The author, a fifth-grade teacher, describes how she reimagined the literary essay curriculum to amplify student identity, agency, and voice by creating a class podcast. Because of their similar structure and organization, teaching students literary analysis and interpretation through podcast writing offered entry into literary essays. The author…

In the mid-1920s the poet W. B. Yeats was pleased to discover contemporary philosophers, Giovanni Gentile and A. N. Whitehead, whose metaphysical and educational philosophies seemed to coincide with his own commitments. Whitehead shares with Gentile a sense of reality as activity and an understanding of knowledge as constructed from abstractions…

Learning with informational texts doesn't need to be restricted to the recall of information and facts; instead, challenging students to interpret and present their findings in the form of readers theatre performances requires the application of synthesis and analysis skills. This article frames informational texts and readers theatre as…

This study focuses on a secondary English classroom in an East London school, and the multimodal nature of the students' construction of the literary heritage text Macbeth, specifically in their dramatic reinterpretation of Act 1, Scene 7, where Lady Macbeth persuades "Macbeth" to pursue his ambitions and kill the current king, Duncan.…

This study focused on understanding the impact of incorporating digital reader response into a middle school literature class. Through interviews and the use of artifacts, a classroom teacher documented how altering the way students wrote about their readings shaped the quality and quantity of their writing. Outcomes reveal that blogging during…

This dissertation examines the way in which sonnets improved reading comprehension through a case study. The study was conceptually framed around the ideas of the New Critics, who employed two particular fallacies to ensure the most accurate reading of literature. The purpose of the study was to see the potential benefits that could come from…

In May 2007, the faculty book club that the author facilitates read Chris Bohjalian's novel "The Double Bind" (Shaye Areheart: Harmony, 2007). Bohjalian, a local author, agreed to meet them in Burlington for drinks and conversation. When he arrived, the author and her class introduced themselves, passed around some nachos, and began their…

This article describes an activity using Malcolm Gladwell's "The Tipping Point" as a supplemental text in an undergraduate group communication course. This book will help stimulate conversation and promote easy avenues for classroom discussion. In addition to weekly quizzes over each chapter to help facilitate rich classroom discussions, the…

One of the greatest challenges for English language arts teachers today is the call to engage students in more complex texts. Tim Gillespie, who has taught in public schools for almost four decades, has found the lenses of literary criticism a powerful tool for helping students tackle challenging literary texts. Tim breaks down the dense language…

This paper explores ways in which Western literature can be taught to Non-western students. This paper demonstrates that non-western values do not have to be overcome but rather Western values can be highlighted and reinforced to deal with literary complexity. Values and ideals such as freedom, self-identity, religion, feminism, and equality are…

In a collaborative effort in teaching literary analysis, two professors aimed to make the usually seamless act of reading visible and ideologically bound by emphasizing the constructed nature of interpretation. A course was pieced together that asked questions about literature, that assumed that both students and teachers are subjects constructed…

For many university teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL), the study of literature is indispensable because it exposes students to meaningful contexts that are replete with descriptive language and interesting characters. Structuring lessons around the reading of literature introduces a profound range of vocabulary, dialogues, and prose.…

Based on Ken Kesey's novel "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," this lesson plan presents activities designed to help students understand that all works of art lend themselves to critical reviews; critical reviews consist of opinions and support for the opinions; and a critical review may compare and contrast a work in one medium to the same work in…

Describes a week-long multidisciplinary program (in association with a theatre history survey course) called "Roman Holiday: Classical Comedy/Contemporary Commentary" which featured guest lectures; a student-directed production; a video screening; and the presentation of Hollywood films. Notes that the program addresses the disparity between the…

Presents activities designed to bridge the gulf between scientific culture and literary culture. (DD)