As young people today are flooded with information from a multitude of sources, they must be prepared to perceive the potentially oppressive and nefarious nature of many texts. Critical literacy is a theory and strategy that allows young people, along with people of all ages, to achieve just this; however, teachers often experience difficulties…

This curriculum guide presents syllabi for seventeen ten-week "midi-courses" for juniors and seniors in high school. For each course, the syllabi contain a course description, goals, subject matter, materials, an annotated list of audio-visual aids, a list of behavioral objectives, some suggested activities, a glossary of terms, and a…

TO HELP STUDENTS ENJOY POETRY--ESSENTIALLY AN "UNTEACHABLE" EXPERIENCE--THE TEACHER SHOULD APPROACH THE TEACHING OF POETRY THROUGH A DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSIS OF INDIVIDUAL POEMS RATHER THAN PRIMARILY THROUGH AN EMPHASIS ON THE POEM'S HISTORICAL PERIOD, NATIONAL ORIGIN, OR THEMATIC CONTENT. THE DEVICES WHICH GIVE POETRY ITS SPECIAL RHYTHMIC…

DISTINCTIONS BETWEEN THE NARRATIVE AND DRAMATIC MODES CAN BEST BE UNDERSTOOD BY EMPHASIZING WHAT IT MEANS TO THINK AND CREATE DRAMATICALLY. ALTHOUGH BOOKS (WHICH ARE READ) AND PLAYS (WHICH ARE SEEN) TREAT PLOT, CHARACTER, AND SETTING SIMILARLY, CONVENTIONS THAT PARTICULARLY DISTINGUISH THEATRICAL FORM ARE--(1) THE AUTHENTICATING REALITY OF THE…

THE 11TH-GRADE COURSE OF STUDY IN AMERICAN LITERATURE PRESENTED IN THE STUDENT PACKET FOR THE NEBRASKA ENGLISH CURRICULUM BEGINS WITH A UNIT ENTITLED "INDIVIDUALISM AND IDEALISM" IN WHICH STUDENTS ANALYZE SPIRITUAL AUTOBIOGRAPHIES BY EMERSON, THOREAU, WHITMAN, AND DICKINSON. NEXT, THE THEME OF SIN AND LONELINESS AS IT LIMITS…

THIS POETRY UNIT FOR 11TH-GRADERS ILLUSTRATES HOW VERSE STRUCTURE AND POETIC TECHNIQUES CONTRIBUTE TO A POEM'S MEANING. IN PART 1, IMAGERY, METAPHOR, SYMBOLISM, IRONY, PARADOX, AND MUSICAL AND RHYTHMICAL SOUND PATTERNS ARE DISCUSSED AS WAYS OF SAYING THE "UNSAYABLE" AND OF REINFORCING THE MEANING AND MOOD OF THE POEM. THE POEMS OF SUCH…

THE NARRATIVE MODE CAN BEST BE UNDERSTOOD THROUGH A STUDY OF THE CONVENTIONS WHICH SHAPE A STORY'S FORM AND SUBSTANCE. OF PARTICULAR IMPORTANCE IN PERCEIVING THE INTENTION OF THE NARRATIVE IS TO LOOK AT THE CONVENTION OF POINT OF VIEW--THE…

UNITS IN THE TEACHER PACKET FOR THE 11TH-GRADE NEBRASKA ENGLISH CURRICULUM ARE ORGANIZED AROUND THREE MAJOR THEMES IN AMERICAN LITERATURE--MAN AND NATURE, MAN AND MORAL LAW, AND MAN AND SOCIETY. THE MAN AND NATURE THEME IS EXAMINED IN TWO UNITS--"INDIVIDUALISM AND IDEALISM, SPIRITUAL AUTOBIOGRAPHY" AND "THE SEARCH FOR FORM."…

THE BASIC CONVENTIONS THAT SHAPE THE CREATION OF THE SHORT STORY AND THE NOVEL ARE EXAMINED IN THIS 11TH-GRADE LITERATURE UNIT. THE SECTION ON THE SHORT STORY ILLUSTRATES NARRATIVE FICTION FORM THROUGH THE SHORT STORIES OF FORSTER, JACKSON, STEINBECK, THURBER, POE, MCCULLERS, HAWTHORNE, MANSFIELD, SALINGER, STEELE, AND COLLIER. EMPHASIZED IN EACH…