An article entitled "Pupils Persevere" covered the front page of Madison's local newspaper in February 2005. Highlighting the plight of four alternative programs in Madison's public school system, the article both angered and pleased students at this school. Although the central point of the front-page article was a plea for a larger physical…

Jeanine M. Staples led a group of students, ages fourteen to eighteen, in developing a critical stance about words and images found in 9/11 media. Through questions, comments, and declarations toward these texts, the students labeled as "disengaged" actively participated in constructing a collaborative poem to confront repressive thinking.…

While the college admissions guidebook industry has churned out numerous books and websites telling students what their essays should and should not do, most of those are written by former admissions officers, not by writers or teachers of writing, and almost all rely heavily on providing models of top admissions essays. As a result, students who…

In this article, the authors offer an approach to teaching that can help students prepare to write for the workplace and in the community: a case study of community-based writing. In this case-study project, students work in groups to study the writing needs and practices of a community-based group or organization, such as a local public library,…

In this brief column, three teachers submit recommendations on strategies and activities for teaching poetry. Walter H. Johnson suggests that using sonnets as an introduction to poetry can be a rewarding way to combine poetry terminology, a bit of literary history, and the search for meaning in poems. Joseph Sottile describes a classroom activity…

Many English teachers feel underprepared to teach students with disabilities. While teachers may want to do whatever they can to make all their students successful, some may feel that they don't have as much time as they would like to prepare high-quality differentiated instruction, to fully accommodate every student, or even to know what…

A retired professor considers a semicolon as a nuisance as we can never get to the good part. He states his preferences for a comma and a colon over a semicolon.

This issue's column focuses on two practices that everyone has learned and utilized but possibly have forgotten. First, Michael offers a look into classroom management and what he needed to learn to be a more effective teacher. Second, Terry asks questions to remind himself and other writing teachers of the importance of helping students…

The availability of new technology and a willingness to experiment led Laura Christine Rochette to re-imagine a successful high school English curriculum. A SMART Board, individual laptop computers, and blogs became essential tools to enhance the learning of all students and to renew her excitement about teaching.

The authors proffer practical critical-reading strategies for teaching "Mississippi Trial, 1955" to increase students' vocabulary, comprehension, and background knowledge of historical eras. They use nonfiction, a PBS documentary, the Web, folklore, and picture books among other tools for inciting thoughtful discussion and writing.

Patricia M. Barbetta and Linda A. Spears-Bunton describe seven technologies and various products that are available to assist struggling students with the complex mechanical and organizational tasks of writing in a secondary English classroom. These technologies can support students in becoming more effective and more confident writers. (Contains…

Teachers can help students discover what they have to say by encouraging revision as an integral part of the writing process. (DD)

Demonstates how students might be asked to write in class instead of doing drills. (DD)

Compares the steps in the writing process to the stages of having a baby. (RL)