Defends values education and describes five segments of an elective high school course entitled "Contemporary American Literature: The Search for Values." (DD)

Examines the way standardized test questions are developed by the Advanced Placement Development Committee; shows that the tests continue to reflect features of New Criticism and have not been changed to reflect recent developments in the discipline of English. (GW)

Examines the roots of the modern language arts curriculum in Canada. Claims it is based on nineteenth-century interdependence of studies in rhetoric, history of the English language, and literature. And asserts that this curriculum was designed to develop rhetorical and critical sophistication. (JK)

Examines various images of disabled or handicapped persons in diverse novels and plays. Addresses these images as literary devices and allegorical symbols. (NKA)

Looks at Shakespeare's tragedy through the eyes and words of an English teacher's secondary school students. (NKA)

Argues in favor of a reader-response approach to the process of selecting the literary works students read in introductory or survey courses. Offers a rationale for using "The Tempest" in such a course. (FL)

Describes the new relationship between law and literature and how each discipline can benefit. (CRH)

Establishes a link between the themes of Golding's fiction and the paintings of the Brueghel. Traces their use of the grotesque to impress a message on the mind of the reader or viewer. (CRH)

Details a study in which high school students were introduced to a categorization strategy for vocabulary terms related to literary analysis. Concludes that the strategy was a worthwhile addition to the traditional Socratic approach to literary analysis. (FL)

Suggests that by studying and writing dime novels, students can develop their understanding of literary history and gain skill in working with such literary concepts as theme, plot, setting, and characterization. (MM)

This book challenges current paradigms of literature instruction by making a strong case for teaching critical theory in high school literature classrooms. The book urges teachers to expand their theoretical repertoires. It argues for the importance of multiple perspectives in enabling students to better read and interpret literature, as well as…

Based on Upton Sinclair's novel "The Jungle," this lesson plan presents activities in which students make a list of books that convey strong social messages, discuss the literary strengths and weaknesses of these books, and understand how literature reflects life and can be used as a vehicle to bring about change. It includes objectives,…

Based on Joseph Conrad's novel "Heart of Darkness," this lesson plan presents activities designed to help students understand that critics have debated some of Conrad's choices in the novel; and that the novel reflects the world as Conrad saw it. The main activity of the lesson involves students rewriting the ending of the novel so that Marlow…

Part of a three-program set, this computer software program is designed to support the teaching of literary criticism in the English classroom through a focus on characterization. It aids teachers in the search for literary meaning by providing questions from different reading positions. The program is easy to operate and requires little prior…

Part of a three-program set, this computer software provides a comprehensive range of generic questions on plot in literature. The program is comprised of: 150 questions sorted into 14 categories; supporting ideological commentary classifying question types; and a user-friendly program enabling worksheet production. It is underpinned by a Critical…