The author pushes two desks together in the front of the class and pile supplies on them: markers, drawing paper, rulers, and pencils. As the students enter a combined English language arts (ELA) and English as a New Language (ENL) tenth-grade classroom, they select what they need and settle in to their work. As an ELA educator who is also a…

In this article, the author narrates his lifelong relationship with a major American poet, Walt Whitman. He describes how Whitman's "Song of Myself" and poetic idea influenced his life and way of thinking.

Using examples from college and high school students, the author describes how asking students to respond to literature using a variety of graphic media can enhance their interpretive skills. Some students who don't like to write essays or who seemingly aren't good at writing essays enjoy making graphic response to literature and are good at it.…

Evaluates four textbooks recommended by junior high and high school teachers for teaching writing and literature: "Enjoying Literature" (published by Macmillan, 1985); "Exposition: Critical Writing and Thinking" (Robert J. Gula); "Situational Writing" (Gene Krupa); and "Double Exposure: Composing through Writing…

Joy A. Fowler, Department Chair, Writing Department, School for Creative and Performing Arts, Ohio talks about his courses offered at his school, theories and learning used, interdisciplinary opportunities available at his school and other related matters. Talking about cultural and linguistic diversity he says that as it is observed that writing…

The drawings of Saul Steinberg can be a workable way of introducing the student to composition. Article explains how to overcome the getting started" problem. (Author)

Methods used by the National Assessment of Educational Progress project for regularly collecting census-like information in ten subject areas on the knowledges, skills, understandings, and attitudes of nine-, thirteen-, seventeen-year olds, and young adults. Article deals with the areas of reading, literature, and writing. (RB) Aspect of National…

The poet is a person who wishes to communicate and his audience is people willing to respond to someone else's experiences. The classroom should provide the setting for such interaction. (Author)

Presents a notebook or list of 20 ideas that could be used in the language arts classroom to further students' interest in literature and writing. Explains, for instance, how students might write a monologue about or to a character who is upsetting or dismaying them, or how students might collect 10 quotations describing a character. (TB)

Teachers should demonstrate to students that serious American poetry has always been in touch with social realities.

Suggests twelve listening exercises and their applications to writing, speaking, language and literature. (DD)

Presents the results of a national survey of materials and activities used by high school English teachers. (DD)