Although most of the writing in high school English Language Arts (ELA) classrooms is about literature and although there have been incessant calls for changing the practices of teaching and learning literature, only meager amounts of research have been conducted in these interrelated domains of the field. Accordingly, this dissertation seeks to…

In 2004, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) concluded that "literature reading is fading as a meaningful activity, especially among younger people." How can educators continue to teach students about the power of literary response when the priority is for them to achieve proficiency on standardized tests, whose scores can only be narrowly…

The study of literature has many important benefits for students, but research shows that students often have difficulty interpreting literary texts, are unable to read critically, and are challenged to write interpretations that go beyond basic plot summary. This article provides a theoretical interpretation of the processes by which students…

Assuming that readers' emotional responses can enhance readers' metacognitive experiences and inform literary analysis, this study of 11th-grade poetry readers features instruction that models both cognitive and affective reading processes. The author: (1) Presents a case for more explicit attention to emotion in language arts classrooms; (2)…

States that psychological models help shape students' responses to literature. Explains how a Freudian model can be used to explore the meanings inherent in Emily Dickinson's "A Narrow Fellow in the Grass." (MM)

Uses students' responses to poetry as a tool for developing writing skills and literature appreciation. Matches literature materials to students' levels of experience. (RL)

A five-step method of conflict analysis can help students generate accurate and complex theme statements about literature without teacher intervention. The conflict analysis involves (1) identifying the characters who are in conflict as a series of pairs and determining if the protagonist has an inner conflict; (2) determining the major conflict,…

TO HELP STUDENTS ENJOY POETRY--ESSENTIALLY AN "UNTEACHABLE" EXPERIENCE--THE TEACHER SHOULD APPROACH THE TEACHING OF POETRY THROUGH A DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSIS OF INDIVIDUAL POEMS RATHER THAN PRIMARILY THROUGH AN EMPHASIS ON THE POEM'S HISTORICAL PERIOD, NATIONAL ORIGIN, OR THEMATIC CONTENT. THE DEVICES WHICH GIVE POETRY ITS SPECIAL RHYTHMIC…

DISTINCTIONS BETWEEN THE NARRATIVE AND DRAMATIC MODES CAN BEST BE UNDERSTOOD BY EMPHASIZING WHAT IT MEANS TO THINK AND CREATE DRAMATICALLY. ALTHOUGH BOOKS (WHICH ARE READ) AND PLAYS (WHICH ARE SEEN) TREAT PLOT, CHARACTER, AND SETTING SIMILARLY, CONVENTIONS THAT PARTICULARLY DISTINGUISH THEATRICAL FORM ARE--(1) THE AUTHENTICATING REALITY OF THE…

THE NARRATIVE MODE CAN BEST BE UNDERSTOOD THROUGH A STUDY OF THE CONVENTIONS WHICH SHAPE A STORY'S FORM AND SUBSTANCE. OF PARTICULAR IMPORTANCE IN PERCEIVING THE INTENTION OF THE NARRATIVE IS TO LOOK AT THE CONVENTION OF POINT OF VIEW--THE…

In an eleventh-grade unit, students studied and practiced the art of storytelling and then went into elementary classrooms to tell stories to first-grade and second-grade children. Students prepared for the storytelling sessions by reading books on storytelling techniques, inviting a local storyteller to class and then videotaping and studying her…

Introduces a two-step instructional model that promotes independence in reading comprehension by transferring responsibility for strategy use to the students throughout the course of instruction. Includes extended examples. (NKA)

A CONTINUATION OF "TEACHING LITERATURE IN GRADES 7 THROUGH 9" (SEE ED 013 804.), THIS BOOK OFFERS A TEACHING APPROACH WHICH EMPHASIZES THE CLOSE READING OF LITERARY WORKS IN A SEQUENTIAL ORDER OF INCREASING COMPLEXITY. EACH OF THE FIRST THREE SECTIONS ("POETRY,""SHORT STORY," AND "DRAMA", PRESENTS A PROGRAM…