All English teachers share an occasional uneasiness about whether English really matters. Three major sources for this uneasiness are: (1) English teachers are uncertain about their basic purpose. Historically, the emphasis in the English profession has shifted from sharing the best that has been thought and said, to literary history, to rigorous…

A STUDENT VERSION OF A CURRICULUM GUIDE ON THE "LEGENDS OF KING ARTHUR" WAS DEVELOPED. SELECTED LEGENDS ARE REPRODUCED ALONG WITH AN INTRODUCTION, STUDY QUESTIONS, AND A PASSAGE FROM MALORY'S "LE MORTE D'ARTHUR" IN THE ORIGINAL LANGUAGE OF THE FIRST EDITION (1485). THE TEACHER VERSION IS ED 010 814. RELATED REPORTS ARE ED 010…

Describes how an English teacher in a Queens, New York, ghetto school introduced her grade nine students to Charles Dickens's "Great Expectations." Focuses on students' responses, which eventually became enthusiastic, and discusses the use of classics within the curriculum. (KH)

Extensive footnotes and bibliographic citations. (DS)

Creative writers have moved into the mainstream of English departments without understanding or reviewing their own history, and without reconceptualizing graduate and undergraduate creative writing programs. Such a history can be constructed from sources in three areas: institutional history, creative writing history, and rhetorical history. An…

THIS 10TH-GRADE STUDENT GUIDE POSED SOME QUESTIONS AND CLARIFIED OTHERS ON SHAKESPEARE'S "JULIUS CAESAR," AND PRESENTED SHORT SELECTIONS FROM PLUTARCH'S "LIVES" (ON CAESAR, BRUTUS, AND MARK ANTONY) WITH ACCOMPANYING DISCUSSION QUESTIONS. A UNIT OF AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL READINGS OF EARLY LIFE EXPERIENCES WAS ALSO OUTLINED. BY…

A STUDENT GUIDE FOR THE STUDY OF "THE FAIR MAID OF ASTOLAT" WAS PREPARED FOR USE IN NINTH-GRADE ENGLISH CLASSES. THIS MYTH FROM THE STORIES OF KING ARTHUR AND HIS KNIGHTS OF THE ROUND TABLE RECOUNTS THE TALE OF THE INCOGNITO SIR LAUNCELOT AND HIS PART IN A TOURNAMENT AND HIS MEETING WITH THE FAIR MAID, ELAINE. RELATED REPORTS ARE ED 010…

Suggesting that many works by and about women are available, accessible, and necessary to balance the high school English curriculum, this book offers diverse selections from women writers and introduces practical ideas on how to integrate them into the curriculum. Multicultural and feminist, the book is intended for teachers already engaged in…

This annotated bibliography of 481 journal articles is the most recent of a series of compilations begun in 1946 on the teaching of college English. Of the eight categories included, literature and freshman English receive the greatest emphasis. Other sections treat the English program, language, drama and television, speech, journalism, and the…

Adam Smith used selections from English literature in his classroom during the eighteenth century because he believed that vernacular literature could provide a ready context for the teaching of ideological, social, and moral lessons. He believed that higher education should prepare students for the real business of the real world. (RM)

This paper discussed using vertical teaming as a way to organize multi-year curriculum planning for academically talented adolescents. Vertical teams include educators from different grade levels in a given discipline who work cooperatively to develop and implement a vertically aligned program aimed at helping students acquire the skills necessary…

Noting that women authors are still underrepresented and females are often stereotyped, these guidelines, prepared by the National Council of Teachers of English Committee on Women in the Profession, urge all English Departments to integrate literature by and about women into the curriculum. The guidelines discuss why balancing the curriculum…

This paper reviews a 1974 tabulation of freshman English programs made by the Maryland Association of Departments of English. Of 20 schools surveyed, including almost all the Maryland community colleges, 15 offer remedial courses, 18 have remediation facilities, and 15 grant academic credit for remedial courses. All of the colleges have regular…

This study was concerned with the attitudes and practices of high school English teachers regarding the use of contemporary literature in their classrooms. Data were obtained from the completed questionnaires of 58 randomly selected New Jersey English teachers. It was determined that 95% of the teachers favor using contemporary works, that the…