University and secondary school educators recognize many high school students will undertake a post-secondary education but find themselves unprepared for the academic demands once they arrive on campus. Although many high school students appear to possess basic abilities in retrieving information, particularly when searching the Internet, they…

Intended as a guide for students of literature, this book introduces literary analysis through discussion of forms, elements, and genres. The first half of the book focuses on theory, with each section preceded by literary passages and interpretative questions. The second half is devoted to practice, and contains three contrasting literary genre…

Discusses the three main lines of symbolic development in "The Artificial Nigger" by Flannery O'Conner that make this short story an eminently teachable tale in world literature and humanities classes where Dante, Sophocles, and the Bible have been read. (RL)

Suggests that students need to become aware of the relationship between one's writing and one's intended audience and presents a way for students to make this analysis. (JM)

Explains a descriptive analysis exercise based on Chapter 99 of "Moby Dick." Notes that students are given a description of a coin, asked to draw the coin, and then freewrite about what they and their classmates have drawn. States that the exercise is intended to illustrate the relationship between objective and subjective description.…

Suggests giving literature/composition students a set of declarative statements that enable them to define a thematic statement and then write a focused, fully developed analytical essay. Includes such declarative statements from the novel "Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant" by Anne Tyler. (HTH)

Argues that by acting out, rather than only reading Shakespeare's plays, they can be better interpreted and appreciated. (SRT)

Uses character analysis borrowed from drama classes to work on literary selections. Gives writing assignments to students based on characters from a story. Conducts interviews with the "characters" in class. (PA)

An innovative and practical resource for teachers looking to move beyond English and American works, this book explores 175 highly teachable short stories from nearly 50 countries, highlighting the work of recognized authors from practically every continent, authors such as Chinua Achebe, Anita Desai, Nadine Gordimer, Milan Kundera, Isak Dinesen,…

Reflecting educators' ongoing efforts to incorporate the female literary tradition into the canon that is commonly taught in high school and college classrooms, this bibliography derived from the ERIC database presents annotations of 21 journal articles and books concerning women writers and the canon published between 1984 and 1992. Sections of…

An approach to teaching literary point of view to high school and college composition classes is described in this brief article. AUTHOR'S COMMENT (excerpt): My students demonstrate little understanding of the concept of point of view. They seem unaware that selecting a point of view is an important decision for a writer, because it controls the…

Describes an assignment to focus students' attention on the thinking process in which students write dialogues that reproduce concretely the dialectic movement of a formal argument. Includes a more advanced exercise in which students' address the remarks of literary critics. (HTH)

Discusses how a college literature class staged a mock murder trial of the main character of Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily," using the text to substantiate the prosecution and defense. This method encouraged previously quiet students to join in class discussion and fostered a careful interpretation of the story. (HTH)

Considers how readers form impressions of writers' personalities while reading their texts. Reports on a series of studies which asked readers to respond to college application essays by high school students. Concludes that responses to texts concerning personality are highly predictable and, thus, can be influenced by the writer. (HB)

Advocates using debate with F.R. Stockton's "The Lady, or the Tiger" to sharpen critical skills in literary interpretation. Poses a series of questions at five-minute intervals and sets up an affirmative and a negative side on which students debate the next day. Suggests also debating on literary values, an author's intentions, etc. (PA)