Often the victims of bullying are singled out because they are different from the majority. The fear of being bullied is a life-shaping fear that effects the lives of more than 160,000 students who miss school every day to avoid victimization by bullies. The damaging effects of bullying can lead to poor academic performance, low self-esteem, early…

This paper explores the potential for using narrative to foster children's spiritual growth. It discusses the nature, origin and appeal of story and presents theoretical perspectives which form a rationale for using non-sectarian children's, adolescent and young adult literature for spiritual development. Such books avoid church-and-state…

This study documents literature discussions between groups of teacher education students in two geographically and demographically different universities. Students from an education methods course at each site discussed "The Friendship" by Mildred Taylor with one another as part of a distance reader response project. The project was designed to…

Offering practical, classroom-based strategies teachers can use to promote literacy development, this book presents many examples of children engaging in discussion activities about narrative and informational text that emphasize collaborating, constructing meaning, and using these different types of texts to arrive at new understandings. Chapters…

What is pleasing about hypertext is what has always been pleasing about genre fiction: the creative process of reading. Genre novels are written to a formula--and often called formula fiction. Critics say they are written to make money and to make money only. According to C. S. Lewis, they "rot the mind." If looked at from the standpoint…

This paper outlines a senior seminar, or "capstone" course, in computer science developed at the University of South Carolina at Spartanburg. It was intended that the senior seminar should differ in classroom format from other courses in the major. Course requirements include timed oral presentations, reading of science fiction in which…

Intended for students taking the Grade 12 Diploma Examinations in English 30, this "questions booklet" presents 70 multiple choice test items based on 8 reading selections in the accompanying readings booklet. After instructions for students, the booklet presents the multiple choice items which test students' comprehension of the poetry,…

Intended for students taking the Grade 12 Diploma Examinations in English 30, this "readings booklet" presents 8 reading selections from fiction and nonfiction. After instructions for students, the booklet presents (1) Robert Penn Warren's poem "Summer Afternoons and Hypnosis"; (2) an excerpt from an interview with William…

This book presents descriptions of 17 courses in education, the humanities, social sciences, business, and the arts that acknowledge cultural diversity and invite students to understand and respect that diversity. Many of the courses focus on student-centered approaches to instruction. Following an introduction by the editors, syllabi in the book…

A research project aimed to show the rationale, procedure, and implications of an interdisciplinary multimedia-hypertext for composition research. The project, undertaken for 2 semesters, was for an English 102 "Writing about Literature" course which also looked to improve students' writing and critical thinking skills. In a classroom…

This book offers teachers a convenient means of broadening their understanding of reader response theory and criticism and applying this theory to the teaching of literature in high school and college classrooms. The book is designed to arouse individual teachers' interest in reader response theory and encourage them to apply it to their teaching.…

This paper reports findings of a study examining the appreciation of editorial cartoons as a function of personal characteristics rather than group membership. The variables examined were self-consciousness and the ability to utilize humor as a coping mechanism. Appreciation of editorial cartoons during the 1992 presidential campaign was measured…

Intended to provide a natural and positive way to introduce young children to the stories told by different ethnic groups, this paper suggests a series of language activities that adapt folktales from around the world for classroom use to enable young children to read the stories for themselves. The paper notes that these activities are…

A descriptive/observational study examined one teacher's approach to teaching literature in a heterogeneous, self-contained fifth-grade classroom in a growing suburban community in southeastern Michigan during one school year. The teacher (with 21 years experience) was selected by the Murray Hill School administrators and was observed once a week…

Literature instructors become frustrated as they read poorly written student essays. The problem is partly the students' lack of experience: they have not read a lot or written a lot. Literature classes can be more interesting and effective if teachers coordinate two kinds of emphases: allowing for discovery and moving toward productivity. In…