Teaching British literature with a traditional curriculum does not offer students exposure to many females at all, either inside or outside of the text. There are female characters within many of the classic texts in the curriculum, but on further examination, we questioned the general picture of womanhood painted by them. So the authors showed…

This article details a unit designed for a high school English classroom to address social injustice and the silencing of LGBTQ individuals. The authors believe teachers have a civic duty to help students become critically aware and informed citizens. Creating active citizens means fostering critical thinking skills relevant to the political…

One of the most important educational objectives of high school is to teach critical-thinking skills, and no class does this better than strategic debate. Professor Mike Allen, lead author in a definitive study on debate and critical thinking, lauded debate's promotion of critical-thinking skills. Additionally, researcher Joe Bellon discusses the…

Describes the content of a nine-week course on comedy in literature. (RL)

Recounts events surrounding a superintendent's decision to confiscate an anthology from a senior English literature course because of a few words in one of the poems. (TB)

Provides suggestions for studying the gay and lesbian subtexts that exist in numerous literary works often taught in high schools. Argues that teachers can benefit from discussing these issues. Shows how Tennessee Williams's "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" was taught in such a context. (HB)

Discusses the attractions of teaching students about the Vietnam War. Provides a list of selected resources, including novels, personal narratives, films, drama, and poetry. Suggests general nonfiction and bibliographies for teachers as well. (MM)

Details the concept of "breaking the rules" in the context of a high school English classroom. Describes how one English teacher abandoned regular reading materials to concentrate on Judy Blume's novel, "Forever." Considers the pros and cons of using this controversial text in high schools. (HB)

Describes how a course on censorship taught at an all-girls high school in Tacoma, Washington, drew on current event controversies to initiate discussion. Outlines the course's four units and uses Ray Bradbury's "Fahrenheit 451" to frame course questions. (TB)

Discusses why a women's literature course is necessary to combat the web of gender bias woven throughout literature, schools, and society. Describes the creation and proposal of a curriculum for such a class at the high school level. Notes objections from male teachers and outlines responses. Describes how the course was proposed to, and turned…

Asks whether teachers should teach the art of insightful reading or live in fear of parents and other well-meaning arbiters who may bar Shakespeare and other challenging texts from the curriculum. Examines the meaning of censorship, what censors fear, and the possibility of discussing mature topics with secondary school students. (TB)

Describes a high school mini-course called "Gender Bender" (a survey course of the contemporary literature on gender differences) that studied gender issues that were troubling high school students. Describes how the course discussed gender and schooling; gender roles in society; images in the media; dating, marriage, and divorce; and…

Describes a high-school gender-studies course that used the structure of mythology and folk tradition as a basis for examining contemporary works of literature. Notes that the course provided students the opportunity to reflect on gender roles, on the lives of men and women in other cultures, and on students' own relationships within gender…