For generations teachers have tried to teach the approved "classics" of our culture. Today, with the mass media claiming so much of students' time and interest, this approach is more than ever doomed to failure. A better plan is to focus on popular culture: comic books, popular fiction (westerns, horror tales, and science fiction), movies, and…

These guidelines are part of a total curricular program K-12 developed for use in the elementary and secondary schools of the Diocese of Cleveland. Objectives for the study of the communication arts in these grades are listed as follows: (1) Listening with attention, discrimination, and empathy, (2) Viewing with perception, discrimination, and…

Four professionals in English instruction envision a future that contains a 10,000-student secondary school teaching only English language arts, a school where tutors help students learn independently; achieves balance between teaching and institutional ideals of curriculum for basal readers; addresses the writing movement, keyboard instruction,…

This collection of 18 essays explores how English teaching at both secondary and postsecondary levels can be made more relevant to work. Titles and authors are as follows: "Of Work and English" (Mary Sue Garay); "Toward a Working English for Twenty-First Century Schools and Colleges" (Mary Sue Garay); "Work in Transition: Trends and Implications"…

Reviews efforts to develop national content standards for teaching English. Today's standards movements are distinguished from earlier efforts in that the learner is recognized as active, the meaning is socially and historically contingent, and the purpose is the development of language for political power and the creation and appreciation of…

This practicum was designed to help college-bound sophomores make connections between English class and the world of work so that they could make informed decisions about college and career choices. The target population was 90 honors-level 10th grade English students on an interdisciplinary team. The setting was a predominately middle class,…

English instruction is successful when students learn to express significant ideas clearly in discussions, write with verve and grace, read with insight and enjoyment, and practice these skills beyond the realm of the classroom. This report discusses how to teach grammar and select literature in order to achieve those goals. Research and issues in…

Representing a significant part of the development of a basic education program for North Carolina's public schools, this teacher handbook and integrated competency-based curriculum guide provides recommended goals (broad statements of general direction or purpose), objectives (specific statements of what the student will know or be able to do),…

Educational research has been meeting resistance in its effort to influence curricular policy or to change classroom practice because of the lack of value placed on it by those who exercise power over and in higher institutions of learning. In order to counteract this resistance it is important to identify those predisposed to effect change in the…

Intended for use by curriculum specialists, administrators, resource teachers, classroom teachers, and teachers of special reading programs, this language arts guide for kindergarten through grade eight offers objectives and activities for integrating the language arts. The guide follows a general format, making it adaptable to any situation, and…

One of a series of teacher-developed curriculum guides designed to encourage student participation and involvement in important social issues, this secondary level guide helps 7th through 12th grade English and social studies educators teach about the election process. An introductory section suggests practical considerations, means of enlisting…

These four consumer citizenship curriculum guides for social studies, English, science, and mathematics incorporate consumer education into these subject matter areas in grades 8-12. Each guide is organized around 10 main component/goals. They are basic economics in the marketplace, credit, consumer law/protection, banking skills, comparison…

The career education materials and concepts in this collection were developed or adapted from other sources by participants in a districtwide junior high career education project piloted in Kansas City, Missouri. Early portions define career education and suggest roles and functions for the collaborative efforts of all who are involved in the…

Data are presented in support of the validation of the competency-based basic skills curriculum which was implemented in the District of Columbia Public Schools in 1978-79. Strategies for conducting the validation are outlined in detail, including review of tests used, orientation of participants, integration of curricular hierarchies, and…

A child's own purpose in life is to educate himself and to explore experience; consequently, secondary-school children will benefit from English teaching that encourages their imaginative creativity rather than forces strict adherence to arbitrary rules. When considering their childhood memories and the adult experiences before them, children…