Describes several techniques to facilitate high school class discussions, including allowing "wait time" for reflection before calling on students, keeping a record of who speaks, and planning for closure. (MM)

Describes one high school's "senior project," a graduation requirement for all students which involves: (1) writing a research paper; (2) developing a project related to the paper; and (3) delivering an oral presentation to a panel of judges selected from faculty, administrators, classified staff, and community members. (MM)

Describes a writing exercise in which students write alternate versions of poems, and observes that interesting discussions about the nature and quality of poetry result when the class tries to identify the original poems. (MM)

Presents high school teachers' suggestions for magazines to use in the English classroom. Notes that "Meryln's Pen" and "The New Yorker" were the magazines most frequently mentioned. (MM)

Describes how a high school English teacher used the novel "Cold Sassy Tree" in an elective course entitled Thanatology: A Literary Approach. Notes that the novel clearly addresses virtually every aspect of death, dying, grieving, and loss through an artful array of three-dimensional characters. (RS)

Argues that Jane Austen's unpublished juvenile work "The History of England" has considerable relevance to twentieth-century high-school English classrooms. Notes that the work humorously shows the gender bias of traditional history texts because it is a "woman-centered" rewriting. (RS)

Argues for the consideration of food and gastronomy in the teaching of English in high schools. Provides methods of teaching writing in conjunction with student response to eating. (HB)

Considers the current debates regarding the teaching of reading. Outlines the general failure to understand the nature of literacy, the complexity of educational issues, and the lack of public language for discussing such issues. Provides an accessible explanation of current reading methods for parents. (HB)

Examines criticism of and resistance to Robert Cormier's young adult novel "The Chocolate War." Argues that the book should be taught as tragedy and that teachers should pay their high school students the compliment of assuming their humanity and thus their need and ability to grapple with true tragedy. (SR)

Describes an assignment for high school or college literature classes in which students focus on a particular character, answer a list of questions about that character, and eventually write an imagined yet realistic dialog with that character. Notes that this helps students grasp a character's complexity and depth. (SR)

Results of a study of 1,025 high school students enrolled in an introductory keyboarding class suggest that teachers must be creative in identifying individualized skill-building/reinforcement activities. Business education teachers should emphasize basic English skills in the keyboarding classroom. (JOW)

Takes a "snapshot" of a senior Literature class to see how all the participants--including the teacher--developed greater sophistication in their reading skills, while simultaneously cultivating their pleasure and appreciation of more challenging texts. Explores other aspects of the "interpretive community" of the classroom,…

Notes that the key to making nonfiction work in the classroom is to connect it to the basic curriculum set forth by the school. Describes how the author's use of nonfiction slave narratives grew out of her teaching of two works of fiction. Discusses how she teaches slave narratives as a separate unit. (SG)

Discusses the author's experiences as a homosexual teacher at Berkeley High School. Examines how language is used regarding homosexuality and bisexuality. Concludes that teachers have an obligation to educate other teachers on the impact of homophobia and homophobic language. (SG)

Presented at the National Conference on Student Assessment in Orlando, hosted by the CCSSO (Council of Chief State School Officers), June 2008. This presentation explores use of the assessments within the classroom and how those choices can affect performance and learning.