identify patterns that have complicated their writing development. This article explores how Aristotle's enthymeme can serve as an effective prewriting tool for literary analysis in the high school classroom. By foregrounding…

Many have argued that English classrooms have an important role to play in supporting students' development of critical consciousness and civic engagement (Kirkland 406; Lyiscott 48). Recently, Monique Cherry-McDaniel called for English teachers to design "woke" learning opportunities that would support students' critical consciousness…

How teachers can use such materials as parallel-text editions, graphic novels, and film adaptations to increase students' understanding of and interest in Shakespeare was the impetus for a classroom action research project that examined the effects of teaching methods on student comprehension and engagement. The author of this article…

In a thematic study she calls The Hero's Journey, the author introduces the classical archetype of the hero and the journey of the hero with Homer's "The Odyssey." After all, the wily tactician dreams up the idea for the wooden horse trick, thereby winning the war for the Greeks. He visits hell and, against all odds, makes it back. He defeats the…

In two projects described in this article, the authors discuss the use of Photovoice and Elder Interviews to draw upon visual and spoken forms of community-based literacy, generate ideas for written projects, promote a connection to community and culture, and engage students in critical analysis of writing process. Both projects took place in…

High school teacher Mary B. Nicolini designed an assignment that allows sophomore and senior students to examine an issue through an exchange of anonymous letters. Letter writing provides an opportunity for dialogue between peers, helping students critically explore questions about their assigned texts through a safe, informal medium.

One reason zombie films are so frightening, and perhaps so popular, is because zombies represent a unique type of monster. Rather than frightening people because they are so alien to the world as people understand it, zombies are horrifying in how closely they resemble people. Zombies are people and represent the potential of zombie…

When Don Imus made his infamous comments about the Rutgers University women's basketball team in 2007, he provoked widespread (yet short-lived) attention to the circulation of language practices demeaning to women of color. In an elective autobiographical writing course that the author designed with and for urban high school girls, the students…

Imagination is what the U.S. was built on and what it requires to achieve and maintain its status in the future. In this article, the author says that there is a failure of imagination in education in the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) era. Scores on tests do not translate into creativity or imagination; nor do such tests and the curriculum that…

Students knowledge of literary theories helps them to understand that there are many ways to know texts, to read and interpret them. Divergent and critical thinking about literature developed by high school students through analyzing a fairy tale, a short story and a novel are presented.

Discusses the relevance of two Lewis Carroll novels to the lives of 20th century adolescents when interpreted as satiric views of adulthood and society. (RD)

Examines the fiction of Zane Grey and its appeal to high school students. (RL)

Author discusses Shaw's The Apple Cart" as typically Shavian in content and style. (MB)

A discussion of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's novels, The First Circle" and One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich," and a recommendation for their inclusion in the English curriculum. (RD)

Expresses concern over the minute number of Black students participating in dramatics clubs and productions (as actors) in integrated schools and suggests dramas suitable for high school production which include solid" roles for Black players. (SW)