This paper chronologically presents a history of curricular development dating from the inception of King's College in 1754 through Columbia University's departmental offerings in 1953. The comprehensive study of curriculums is initiated with a review of the significance of rhetoric during the early period. Systematic examination of the growth of…

This programed unit on "Macbeth" is intended for all high school students, not just those who are college bound. Its purpose is to provide the student with an understanding of the language of Shakespeare, an overview of the play, and general readiness for doing assignments on "Macbeth." This unit should work well within a…

Produced by a staff of teachers working on curriculum teams for Project PACESETTER, this secondary school English curriculum guide organizes materials into behavioral objectives which include two major components: the objective statement, which specifies the behavioral variable, and activities, which outline what the student should do to attain…

Describes a teacher's experience teaching sixth grade drama in Britain, where drama is viewed as distinct from literature and stresses role playing. Outlines particular improvisation activities, scriptwriting projects, approaches to class discussion, and the use of dramatic activities to teach other subjects. (JG)

A practicum aimed to increase the relevancy (to the ethnically diverse students of contemporary classrooms) of the regular high school senior English course in British literature and composition by expanding the curriculum to include selections from countries (other than the United States) influenced by the British Colonial Empire. Using a…

Students need to be made comfortable with the "foreign" language of British English before they can fathom the range of and changes in English literature through the centuries. In one approach to college English, students spend most of the first semester studying nineteenth century novels. After having studied four such novels, each for between…

THE LITERATURE PROGRAM OF THE GRADE 12 STUDENT PACKET OF THE NEBRASKA ENGLISH CURRICULUM CONSISTS OF A SELECTIVE SURVEY OF ENGLISH LITERATURE FROM THE RENAISSANCE TO THE 20TH CENTURY. IT BEGINS WITH A UNIT ON SHAKESPEAREAN TRAGEDY IN WHICH STUDENTS READ REVENGE TRAGEDIES--SENECA'S "THYESTES" AND KYD'S "THE SPANISH TRAGEDY"--AS…

Based on the assumption that English should be central to the school curriculum, this book indicates that the main purpose of the English teacher is not to instruct, but to provide a relaxed, friendly atmosphere in which children can use and improve their language skills. The discussion covers current teaching practices in reading, literature,…

This collection, containing essays by contemporary critics, analyzes such aspects of the novel as structure, history, point of view, techniques, and its future. Included are "What is Exposition?" by Meir Sternberg; "Notes Toward a Comic Fiction" by Robert B. Martin; "The Aesthetics of the Supra-Novel" by Irving H.…

Presents a case study of a prospective English teacher who developed a limited understanding of constructivist pedagogy. Interview data indicated that she, like other students in the study, was ambivalent about what teachers should do in order to teach literature. This article explores how constructivist pedagogies can lead prospective teachers to…

In this article I seek to explore the ways in which different forms of differentiation can promote the inclusion of gifted and talented students in the classroom. Macbeth, the text being studied by this particular class, was the set text for the Standard Attainment Tests (SATs). This article discusses briefly the inherent problems involved in…

Three papers given at a seminar on the state of the "discipline" of English are presented which form an introduction to an analysis of the activity of "teaching and researching English" as it is currently being done at Queensland University (Australia) and others. Following an introduction summarizing the background of the…

THIS CULMINATING UNIT OF THE 12TH-GRADE OREGON LITERATURE CURRICULUM IS BASED UPON ONE WORK, "HAMLET." THE TEACHER VERSION INCLUDES DISCUSSIONS OF (1) THE RELEVANCE OF HAMLET'S CHARACTER TO MODERN TIMES, (2) THE PROBLEMS IN THE CHARACTERIZATIONS OF THE GHOST, CLAUDIUS, AND HAMLET, (3) THE PLAY'S THREE-PHASE STRUCTURE, (4) THE PLAY'S…

The position of the Jew in the Middle Ages and the Jewish stereotype as it appears in "The Merchant of Venice" and "Oliver Twist" are the subjects of this publication. An introductory essay analyzes the characters of Shylock and Fagin, and a study guide continues this discussion and presents suggested classroom activities,…

This paper describes two prospective English teachers' beliefs and understandings regarding literature and the teaching of literature. Through extensive interviews that included context-specific tasks, the study explored the subjects' prior experiences with literature, their conceptions regarding the nature of literature, and their perceptions of…