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…

Thirty-nine short courses in English are described by their originators. (JH)

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

Details the curricular reforms of the post-Sputnik era in American high schools, especially the national stampede to an elective curriculum in English instruction. Covers criticism of the movement and the profession's struggle to define English studies. Provides pros and cons of an elective curriculum. (HB)

A teacher in the high school drama club recounts the experience of producing a controversial play about teenagers, "Sometimes I Wake Up in the Middle of the Night." Reports initial apprehensions and eventual satisfaction of actors, the drama coach, and audience members. (JG)

Describes a course in which students read works by such philosophers as Plato, Descartes, and William James from a literary point of view. States that teachers should look beyond works considered literature to see if a work of philosophy, history, or political science might benefit students' intellectual and personal development. (EL)

Reports on the development and content of an English course that used death as a theme in literature. (RL)

Advocates incorporating humor in the classroom (as a means of assessing students' learning and understanding) by deliberately establishing a classroom environment conducive to original expression and risk-taking, and by the juxtaposition of curriculum material. (SR)

Details the concepts of romanticism and classicism and how they relate to secondary English instruction. Argues that teachers should offer students both the imaginative adventure of the romantic and the analytical power of the classicist. Describes a visual lesson by which these two modes might be illustrated and fostered. (HB)

The author describes the outline and content for an English course entitled Man's Search for Utopia." (LF)

Proposes that when teachers structure the classroom around the student, differentiation starts to happen. Outlines the following suggestions in order to do so: make it meaningful; make it authentic; differentiate content; make it interdisciplinary; and practice what you preach. Concludes that if educators are willing to eliminate ineffective…

Describes methods of approaching Toni Morrison's novel, "The Bluest Eye," for the secondary classroom. Suggests that it was the students' responses to the novel that showed to the teacher the importance of this controversial work. Provides numerous examples of students' written responses to the novel. (HB)

Provides four practicing teachers' written responses to Carolyn Henly's article entitled "Reader Response Theory as Antidote to Controversy: Teaching "The Bluest Eye," which appears in the same issue. (HB)

Considers the emergence of the so-called culture wars in contemporary American society. Contends that, in the context of such cultural conflict, the English classroom is a particularly important battleground. Considers how English teachers might structure their classes to address the culture wars. (HB)

Discusses the issue of whether or not Mark Twain's novel, "Huckleberry Finn," should be taught. Reviews various arguments for and against teaching the novel. Concludes that the novel is worthy of being taught. (HB)