This document presents the proceedings of the 19th Annual Research Forum held June 26, 2014, at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Included are the following 17 action research papers: (1) Using Voices to Change Minds: Oral Performance and Poetry in the English Classroom (Erika Bunpermkoon), (2) Imagining Audiences: The Use…

Despite high levels of disengagement in urban literacy classrooms, few teachers have seen fit to explore spoken word--the performance of poetry--as a tool to engage students in literacy. Spoken word poetry serves as a powerful means of self-representation for youth that are traditionally portrayed as threatening, menaces to society that do not…

Describes six inadequate approaches used in teaching, analyzing, and interpreting poetry, and suggests a useful key" for the interpretation of poems. (SW)

Describes a poetry assignment in which students select a poem to analyze and present before the class. Observes that unlike the traditional postures of detachment and impersonality, this approach of self-selections encourages students to establish an intimacy with poetry. (MM)

Describes a poetry-presentation assignment in which students select poems from examples studied in class and prepare oral presentations incorporating visual, dramatic, technical, or musical arts. Describes several student presentations resulting from this assignment. (MM)

WRITTEN FOR BOTH THE "GENERAL" STUDENT INTERESTED IN CRITICAL APPROACHES TO LITERATURE AND THE ORAL INTERPRETATION STUDENT WHO NEEDS A VARIETY OF CRITICAL ANALYSES TO COMBINE WITH ORAL PERFORMANCE IN HIS STUDY OF LITERATURE, THIS BOOK PROVIDES FIVE EXAMPLES OF DIFFERENT CRITICAL APPROACHES TO LITERATURE AND ITS ORAL INTERPRETATION. PART 1, "THE…

Over the last few years, YOUTH SPEAKS after-school poetry workshops have helped turn hundreds of student writers into poets. Intended to be a resource for teachers who wish to transform their poetry lessons into a dynamic learning environment, this book focuses on some of the secrets of the success of YOUTH SPEAKS. Utilizing student examples from…

Suggests that the best method of understanding a poem is to experiment with reading it aloud rather than simply discussing the poem. (DF)

This journal issue presents teaching ideas based on the city of Chicago and the literary works of its citizens. The first article describes a combined social studies/English course based on the study of Chicago's influence on literature and history. Included is a course outline with required readings, class activities and assignments, an…

Describes two classroom activities that were developed to promote a whole language approach to listening, speaking, reading, and writing. One involved fifth grade students who wrote legends that other students paid to read and evaluate, and the other involved an eighth grade English class who gave free poetry readings in a coffee house setting.…

Based on Stephen Crane's poems about war and his novel "The Red Badge of Courage," this lesson plan presents activities designed to help students understand that Crane examined war-related themes in prose and poetry; that close study of a poem for oral presentation helps readers see meaning or techniques not noted earlier; and that not all readers…

Oral interpretation facilitates the learning processes of adolescents by making the presentation of subject matter more interesting and meaningful to them, helping them feel involved, and providing them with an opportunity to perceive literature in action. Narrative literature is a good place to begin oral interpretation activities, since…

In an attempt to make poetry interesting to high school students, a teacher tried a "Dramatic Readings Assembly," which was planned, written, and produced by students. Four students were selected to plan the theme and structure of the production, read and research the program material, and write the final script. The plan chosen for the program…

THE BASIC PREMISE OF THIS BOOK IS THAT LEARNING TO READ ORALLY IS OF FUNDAMENTAL IMPORTANCE TO THOSE WHO WOULD FULLY APPRECIATE OR RESPOND TO LITERATURE. BECAUSE READERS MUST INTERPRET LITERATURE ALWAYS FOR THEMSELVES AND OFTEN FOR AN AUDIENCE, THREE ASPECTS OF ORAL INTERPRETATION ARE EXPLORED--(1) THE CHOICE OF MATERIALS, WHICH REQUIRES AN…