Describes how one English teacher celebrated the power of students' personal writing to clarify and validate their own personal life experiences. Argues for the use of personal narrative in teaching students to develop as writers and thinkers. (HB)

Describes the affinities between reader response theory and the proper objectives of English instruction. Describes students not as potential literary scholars but as curious people needing personal experiences with reading and writing. Outlines a model for teaching literature focused on this conception. (HB)

Describes the many kinds of materials that English teachers can draw upon to enrich and expand students' experiences with literature. Outlines ancillary materials used to supplement the study of William Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar." (HB)

Discusses the novel "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley and how it might be used in secondary English classes as a means of investigating contemporary issues of technology and morality. Describes how one teacher asked students to identify a social issue from the novel and investigate it in today's news media. (HB)

Describes the methods by which one teacher prepared eighth-grade language arts students for the Florida Writing Assessment exam. Considers the pros and cons of such activities. Advocates activities in which students are asked to evaluate each other's writing. (HB)

Provides the responses of five practicing English teachers to the question, "What has been the most significant impact of computer technology on your teaching?" (HB)

Gives responses of four practicing teachers to the question, "What book is best for presenting a realistic picture of contemporary life in rural America?" Provides citations, summaries, and overviews of the works. (HB)

Reviews and critiques three current software products which function as encyclopedias for the computer. Provides publication information and detailed analysis of the programs. (HB)

Describes the activities in a student-centered advanced-placement English classroom, specifically methods used to foster discussion. Shows how student journals aid in generating discussion of literary works. Provides numerous concrete methods for fostering discussion. (HB)

Gives responses of six practicing teachers to the question, "Who is your favorite writer of science fiction or fantasy?" Provides citations, plot summaries, and/or thematic overviews of some of the authors' works. (HB)

Argues that any curriculum of peace must have at its core the teaching (not preaching) of empathy. Recommends ecphrastic poetry (poetic response to works of art) as a teaching tool for empathy, and discusses how the author uses one particular poem written in response to a World War II photograph to stimulate student writing response and…

Looks at the missions and goals of the International Assembly of the National Council of Teachers of English, a global multicultural network promoting communication and cooperation for international exchange of teaching practices, literature, literacy, curriculum development, and research in English. Suggests some criteria to look at when…

Paula Ressler, an English teacher, suggests unconventional ways to work with William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" in the secondary school English curriculum to challenge normative sexual and gender identity beliefs. Reading queerly to explore non-normative sex and gender identities and reading for social justice have the potential to…

No English teacher should do anything that a machine can do. (JH)