Considers how in the name of imagination, teachers often design activities and assignments that violate the text around which the lesson is focused and that mislead students about its meaning. Argues that imagination for its own sake is not the key to good classroom practice or profound understanding. Suggests that the best communication comes…

Discusses the life and work of Stephen Schwandt, a mystery writer who incorporates elements of the mystery genre into his nonmystery novels. Suggests that the major strength of his novels is the characters. (RS)

Argues that language arts education and discussions of language arts have skirted issues of existential philosophy and religion, even though these issues are inherently a part of literature. Raises concerns about the personal and political consequences of avoiding questions about why people exist and what purpose they have in life. (TB)

Describes the usefulness of helping students use varied critical stances (including feminism, new historicism, psychoanalytic criticism, and deconstruction) in the teaching of literature. Demonstrates with the "The Odyssey." (SR)

Offers practical advice for directors and actors regarding script analysis. Contains questions which the director can use to create a thorough analysis of the script and questions to challenge the actors. Asserts that answering these questions helps actors build a detailed character analysis providing directors with hints about how gesture and…

Reexamines the use of the novel, "Murder at the Margin," in college and high school economics instruction. Identifies errors in the book's application of economic principles. Explores the novel's approach to the "prisoner's dilemma" and the making of choices. Concludes that despite problems, the book remains valuable to…

Describes a class activity in which students analyze modern song lyrics and their poetic devices as an introduction to the study and analysis of poetry. (SR)

Discusses how children's authors Norma Fox Mazer uses stereotypes creatively to fight stereotypes, using examples from several of her books. (SR)

Discusses the religious content in the few books for young adults that deal with religion. Notes that, although these books are few in number, they represent some of the best and most powerful books for young adults. (RS)

Considers the nature and function of the past in the way people construct the present, particularly with regard to the study of literature. Presents reader response as a feasibile approach for teachers of literature. Discusses issues surrounding the literary canon and the role of literature teachers. (HB)

Examines the works of Gillian Rubinstein, a popular author of children's literature who is now writing for older readers. Explores what she says and how she says it in her three novels for older readers. (PRA)

The series editor of the "Cambridge School Shakespeare" describes how recent Shakespearean theatre productions, involving astonishing cultural transpositions of space and time, have influenced his views about teaching the bard in schools. To reach students, teachers in multicultural settings should replace the pedagogy of explication and…

Describes how in the late 1930s a novelist named John R. Tunis began publishing a long series of books about various athletic situations and issues of his day. Examines Tunis' attempt to demonstrate where sports sometimes touch contemporary social issues. Explicates three texts: "All-American"; "Keystone Kids"; and "Yea! Wildcats!" (SG)

Suggests that the idea of maturation of the innocent through the tutelage of an experienced adult has been a mainstay in literature. Discusses how each of the parents from the novels "American Pastoral,""The House Gun," and "Disgrace" protests in a private or public way in order to reclaim his/her child. (RS)

Discusses how Francine Prose accuses English teachers of assigning simplistic, badly written books that breed incompetent writers and readers who loathe literature. Notes that Prose focuses her contempt upon "To Kill a Mockingbird" and Maya Angelou's "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings." Suggests that students show teachers how to help them love…