The Bechdel test, the author's student Marley explained, is named for the US graphic novelist and cartoonist Alison Bechdel. To pass the test, a work of fiction must contain at least one scene in which two or more women (preferably named characters) discuss something other than a male. Students who read from the canon of works regularly encounter…

Although interest plays a large role in motivation and confidence, we need a clearer understanding of how teachers and classroom practices can influence students' interest for the act of writing. Rebecca L. Lipstein and K. Ann Renninger studied the perceptions of 178 students in grades 7, 8, and 9 to develop this understanding. They offer…

Urges teachers and professionals to battle against censorship for the sake of the students. (MM)

Notes that despite students' attitudes, educators need to remember the best in those students, the times when they show enormous kindness. Describes an example of this one winter day in the author's ninth-grade English class. (SG)

Presents two essays on teaching so-called average students: "The Forgotten Half," by Sharon Thomas; and "The Generals: Engaging Uncommitted Students in a Study of 'Huck Finn,'" by Lou Haga. (SR)

Provides a framework for thinking about issues of adolescence and identity in the English classroom. Presents an adaptable plan for preparing a thematic unit on identity in literature. Concludes that an English teacher should operate as a conduit between the stories that are taught and the stories of students' experiences, providing students with…

Describes a teacher's experience with a research paper assignment in which the project remained in the students' hands from start to finish. Notes the students' reactions to the project, and the teacher's struggle to redefine her role. Discusses the students' follow-up journals and some of the surprises along the way. (PRA)

Compares instructions for taking a ninth-grade achievement test to the reality of the conditions in which the test was actually taken. (NKA)

Shows how writing business letters to companies can produce results and spur classroom interest in writing as well. (EL)

An essay on the value of contention, arguing that the object of English classes should not be to classify things and ideas but to advance, possibly through an adversary approach, the differences in opinion, reaction, and value that too often lie buried in literary issues. (Author/JB)

A paper presented at annual convention of National Council of Teachers of English (60th, Atlanta, November 27, 1970). (Editor)

Examines gender issues in the English classroom. Notes that by thoughtfully orchestrating classroom activities, English teachers can bolster female students' self-confidence, helping them to construct and convey their own interpretations of texts, characters, and situations. (MM)

Offers reflections on the joys and sorrows of teaching English in a rural school. (RL)

Suggestions on how to make English classes a positive part of the tragic experience of students reacting to the death of a classmate. (RL)