Describes a secondary level interdisciplinary (social studies and language arts) study of family life in early nineteenth-century New England. Research and creative writing were combined with a working field trip to a living history museum, Old Sturbridge Village. (KC)

Suggests activities that sharpen sensory awareness in prose and poetry instruction; relates some of the exercises to specific literary texts. (MAI)

Urges the inclusion in planning and in-service education programs of effective ways teachers can interact with parents and students to help them understand the English language arts program. (DD)

Suggests that the "Standards for the English Language Arts" (copublished by the National Council of Teachers of English and the International Reading Association) makes good sense about literature and almost none at all about literacy. Argues that for 99% of the school population, the de-emphasis of the "Standards" on formal written communication…

Discusses why jazz is important for English Language Arts education. Describes some contemporary literature for young adults that the author and others have found to be engaging. Presents some general strategies for incorporating the music and literature into the English Language Arts program. Explores in more detail one specific strategy and…

Outlines the highlights of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) 2001 Baltimore convention. Explains the Teacher of Excellence Awards, which identifies outstanding high school English language arts teachers. Comments on a selection of a new editor for the "English Journal," and details new initiatives as well as the Portland…

Explains how a teacher teaches to some of her students via television, how it has developed as a medium in a particular school, some of its distinct advantages, and some of the concerns with it. Gives a detailed picture of how the hardware affects the classroom situation. (TB)

Outlines the Conversational Discussion Group framework, an approach to help teachers shift from traditional, teacher-led discussions to peer discussions about literature. Discusses several questions that teachers ask as they make this shift from centralized discussion structures. (SR)

Describes how the author uses a poem by Marge Piercy called "Barbie Doll" to help students discover for themselves the implicit power of gender. Describes how students (1) examine the poem's language and have lively and insightful discussions as they find meanings for themselves; and (2) extend and elaborate on these meanings as they…

Argues that humor is an invaluable teaching tool in English classes. Describes how the author and her students: found humor an important means of discovering profound truths in Shakespeare's dramas; enjoyed the epic "Paradise Lost"; worked with satire in Chaucer; and used humor in students' own creative activities. (SR)

Presents brief accounts from four secondary English teachers describing short stories and short story units that they have successfully taught. (SR)

Presents information on the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) and the Early Adolescence/English Language Arts (EA/ELA) assessment. Comments on "insiders and outsiders" as a guiding metaphor and on the differences in positioning of teachers as insiders to assessment development, administration, and evaluation and…

Addresses what standards for English teachers should be and how they should work. Questions the value of the standards movement as it is playing out in the United States, especially as a vehicle for school reform. Suggests ways of positioning standards within a different rhetoric. (RS)