Offering fresh alternatives to common instructional practices that fail to get results, this accessible, highly practical guide highlights ways to motivate middle school students while enhancing content-area learning. Each chapter features an enlightening case study of a teacher whose current strategies are not supported by research; describes…

"English--a portrait of current practice" is one in a series of portraits by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education (HMIE), depicting current practice in key aspects of the Scottish curriculum. The portrait series is a recent initiative by HMIE, flowing from the "Improving Scottish Education" report. It is intended to promote…

One way to improve engagement and ensure motivation for students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) during academics is to use restricted interests in instruction and activities. Embedding these interests into the curriculum can motivate the student with ASD to attempt tasks that were previously less preferred or difficult. This article…

One of the key requirements of the Common Core State Standards for Reading is that all students must be able to comprehend texts of steadily increasing complexity as they progress through school. By the time they complete the core, students must be able to read and comprehend independently and proficiently the kinds of complex texts commonly found…

Describes the contents and evaluation methods used in a high school course designed to get students to read more. (RB)

Discusses literacy as a functional skill and literacy as a characteristic of "civilization." (AA)

Experienced English teachers recommend worthwhile books for beginning English teachers. (MS)

Presents five characteristics of middle schools, and suggests implications for reading instruction. (DD)

Considers the current debates regarding the teaching of reading. Outlines the general failure to understand the nature of literacy, the complexity of educational issues, and the lack of public language for discussing such issues. Provides an accessible explanation of current reading methods for parents. (HB)

This paper reports a small-scale study of wider reading at Key Stage 3 in current English classrooms in secondary schools in the south of England. Six English teachers, three of whom were relatively new to teaching, were interviewed on what they thought about wider reading. The findings indicate that because of a lack of time and absence of demand…

Spoken Words, a modified language experience approach to the study of vocabulary, offers college instructors an opportunity to individualize vocabulary instruction and to demonstrate a variety of the most powerful vocabulary learning strategies in a natural language setting. To implement Spoken Words, the teacher must first model the procedure by…

To give English teachers specific direction in teaching reading skills to secondary students, the writers planned and implemented a reading skills instructional program. (RB)

Describes the use of silent film classics as a way to teach reading, vocabulary, and grammar and to stimulate interest in reading books related to the movies shown. (TJ)

Explores how Laura Ingalls Wilder in her "Little House on the Prairie" book series idealizes the life of settlers in the western American states and intersperses this version with reality. Shows how the cozy family circle provides security in the face of historical and autobiographical opposition. (HB)