Examines the implications of structuralism for reading and English instruction. Argues that, according to Structuralism, literature worth reading confronts readers with the gap between writing and thought and forces them to consider their own thinking and, in a larger sense, their own place within the culture. (MM)

Describes an English course that capitalizes on the popularity of running, integrating running with reading and writing activities. Notes the positive results of this interdisciplinary approach. Provides samples of student writings. (RL)

Offers a plan for changing the perception among teenagers that reading for pleasure is an activity of their childhood past. Suggests an elective Reading Workshop that allows students to share favorite books and authors, to read aloud and listen to others read aloud, and to discuss their reading processes and decisions. (PRA)

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)

Discusses teaching junior high students Ann Sexton's poem about remembrances of childhood. Notes the strong personal connections students make with the action and feelings of the poem, and that the poem helps thirteen- and fourteen-year olds understand their own developmental transformations. Suggests related writing assignments based on multiple…

Relates the experiences of students at Joel E. Ferris High School (Spokane, Washington) who tutored culturally deprived elementary school students. (SW)

Reports on a survey of nearly 300 high school seniors asked to reflect on their reading experiences, both inside and out of school. Demonstrates that students find assigned reading, especially Shakespeare and Dickens, unrewarding and painful. Discusses problems and solutions of contemporary teaching methods. Suggests that students be given a…

Describes a course unit on fiction writing with an emphasis on motivating students to see value and relevance in writing. (RAE)

Considers how standards and high-stakes testing corrupts instruction. Notes that the cyclic nature of scope-and-sequence standards, isolated instructional practices, and isolated items on tests is a closed system that has no authentic purpose beyond the academic hallways of schools. Concludes that reading and writing are individual acts at the…

A reading program will succeed if it is based on the following positive aspects: children's oral language competence, understanding of the reading process, a lot of time spent in reading, and positive teacher attitudes. (JH)

Recommends reading aloud to students or having them read aloud themselves as a way of stimulating their interest in what they are reading about and in reading itself. (JL)

Reports how a teacher developed practical methods for raising the reading scores of low ability, learning disabled students. (RL)

Describes the positive impact of using reading and writing workshops (as described in Nancie Atwell's "In the Middle") in an urban school. Argues that the workshop format can work for large classes composed of students at many different ability levels and from many different cultures and races. (RS)

Describes in detail a successful unit of study done on the play "Cyrano de Bergerac" that both satisfies particular curricular demands and suits the temperament and interests of young adolescents. (KEH)