Describes how, with the aid of a computer and modem, students in two schools can carry out a modified formal debate from their classrooms. (SR)

Describes how to motivate middle school readers by using story flow chart organizers. Provides a sample story flow chart for "The Long Way Around" by Jean McCord. (MM)

Describes a simple eight-step technique for teaching poetry that introduces poetry from the standpoint of writing it and by changing prose to poetry. (SR)

Discusses (1) a rationale for using young adult literature with adolescent English-as-a-Second-Language learners; (2) an approach to teaching the novel "Make Lemonade" by Virginia Euwer Wolff; (3) activities in which students engaged and samples of their work; and (4) implications for teachers who explore young adult literature with…

Contemporary learning theory supports the use of writing as a cognitive tool to enhance retention and assist students to understand abstract mathematical concepts. Using writing activities in the intermediate grade and secondary classroom enhances the learning of mathematics and is a way of making mathematics more reachable to those students who…

This teaching guide for "Where the Lilies Bloom" provides an introduction, a plot summary, and a conclusion as background information. The guide furnishes questions for discussion which focus on plot, point of view, setting, characters, interpretation and symbolism, ethical questions, and conclusion. (NKA)

Describes the Salient Characteristics Analysis Technique (SCAT), used to assist students in comprehending metaphorical text. Describes a sample lesson using a Langston Hughes poem. (SR)

Introducing students to the magic of theater and helping them develop dramatic skills, this book presents nine reproducible scripts for short plays (15 to 25 minutes) with characters and story lines that will appeal to young people. The scripts in the book encompass a variety of story types, from adaptations of well-known fairy tales to original…

Intended for teachers of grades 5 and up, this unit provides 127 documents from California's history, 38 of which come from the California State Archives in Sacramento, one of the nation's largest and most sophisticated repositories for primary sources. The unit contains three elements: (1) a list of document descriptions, which includes a…

Describes a schema-awareness activity (used with sixth graders and college students) that provides teachers with a model of how students can use their past experiences and their ability to infer and predict when reading. Notes that the activity convinces students that they bring to the reading act much more than they encounter on the printed page.…

Describes the "American Families Project," in which students from two or more schools participate in a creative writing, historical research activity, each playing a role in a fictitious family living in 1838 and corresponding with each other. (RS)

Discusses motivation for writing young adult horror books. Gives examples of where and how the author gets ideas. Illustrates several suggestions for classroom application. Suggests paying special attention to puns and other wordplays that flit through the mind. Suggests writing a random list of words and phrases given by brainstorming students…

This book explores the subject of metaphor, using the imagery of cartography to set a course. It explores the creative aspects of thinking and learning through literature, writing, and word play, drawing connections between English and other content areas. Theory and practical applications meet in the book, linking activities and resources to…

Jill Paton Walsh's "The Green Book," the story of a group of humans and their life on a new planet, captures the imagination of learners and provides a compelling context for learning. Several groups of learners including fifth graders and adult teacher practitioners responded to the book in unique and interesting ways. As the setting,…

Presents a lesson for grades 4-12 which examines the attorney's role in court. Provides presentation guidelines for a visiting attorney and includes a classroom role play which can help students understand a lawyer's role in a trial and the way in which questions are used to prove a case. (GEA)