One of a series of works aimed at presenting contemporary critical opinion on major authors, this collection includes essays by George Steiner, Leo Tolstoy, Ezra Pound, Erich Auerbach, Edwin Muir, Cedric H. Whitman, Albert B. Lord, W. H. Auden, Ernst Bloch, Georg Lukacs, C. Day Lewis, Gabriel Germain, Franz Kafka, Rachel Bespaloff, Robert…

One of a series of works aimed at presenting contemporary critical opinion on major authors, this collection includes essays by Alfred Harbage, H. B. Charlton, Willard Farnham, H. T. Price, Donald A. Stauffer, Brents Stirling, Maynard Mack, Helen Gardner, C. S. Lewis, Alvin Kernan, Bernard Spivack, L. C. Knights, Francis Fergusson, G. Wilson…

This teaching guide discusses Edgar Germain Hilaire Degas (1834-1917), his paintings, and his sculpture. The guide focuses on his paintings of daily activities at the horse racetrack in Paris (France). The unit has a concise biography of Degas. It is divided into two parts: Part 1: "Paintings and Drawings" (Kimberly Jones); and Part 2:…

To the explorer or colonist of the 16th and 17th centuries, North America was a vast and uncharted land. The continent appealed to European eyes--blind to the claims of the Native Americans who, to varying degrees of density, inhabited the entire continent--as an open field to claim, to exploit, and to settle. Once permanent settlements were…

The use of literature in a U.S. history class can revitalize the curriculum. The applicability of biographies, historical fiction, and contemporary fiction to history classes is discussed. A brief annotated list of appropriate sources, chronologically arranged for reluctant, average, and advanced readers, is included. (AM)

Lists Hispanic-American legends, poetry, short stories, short essays, plays, fiction, and biography and provides brief summaries pointing out general good points and drawbacks of each for secondary teachers. (JL)

Provides a rationale for including biography projects in various secondary content areas. Describes a biography project assignment in a teacher education secondary content area literacy course. Provides examples of preservice teachers' work; makes connections to research about literacy and equity; and offers student comments about the assignment.…

Provides background information on artist, Georges de la Tour, focusing on his life and career as an artist. Includes student activities for use by art instructors, as well as a reproduction of a La Tour painting, "The Cheat with the Ace of Clubs." Offers a discussion of the painting. (CMK)

Presents information related to the attempts on discovering the true identity of Tituba. Focuses on theories presented about her identity and her role in the Salem (Massachusetts) witchcraft trials. Discusses the images of Tituba portrayed in literature and U.S. history. (CMK)

Explores how gender and class subjectivity is embodied by Australian secondary-school students through interviews with two young people. Examines the developmental aspect of identity formation, addressing the impact of feminism on gender change. Focuses on the subjectivity-school relation by exploring the interactions between individual…

Provides background information on the Impressionism movement. Discusses the life of U.S. artist, Frederick Childe Hassam, and describes the content and techniques used for his painting, "Lower Manhattan." Includes suggestions for class activities and a reproduction of his artwork. (CMK)

Examines the truth behind commonly-accepted myths related to Jimmy Carter presidency. Looks at belief that Carter was not a politician; at contradictory misconception that he was a liberal democratic politician; and at the belief that Carter presided over a decline in U.S. diplomatic prestige and military strength. Concludes that these myths…

Describes the life and work of Samuel Read Hall, an innovative educator who influenced the future of education. Includes information on his early life, his innovative use of the blackboard, and his development of the first school for educating teachers. Describes some of his methods of teaching history and geography, some of which are still used.…

Describes the significance of the election of 1800 in the development of political parties in the United States. Contends that Alexander Hamilton's view of the United States Constitution was dangerous for the new nation and led to a permanent split in the Federalist Party. Includes a resource bibliography for teachers wishing to incorporate this…

Explains that by studying the music of Clara Schumann, music classes can learn about some of the musical forms, styles, and techniques of the Romantic period. Considers teaching strategies centered around Clara Schumann's "Variations on a Theme of Robert Schumann" and provides background information on her life. (CMK)