A survey of college freshmen's attitudes toward literature and literature courses indicated the students' latent interests in literature courses, their generally positive attitude toward reading literature, and the possibility of attracting, with certain types of courses, non-English majors to English departments. (RL)

Discusses the tendencies of writers of adolescent literature to seek out the violent and even the sadistic and to present it to less able adolescent readers. Suggests that not having students read may be preferable to having them read adolescent literature with objectionable subject matter that they may misinterpret. (RL)

Urges high school English departments to integrate literature by and about women into the English curriculum. Describes several activities that bring this literature into the classroom, and provides a list of available materials to balance the curriculum. (MM)

Describes an approach that pairs every male-authored novel, play, short story, or poem taught in the English curriculum with one written by a woman. Illustrates this approach in a course pairing Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman. Provides an annotated list of works that examine the subject of gender issues in schools. (MM)

Considers the inherent value of teaching literary works in the high school English classroom. Argues that teaching literature remains a powerful mode of moral and cultural instruction. Claims that literature stimulates the imagination and performs an empathetic function. (HB)

Describes how one English teacher came up with the idea of developing creative literature tests which were both demanding and fun for the students. Illustrates the idea with an actual outline of events used in a literature unit. (HB)

Contends that changing teaching habits may be the only educational reform that really works. Illustrates bad habits by discussing in detail the use of reading quizzes. Suggests that, instead of holding onto such habits to ensure that students read assigned texts, teachers choose more compelling works to read. (HB)

Discusses the use of dialogic learning in an undergraduate literature survey course. (PRA)

Provides description and analysis of numerous adolescent novels that all deal with human rights issues in a variety of cultures and national settings. Focuses on works by James Watson and Rachel Anderson. Claims that using such works honestly will foster in students a hopeful sense of motivation. (HB)

Describes various group discussion activities for fostering discussion skills in the English classroom. Discusses "fishbowls" and "creative controversies." Outlines the five basic elements of any cooperative lesson plan. Shows how teachers can successfully implement cooperative learning in the classroom. (HB)

Describes the use of the "fishbowl" strategy for fostering class discussion of literary works. Argues that this method, which places one small group of discussants within a larger circle of observers, is an effective means of developing discussion and listening skills. (HB)

Designed to tap the rich collection of instructional techniques in the ERIC database, this compilation of lesson plans focuses on teaching values using literature as an alternative to textbooks. The 41 lesson plans in this book cover: (1) setting up an English curriculum in values; (2) ways to help students find out about their values; (3)…

A teacher's search for a coherent explanation for the resistance of students to high school literature programs, vitally important since student attitudes influence learning, resulted in a discovery of both external and internal causal factors. Externally, an increasing emphasis on competency testing hinders the fostering of lifelong literacy.…

For a number of years, charges have flown back and forth about the presence or absence of a literary canon in the secondary schools. A review of surveys, done over the past century, of the literary works teachers say they have assigned their students, shows that only four authors from the 1907 list are present on the 1990 list. There does not seem…

In order to help teachers identify works of literature that will remain vibrant parts of their students' lives and give them new insights into themselves, their friends, and their enemies, this journal contains articles suggesting works that the authors found most meaningful to themselves. Titles and authors are as follows: (1) "'April Morning':…