bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Why Revitalize Grammar?
Authors: Dunn Patricia A. , Lindblom Kenneth
Published: March 2024

Patricia A. Dunn and Kenneth Lindblom say “that students must be taught the complex, higher order tasks of analyzing each rhetorical situation in which they write. They need to practice writing for different purposes and for readers with different expectations, so that they can make sophisticated decisions about audience, purpose, and voice.” The article suggests strategies for doing this.
How to Teach Grammar, Analytical Thinking, and Writing: A Method That Works
Authors: Sams Lynn
Published: March 2024

Lynn Sams argues for the teaching of grammar by teaching students to analyze their language choices for writing.
The Stylish Semicolon: Teaching Punctuation as Rhetorical Choice
Authors: Petit Angela
Published: March 2024

Angela Petit Angela Petit provides a strategy for teaching the semicolon to point out to students that grammar choices create style in writing.
Grammar on the Information Superhighway: Proceed with Caution
Authors: Perrin Robert
Published: March 2024

Robert Perrin analyzes 15 grammar web sites.
The Glossing Process as a Practical Approach to Grammar Instruction
Authors: Johansen Deborah , Shaw Nancy L.
Published: March 2024

Deborah Johansen and Nancy L. Shaw describe their “glossing” method of grammar instruction.
Serious Playfulness: Setting the Tone for Teaching Language and Grammar
Authors: Carroll Pamela Sissi
Published: March 2024

Pamela Sissi Carroll and her students suggest some ways to playfully teach language usage.
EJ Extra: Just Listen to Us
Authors: Aanrud Kelly
Published: March 2024

Kelly Aanrud lists “a few basic and consistent trends in the way we talk.”
From the Secondary Section: Facilitating the NCTE Reading Initiative across the High School Curriculum
Authors: Younker Keith
Published: March 2024

Keith Younker tells how NCTE’s Reading Initiative is working across his high school’s curriculum.
Insights for Interns: How Much Latitude Does a First Year Teacher Insights for Interns: How Much Latitude Does a First Year Teacher Have?
Authors: Bellisario Gina , Blackburn-Brockman Elizabeth
Published: March 2024

The article lists several strategies for getting the most into writing instruction.
Professional Links: Who Controls Classroom Content and Instructional Approaches
Authors: Zitlow Connie
Published: March 2024

Connie Zitlow recommends two professional books: At the Schoolhouse Gate and Power Portfolios.
More Than One Definition of “Exceptional”
Authors: Reeder Jan
Published: March 2024

Notes that because each student is unique, there is no way to address exceptional students as a group. Relates a story of a student who embraced academics for a short time, with a great negative impact on his social life. Concludes teachers should focus on being “exceptional” themselves.
Fighting Back: Assessing the Assessments
Authors: Hillocks George
Published: March 2024

Suggests that analyses of current assessment practices need to examine the impact that testing has on teaching and the curriculum. Notes that writing assessment drives instruction. Provides basic questions to begin analyses of local and state assessments, and provides one such analysis of Illinois’ assessment. Concludes that educators need to help students examine specious arguments even while tests encourage the opposite.
Removing the Word “Reluctant” from “Reluctant Reader”
Authors: Stringer Sharon A. , Mollineaux Bill
Published: March 2024

Explores how positive approaches to reading benefit reluctant readers by connecting important psychological principles about adolescence. Notes that if educators get away from the notion that difficulties signal inadequacy, then they can share complementary strengths with reluctant readers. Suggests that labels harm reluctant readers at a time when they are most sensitive to social comparisons with peers.
Defining Moment: Teaching Vocabulary to Unmotivated Students
Authors: Otten Amanda St. Clair
Published: March 2024

Vocabulary instruction is an essential part of the language arts curriculum, but it is often overlooked because of lack of time or effective resources. Amanda St. Clair Otten suggests strategies for approaching vocabulary through skills instead of drills, giving students opportunities to discover new words in the context of both independent and whole-class reading.
Out Loud: The Common Language of Poetry
Authors: Ellis Lindsay , Gere Anne Ruggles , Jill Lamberton L
Published: March 2024

Ellis, Gere, and Lamberton describe a workshop on slam poetry and detail how this form of performance poetry can lead students back to the written poem with a renewed sense of connection and understanding.
Mrs. Hanks’s Wink: Early Lessons in Being and Becoming a Teacher
Authors: Hanson Mindy Berry
Published: March 2024

Through sharing critical episodes, a high school teacher in a rural school reminds us of the importance of relationships and personal reflection in the development of teachers.
Teaching as Learning in a Yup’ik Eskimo Village
Authors: Price Kimberly C.
Published: March 2024

Learning about and getting involved in the local community are necessary to become a successful high school teacher in Tununak, Alaska. Kimberly Price describes cultural challenges and shares the experiences that have made her a learner as well as a teacher.
A Call to Action
Authors: L Thomas P
Published: March 2024

University educator P.L. Thomas recalls the significant figures in his professional life and, drawing from their example, exhorts us to â€œcommand the daily events of our own careers.â€ He outlines specific actions that he believes English language arts teachers must take.
Reflections of an AP Reader
Authors: Schwartz Jeffrey
Published: March 2024

Jeffrey Schwartz teaches English and film at Greenwich Academy in Greenwich, Connecticut. email: jeff_schwartz@greenwichacademy.org.
In Defense of Harry … But Not His Defenders: Beyond Censorship to Justice
Authors: Glanzer Perry L.
Published: March 2024

Discussions of controversial literature should include both an understanding of the power of books and the readerâ€™s ability to understand those texts. Perry L. Glanzer argues the need for â€œalternative voices and worldviews’ in the classroom.
Snapshots: Themes in Literature and Loss
Authors: Permenter Andrea Lee
Published: March 2024

Snapshots offers insights about teaching and learning through teacher stories about a particular classroom event.
Professional Links: Language, Literacy, and Critical Inquiry
Authors: Zitlow Connie S.
Published: March 2024

â€œProfessional Linksâ€ reviews professional books and materials, linking them to complementary software and appropriate Web sites.
From the Secondary Section: Do Our Students Really Speak the Language of the Test?
Authors: Cruz MaryCarmen
Published: March 2024

Members of the Secondary Section Steering Committee comment on topics of importance to English language arts educators.
Snapshots: Dealing with the Elephant
Authors: Raymond Michael W.
Published: March 2024

“Snapshots”; offers insights about teaching and learning through teacher stories about a particular classroom event.
Curriculum and the Performng Arts: Created by Staff, Inspired by the Muse
Authors: Fowler Joy A.
Published: March 2024

The English Journal staff interviews Joy A. Fowler, Department Chair, Writing Department, School for Creative and Performing Arts, Cincinnati, Ohio
Through Ecofeminist Eyes: Le Guin’s ”;The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas”
Authors: Bennett Barbara
Published: March 2024

Barbara Bennett explains the tenets behind ecofeminism and why it is a useful and appropriate method of literary analysis for today’s world. By applying the theory to Le Guin’s story, she helps her students relate the issues of ecofeminism to their American lifestyle.
A Cross-Age Antidote for Senioritis
Authors: Conrad Jennifer Richardson
Published: March 2024

Pairing high school seniors with elementary students to write, edit, and publish children’s picture books proved to be an engaging project for Jennifer Richardson Conrad’s students. Seniors stayed focused and eager to work on the project and proved they had learned editing lessons by teaching them to the younger students.
From the Secondary Section: The Top Ten Reasons to Join Us in Pittsburgh
Authors: Locklear Agathaniki (Niki)
Published: March 2024

Members of the Secondary Section Steering Committee comment on topics of importance to English language arts educators.
Why We Need Neil Simon’s Lost in Yonkers
Authors: Coates Nathan
Published: March 2024

“Teacher to Teacher” provides a forum for teachers to share ideas, materials, and activities.
Beyond the Page: Students as Actor-Readers
Authors: Felske Claudia Klein
Published: March 2024

With the aid of a guest workshop leader, high school teacher Claudia Klein Felske created a vital dramatic experience in the classroom. She presents three activities that helped students “experience the intensity of language and discover the ramifications of words” in Othello.
Using The Original Approach to Teach Shakespeare
Authors: Felske Claudia Klein
Published: March 2024

By using a teaching method simulating the experience of the actors of the Elizabethan stage, Bruce Robbins brought to the classroom a fresh approach to teaching Shakespeare. Close attention to structure and individual words helped students find cues from the text to enhance their understanding.
Wrighting: Crafting Critical Literacy through Drama
Authors: Shosh Joseph M.
Published: March 2024

Joseph M. Shosh shows how he made writing central in a drama class to build critical literacy. He describes writing tasks such as creating scenes from personal observations and using acting journals as well as writing projects necessarily involved with play production.
Using Improvisational Workshop to Explore Gender Issues in ”The Untold Lie”
Authors: Zumhagen Patricia
Published: March 2024

By attempting to develop a film update of Sherwood Andersonâ€™s story, Patricia Zumhagen was able to highlight the gender inequities present in older literature. Through discussions and improvisation, students learned to see how stereotypes operated in the literature and in their lives.
New Voices: Blind Mice and a Motive--Studying Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap
Authors: Hunt Tiffany J. , Hunt Bud
Published: March 2024

“New Voices” raises questions, offers insights, and provides a forum for novice teachers to engage in the professional conversation surrounding the teaching of English.
Bold Books for Teenagers: Strange Creatures
Authors: Gallo Don
Published: March 2024

“Bold Books for Teenagers” provides dynamic, informative viewpoints on important issues in publishing and teaching contemporary literature, especially literature for adolescents. Reviews of young adult literature also appear in this column.
New Voices: A New Teacher’s Guide to Professional Development
Authors: Hunt Bud , Hunt Tiffany
Published: March 2024

“New Voices” raises questions, offers insights, and provides a forum for novice teachers to engage in the professional conversation surrounding the teaching of English.
English in the City: Sharing Perspectives on Staff Development
Authors: Hamilton Greg
Published: March 2024

“English in the City” focuses on the particular challenges, choices, and celebrations relevant to teaching in an urban setting.
POETRY: English Journal - November 2005
Authors: Brewbaker James
Published: March 2024

“Poetry” features poems by teachers and professional poets.
Best Practice in English Education
Authors: Wilcox Bonita L.
Published: March 2024

Bonita Wilcox highlights 5 authors who reflect on best practices strategies in English Education
Virtual Spaces for Teachers and Learners
Authors: Wilcox Bonita L.
Published: March 2024

The need for online distance learning is growing, but the reality of it has introduced new challenges for teachers in terms of quality, process, and assessment. The articles in this issue evaluate online courses from two different perspectives.
Profile: Sorting Out the Pinkneys
Authors: Darigan Daniel L.
Published: March 2024

When the name Pinkney is mentioned in a group of teachers, librarians, or booksellers, there are often varied responses. Does Pinkney refer to the popular illustrator and author Jerry Pinkney? Or is it Gloria Jean Pinkney, Jerry’s wife, who wrote three successful books herself? Perhaps it links with Brian Pinkney, third child of Jerry and Gloria Jean. Then again Pinkney could also refer to Brian’s wife Andrea Davis Pinkney, a children’s book editor and author. Or the descriptor might be ascribed to Myles Pinkney, Jerry and Gloria Jean’s youngest son, who with his wife Sandra is the most recent Pinkney progeny to create books for children.
But They Still Can’t (or Won’t) Read! Helping Overcome Roadblocks to Reading
Authors: Allen Janet
Published: March 2024

Questions students on what gets in the way of reading for them and what advice they would give educators to help overcome those obstacles. Concludes that as a result of their words, educators now look at each classroom for common elements that support all readers: diverse resources, respected adults as readers, choice, time for reading, multiple levels of support, and demonstrations of reading in action.
Revisiting and Rethinking the Reading Process
Authors: Kucer Stephen B. , Tuten Jenny
Published: March 2024

Reports on the authors’ revisiting of the reading process using proficient adult readers (advanced graduate students in a school of education) as their informants. Begins with a brief overview of the current debate concerning the nature of reading and explains how they went about investigating the issue. Discusses what they learned from their investigation and addresses what this means for classroom reading istruction.
The Arts and the Creation of Mind
Authors: Eisner Elliot W.
Published: March 2024

The arts afford opportunities to transform brains into minds in distinctive ways.
Reading Corner for Educators: Creating Space for Talk and Dialogue
Authors: Fang Zhihui , Fu Danling , Lamme Linda Leonard , Carriveau Richard
Published: March 2024

The word “literacy” is semantically saturated. If it is broadened to mean the ability to make sense of everyday life, then we must genuinely value, better understand, and more actively promote the very means by which we live our livesâ€”conversation. The four books reviewed in this column offer practical ideas and suggestions for achieving these goals.
Elaborated Student Talk in an Elementary EsoL Classroom
Authors: Boyd Maureen P. , Rubin Donald L.
Published: March 2024

Examines the discourse in an English as a second or other language (ESoL) classroom in a best-case scenario that contrasted dramatically with more typical school settings. Samples student critical turns (SCTs) across a six-week literature-rich science unit. Shows that the teacher played a crucial role in extended dialogue among students.
Annotated Bibliography of Research in the Teaching of English
Authors: Brown Deborah , Beavis Catherine , Kalman Judith , Stinson Anne D’Antonio , Whiting Melissa E.
Published: March 2024

Presents annotations of 37 selected recent research in the teaching of English and related fields. Addresses bilingual/foreign language education, discourse processes, literacy, professional development, reading, teaching and learning of literature, teaching and learning of writing, and technology and literacy. Notes that most of the studies appeared during the six-month period from July through December 2001.
Building Worlds and Identities: A Case Study of the Role of Narratives in Bilingual Literature Discussions
Authors: Martínez-Roldán Carmen M.
Published: March 2024

This article investigates the use of oral narratives by a 7-year-old Mexican born girl (Isabela) participating in small group literature discussions in a bilingual 2nd-grade classroom in the U.S. over a year. The study is grounded in sociocultural and critical perspectives and uses narrative and transactional theories to understand literacy events.
Annotated Bibliography of Research in the Teaching of English
Authors: Brown Deborah , Beavis Catherine , Kalman Judith , Gómez Macrina , Rijlaarsdam Gert , Stinson Anne D’Antonio , Whiting Melissa E.
Published: March 2024

Twice a year, in the May and November issues, RTE publishes a selected bibliography of recent research in the teaching of English.
At Last: “Analyses” and “Interpretations”: Are They Complementary?
Authors: Cazden Courtney B.
Published: March 2024

In 1986, while still at Harvard, I started teaching summer school at the Bread Loaf School of English, the graduate program in English of Middlebury College. Bread Loaf offers courses in literature, theater, and writing—where I fit in. I came to that job with a background in applied linguistics and cognitive development, but not in literature, and so started out feeling professionally marginal. But appropriation of interests and understandings from repeated participation in a powerful environment has its effects, and I’m now increasingly intrigued by differences in perspectives on texts between language research and the humanities. This is my first attempt to consider them together.
Reviews
Authors: Baker Edith M. , Becker Susan , Houston Linda , Shafer Gregory , Brickman Bette
Published: March 2024

English Teachers’ the Unofficial Guide: Researching the Philosophies of English Teachers; B. Marshall. Attending to the Margins: Writing, Researching, and Teaching on the Front Lines; M. H. Kells & V. Balester. Mutuality in the Rhetoric and Composition Classroom; D. L. Wallace & H. R. Ewald. Talkin’ That Talk: Language, Culture and Education in African America; G. Smitherman. Writing Simple Poems: Pattern Poetry for Language Acquisition; V. L. Holmes & M. R. Moulton.
Community College Research: An Ivory Tower?
Authors: Sligh Gary Lee
Published: March 2024

Should instructors in two-year colleges be involved in research? If so, how important is such research in advancing the work of community colleges in a new century?
Understanding ESL Writers: Second Language Writing by Composition Instructors
Authors: Shin Sarah J.
Published: March 2024

Composition teachers can obtain a better understanding of the challenges facing ESL students by writing in their own second language and reflecting on the experience.
Nouns and Verbs: Feeling the Love
Authors: Cornelius Trista
Published: March 2024

Describes the experience of a returning, nontraditional, first–generation college student as seen through the eyes of an English instructor who is substantially younger. Discusses the author’s anxiety about teaching and relates it to her students’ learning processes.
Watch Out, Oprah! A Book Club Assignment for Literature Courses
Authors: Cornell Kim Chuppa
Published: March 2024

Describes a successful practice for incorporating more novels into community college literature courses and for sparking student interest in reading. Presents a book club assignment that includes both collaborative activities and a group presentation. Considers how a book club assignment offers an effective way to include more writers into the course while maintaining a reasonable reading load.
Is There a Clock in This Sabbatical?
Authors: Frederickson Kathy
Published: March 2024

Considers how a community-college professor’s long–awaited sabbatical not only stimulates new thinking about projects and goals but also offers a foray into that forest of self that lies behind the trees. Discusses the author’s experience with the time shespent on her sabbatical.
Reviews
Authors: Duym Virginia Kolberg , Johnson Linda , Day Kami , Eodice Michele , Houston Linda
Published: March 2024

Reviews four books: Writing with Elbow, by Pat Belanoff, Marcia Dickson, Sheryl I. Fontaine, and Charles Moran; Opening Spaces: Critical Pedagogy and Resistance Theory in Composition, by Joe Marshall Hardin; Standing in the Shadow of Giants: Plagiarists, Authors, Collaborators, by Rebecca Moore Howard; The Politics of Writing in the Two–Year College, edited by Barry Alford and Keith Kroll.
The Research Paper: A Historical Perspective
Authors: Moulton Cookie , Holmes Vicki L.
Published: March 2024

The traditional research paper seems to have been part of the English curriculum forever. Where did it come from? Why? How did its "generic" form become so entrenched? The answer to these questions, as well as a glimpse at what teachers in the past have done to alter its teaching and final format, provide a background against which English teachers may want to reevaluate and reinspire their own teaching of the research paper.
Looking Backward: Reflections on Developing Community College Instructors through the Faculty-in-Training (FIT) Program
Authors: Frank MacGregor , Buck Jo Ann
Published: March 2024

As the Faculty-in-Training Program at Guilford Technical Community College continues in its fourth year, the authors examine the program’s implementation and processes. They recognize the aspects of the program that have proved successful and identify changes that have been made based upon what their experience has taught them.
Recent Trends in Writing Handbooks: A Linguist’s View
Authors: Cranmer David J.
Published: March 2024

Comparing four recent and four older writing handbooks from the perspective of a linguist with experience in the composition classroom reveals both important trends and room for further development.
Inductive Reasoning and Writing
Authors: Rooks Clay , Boyd Robert
Published: March 2024

This article discusses the logical connection between reasoning inductively and writing compositions in college English classes.
Encouraging Collaboration with Students on Teacher Response
Authors: Edgington Anthony
Published: March 2024

Encouraging students to be more vocal members of the response sequence can assist teachers in writing stronger comments on student texts. The author conducted a small-scale study of studentsâ€™ reactions to response formats, finding that students preferred formats that allowed teachers to elaborate on their comments, displayed teacher effort, avoided confusing comments, and actively involved students in the process.
The Research Paper as an Act of Citizenship: Possibilities and Pragmatism
Authors: Taylor Tim N
Published: March 2024

By focusing on local problems or issues, student writers can craft research essays that exemplify civic engagement, a practice that reaffirms composition tradition from classical rhetoric and the educational philosophy of John Dewey.
Retelling Basic Writing at a Regional Campus: Iconic Discourse and Selective Function Meet Social Class
Authors: Tassoni John Paul
Published: March 2024

Case histories of basic writing programs at regional campuses need to incorporate concerns of social class. Attention to class helps scholars identify institutional patterns that distance basic writing from the university’s mainstream business.
What I Learned at the WLU Conference
Authors: Creech Nancy
Published: March 2024

Describes things the author learned from presentations at the 2001 Whole Language Umbrella conference, including: not many classroom teachers attended the conference; classroom teachers and professors need each other; people take pride in the whole language name; the most powerful force in a classroom is an expert teacher; and building a community is always a work in progress.
Rouge Forum: Bridging the Gap—Whole Language, Inclusion, and Critical Social Action
Authors: Gibson Rich
Published: March 2024

The Rouge Forum, a group of students, educators, and parents, is an organizational effort to bridge the gap between education and organizing for social change.
Multimodal Strategies: Using Art in the High School Language Arts Classroom
Authors: Clark Elizabeth
Published: March 2024

Since I began teaching six years ago, I have always tried to approach my classroom as a creative “laboratory,” so to speak, where every novel, unit, and lesson is grounds for a connection of creativity and personal experience with the curriculum that must be covered. Of all my engagements, I have found that the most successful ones almost always involve art.
Build the Environment, and We Will Win
Authors: Garza Juan
Published: March 2024

Discover how Superintendent, Juan Garza creates a district culture based on the firm belief that success lies largely in attitude.
“Our Fine School”: Facing Issues of Bigotry
Authors: Orozco Patricia Martínez
Published: March 2024

Patricia illustrates her continual challenges as a Latina principal trying to face issues of bigotry
Taking Another Turn: A Retrospective on the NCTE Spring Conference
Authors: Egawa Kathy , Schroeder Jean
Published: March 2024

The 2002 NCTE Spring Conference marked the end of a 30-year era and the beginning of yet another. Follow along with a little conference history, and then help us envision a new form for the now on-hiatus spring meeting.
Did You Know about… The Southern Poverty Law Center
Authors: Albers Peggy , Koshewa Allen
Published: March 2024

The Southern Poverty Law Center began as a small civil rights law firm in 1971. Now it is internationally known for its tolerance education programs, its legal victories against white supremacist groups, its tracking of hate groups, and its sponsorship of the Civil Rights Memorial
Have You Seen… Rethinking Globalization
Authors: Edelsky Carole
Published: March 2024

A review of the book Rethinking Globalization: Teaching for Justice in an Unjust World by Bill Bigelow and Bob Peterson, which examines social issues with global implications and discusses ways to present these topics in the classroom.
Did You Know about… NCTE Reading Initiative
Authors: Egawa Kathy
Published: March 2024

Kathy Egawa presents an overview of the NCTE Reading Initiative, a professional development program for teachers that is based on study groups. Instead of presenting a blueprint for how to operate, the Reading Initiative experiences and materials give study group members a series of engagements and professional readings that can be tailored in response to local issues.
Personalizing Literacy: Listening to Voices of Experience
Authors: Quintero Elizabeth
Published: March 2024

After recounting some stories of her own literacy development, the author provides a lens through which teachers might personalize literacy with a problem-posing approach to learning. This method leads students of all ages to base new learning on personal experience in a way that encourages critical reflection.
Writing to a Children’s Author: Is It Authentic?
Authors: Holm Daniel T.
Published: March 2024

Holm questions the value and authenticity of the class-assigned letter to a children’s book author and offers suggestions for making the teaching of letter writing more “real” for students.
From the Editors
Authors: Martens Prisca , Altwerger Bess
Published: March 2024

Editors Prisca Martens and Bess Altwerger introduce this special issue in honor of Louise Rosenblatt, pioneer of reading theory, who died in February 2005. The various articles all demonstrate how great an influence Rosenblatt had on teachers and students of literature.
Talking Books
Authors: Campano Gerald , Damico James , Harste Jerome C.
Published: March 2024

The editors look at the pedagogical value of Sandra Cisneros’ The House on Mango Street, which innovatively combines the genres of short story, autobiography, and prose poetry. They also supply a list of other recent multiple-genre YA books.
Featured TAWL Group: Mid-Missouri TAWL
Authors: Schultz David P.
Published: March 2024

In this photo essay, members of the Mid-Missouri TAWL—the very first TAWL group to form—offer highlights from their 24th annual conference, which featured Avi as a guest speaker.
Living on the Edge: Confronting Social Injustices
Authors: George Marshall A.
Published: March 2024

Argues that educators must take responsibility for putting a stop to the hatred for and disenfranchisement of students who are seen as being different. Suggests doing that by making sure the expository texts are set within the context of themes--those ideas that matter to students. Presents an annotated list of novels and expository texts to help fight social injustice.
Book Talk: The Long and the Short of It All: Nonfiction Books with Flair
Authors: Lesesne Teri S.
Published: March 2024

Presents 13 works of nonfiction (published between 1993 and 2001) with strong appeal to middle level students. Notes that the books range in form from the essay to expository text to memoir and biography and cover everything from politics to slavery, from athletes to art.
Revaluing: Coming to Know Who We Are and What We Can Do
Authors: Rubin Renee , Patterson Leslie
Published: March 2024

Tells what happened when the authors invited six eighth graders to participate in a bilingual Reading Detective Club with the goal of helping them revalue themselves and what they can do as readers. Argues that when students believe their thinking and ideas are valued beyond getting a correct answer, their self-efficacy and engagement with reading are likely to increase.
Standards in California: A Magical Realist View
Authors: Jago Carol
Published: March 2024

Argues there is a problem with how California local school boards and district administration interpret curriculum and instruction in terms of their role in the evaluation of schools, teachers, and students. Notes that the California Teachers Association proposed legislation that would allow teachers to negotiate their role in decision-making procedures for the selection of curriculum, textbooks, and professional development.
Stolen Lives/Found Opportunities
Authors: Hill Margaret H. , Griffith Paula E. , Scholl Yvette M. , Christy Sue , Votteler Nancy K.
Published: March 2024

Suggests students who go to school under the shadow of high-stakes tests (such as the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills) may feel that their educational lives have been stolen, reduced to the fear of passing or not passing one single exam. Presents transcriptions of four interviews with four outstanding middle school teachers. Suggests ways to connect standards to engaging activities.
Standards Room Only! Taking Literacy beyond the Classroom
Authors: Delbridge Karen Morgan
Published: March 2024

Considers how educators can assist parents in supporting their children toward a positive educational experience through language arts. Describes a class for parents that offered a different approach to helping students meet the state standards.
Poetry Doing Hard and Healthy Work: A Poetpourri of Ideas from the Maine Writing Project
Authors: Wilhelm Jeffrey D.
Published: March 2024

Every summer for four to five weeks, a corner of Corbett Hall at the University of Maine is more alive than an ant colony on a sugar buzz as teachers share their lives, teaching expertise, writing, struggles, laughter, and—I have to admit—lots of great food. Though some participants drive in for each day’s work, many of us come from across Maine and live together in a dormitory.
Simon Says: A Case Study of Simon, Poetry, and Success
Authors: Dean Jeremy
Published: March 2024

We have begun a poetry unit in the seventh-grade language arts classroom, and Simon’s journal entry displays his frustration. He is a recent Sudanese immigrant, and this is his first year in our school and only his second in the United States.
Masters as Mentors: The Role of Reading Poetry in Writing Poetry
Authors: Heartwell Proal
Published: March 2024

Emily Dickinson once wrote, “If I feel physically as if my head were taken off, I know that is poetry.” Upon reading these words, Village School seventh grader Eleanor Unsworth replied, “If I feel physically as if the top of my head were taken off, I run around screaming, ‘Ahh! Where’s my head?!’”
A Hand Up: In Defense of Bullies (But Not Bullying)
Authors: Crutcher Chris
Published: March 2024

Chris discusses bullying.
Responding To Reading: We Did Fourteen Lines …
Authors: Probst Robert E.
Published: March 2024

Some days are better than others. This had obviously been one of the others. When he dragged himself home from school that afternoon, it was obvious that the last thing he wanted to talk about was how his day had been. So, naturally, I had to ask …
A Letter to a Niece: Critical Media Literacy, One Child at a Time
Authors: Ostrow Jill
Published: March 2024

Discusses many ways in which teachers can encourage students to take a critical stance to the media. Presents a letter offering suggestions to help adopt a critical literacy stance. Considers how as someone adopts a critical literacy stance, they will move beyond thinking critically about the text, to thinking critically about the world.
Word Market: Reading the World—One Word at a Time
Authors: Allen Janet
Published: March 2024

Describes how the author uses three properties of vocabulary instruction that increase comprehension: integration, repetition, and meaningful use. Notes that these three properties can be a natural part of the teaching and learning that occur each day in the classroom.
A Hand Up: As Old as We’ve Ever Been
Authors: Crutcher Chris
Published: March 2024

Adolescent problems, indeed anyoneâ€™s problems, can best be resolved when adults take the time to step into that childâ€™s shoes. That effort to understand different perspectives and find common ground is the best bet to find solutions.
Middle Level Section News
Authors: Ramsey Kathie
Published: March 2024

Middle Level award winners, 2004 Convention news, goodbye from Kathie Ramsey.
The Literature Circle: Reading Like a Writer
Authors: Daniels Harvey
Published: March 2024

Reading internalizes every aspect of good writingâ€”if youâ€™re reading good writing, which most middle school textbooks arenâ€™t. Here are criteria and suggestions for good content-area articles and trade nonfiction books.
The Teacher’s Toolbox: Build Your Own Tools and Templates
Authors: Burke Jim
Published: March 2024

Burke shares a teaching tool he created for use with teaching paraphrase, but he encourages teachers to make a practice of creating their own tools and offers principles for doing so.
Literature: Elements of Style: Tone and Mood: Kissin’ Cousins
Authors: Jago Carol
Published: March 2024

Careful word choice is the key to tone in a piece of writing. Jagoâ€™s activities and examples help students wield that power in their own writing.
Professional Book Reviews: Becoming Writers
Authors: Horn Leigh Van
Published: March 2024

Reviewed are: Lessons That Change Writers (Nancie Atwell); 100 Quickwrites (Linda Rief); Because Writing Matters: Improving Student Writing in Our Schools (National Writing Project and Carol Nagin); Writing for Real: Strategies for Engaging Adolescent Writers (Ross M. Burkhardt); The Revision Toolbox: Teaching Techniques That Work (Georgia Heard)
Inquiring Minds Use Technology!
Authors: Wilhelm Jeffrey D.
Published: March 2024

The vast potential of electronic technology is often wasted; electronic worksheets are no more effective than paper ones. When that potential enhances an inquiry-driven curriculum, however, we can improve student literacy engagement and achievement. Begin by using the Web sites listed here to teach students to evaluate sites, and give them a tool that will serve learning throughout their lives.
Professional Book Reviews: Bend It, Shape It, Any Way You Want It: Taking Charge of Technology!
Authors: Horn Leigh Van
Published: March 2024

Reviewed: Technology for Literacy Teaching and Learning; The Tech-Savvy English Classroom; Computers in the Writing Classroom; Real ePublishing, Really Publishing! How to Create Digital Books by and for All Ages; Teaching Youth Media: A Critical Guide to Literacy, Video Production, and Social Change.
Resisting the Specter of Fierce Neatness
Authors: Ohanian Susan
Published: March 2024

Having taught both mainstream and special needs middle school students and in an alternative high school, Ohanian resists the concept that all children are capable of doing the same work. “[F]or readers in crisis, extreme measure are needed.” She contends that we must teach students what they are capable of learning, no matter what book or assignment that might involve, and that when we bow to the dictates of Standardistas, we abandon our students to political abstractions.
What If They Can’t?
Authors: Mueller Vicki L.
Published: March 2024

A class of reluctant readers and writers responded positively when topics were discussed orally before writing. As writing improved, Mueller introduced “Coffee House”—themed settings for oral performance of student writing. After modeling her own writing, Mueller invited students to perform, gratified when even the most reticent student shared an emotional reading and was buoyed by his peers’ positive responses. Eventually, students created picture books for younger readers (“Bugs and Insects,” “Prepositions,” I Spy,”), which motivated students to get their words and their presentations “just right.”
The Word Market: Making Word-Learning Special
Authors: Allen Janet
Published: March 2024

All students, including special needs students, must be immersed in words—all kinds in all ways—to reach the point where those words are a part of their language base. Here, two teachers use word walls, shared reading, and graphic organizers in addition to traditional reference tools to achieve that goal.
From The Coaches’ Corner: What Makes an Effective Literacy Coach?
Authors: Coskie Tracy , Robinson LeAnne , Buly Marsha Riddle , Egawa Kathy
Published: March 2024

No matter what the teaching situation, good coaching has several basic characteristics: it provides teacher support, develops content knowledge in literacy, demonstrates skill in literacy teaching, and fosters a professional learning community. An “Essential Skills” checklist is provided.
Professional Book Reviews: With Literacy and Efficacy for All
Authors: Horn Leigh Van
Published: March 2024

Reviewed are: What Do I Do about the Kid Who …? 50 Ways to Turn Teaching into Learning by Kathleen Gould; Uphill Both Ways: Helping Students Who Struggle in School by Crystal M. England; Working Together: Reading and Writing in Inclusive Classrooms by Marilyn C. Scala; Teaching All the Children: Strategies for Developing Literacy in an Urban Setting edited by Diane Lapp, Cathy Collins Block, Eric J. Cooper, James Flood, Nancy Roser, and Josefina Villamil Tinajero
Student To Student: Sometimes “Triumph” Is in the Pages of a Book
Authors: Ford Kim
Published: March 2024

Students’ annotated recommendations of The Second Summer of the Sisterhood, The Pinballs, A Corner of the Universe, The Princess and the Pauper, Catalyst, The House of the Scorpion, Walk Two Moons, Lord of the Flies, and The Princess Bride
Literature: Elements Of Style: Closing the Achievement Gap One Element at a Time
Authors: Jago Carol
Published: March 2024

What possible use is literary vocabulary to someone on the wrong side of the achievement gap? Jago explains that being able to articulate your reaction to something you’ve read deepens understanding and broadens thinking. What more obvious requirements for narrowing that gap?
REsponse To Reading: Disguising the Achievement Gap
Authors: Probst Bob
Published: March 2024

Perhaps, Probst posits, it would be smarter to let educators work to close the achievement gap and let the politicians do something else. With legislative blessing, test publishers rake in the money and school goals morph from “educated students” to “higher scores.” Our best hope—and the students’—is to stick with what we know, learn more, and find a way to fit it into our teaching.
The Seven Cs of Comprehension
Authors: Farmer Michele , Soden Jackie A.
Published: March 2024

In an effort to develop a reading strategy that would enhance literacy and motivate learners, the authors focused on the logical stages of reading and comprehending text: Connect, Clarify, Consider, Collect, Converse, Conclude, Cite the source. Teachers observed academic gains they attributed to this strategy, and they plan to expand its use in the future.
Adding the Science of Learning to the Art of Teaching
Authors: Willis Judith
Published: March 2024

Neurologist and middle school teacher Willis, frustrated by mandates handed down by “non-experts” who didn’t know what she knew about how the brain works, developed strategies to rekindle the spark of leaning and escape the rote nature of teaching to the test. By encouraging practice to create an accessible neural circuit, finding ways to capture students’ attention, and asking thoughtful questions that will help them engage with the topic, Willis succeeded in engaging students and helping them to retain the knowledge presented.
One Last Thought: Consequential Validity: Weighing the Sheep, or Feeding Them, Too?
Authors: Wilhelm Jeffrey D.
Published: March 2024

Standardized tests are probably here to stay, but Wilhelm contends that we must work to balance these with what will be more appropriate, responsive, and rigorous standardized and local level assessments that match what real readers and writers do and that rely more on the expertise of teachers.
The Word Market: Teaching for Transfer: Bridging Best Practice and High-Stakes Testing
Authors: Allen Janet
Published: March 2024

The best way to develop a strong vocabulary is to read. A lot. But even that can be more effective if you teach students to use context clues to internalize those words and transfer them to new contexts.
The Literature Circle: The English Teacher’s Red Pen
Authors: Daniels Harvey
Published: March 2024

Daniels urges us to leave the red pen in the desk and ensure that kids understand the purpose of writing: communication. Give students an authentic reason to write and a real audience, and the writing will be meaningful. Meanwhile, resist the pressure from parents, administrators, and legislators—everyone who remembers the blood-red papers of their youth to mark every little flaw. What they’ve forgotten is, that didn’t work for them, and it’s not working now.
Response To Reading: Testing …
Authors: Probst Bob
Published: March 2024

The biggest danger in testing is that the emphasis on it often convinces students (and parents) that the most important result is a grade. Using a frustrating experience as a scuba instructor as an example, Probst reminds us that meaning, understanding, and reasoning are what we’re trying to teach. We’ve lost the meaning when the test is the purpose and not just a tool.
Writers ’ Workshop: Writing—That’s the Real Test
Authors: Rief Linda
Published: March 2024

“Good writing comes from caring enough to craft [one’s writing] to the best of one’s ability.” If only that were the climate in every classroom! Rief remembers the day an absurd standardized writing prompt pushed her and her colleagues into action, and she outlines the steps she has resolved to take to prepare her students for writing … and testing … ever since.
From the Coaches’ Corner: Collaborative Literacy Coaching: Focusing on Learners with Special Needs
Authors: Robinson LeAnne , Egawa Kathy , Buly Marsha Riddle , Coskie Tracy
Published: March 2024

Too often, specialists such as special education or TESOL teachers are left “out of the loop” when it comes to coordinating educational plans for students. Many literacy coaches, however, are finding success by collaborating across specialties. This column includes several practical suggestions for establishing more collaborative educational communities.
Professional Book Reviews: Teachers Who Triumph
Authors: Horn Leigh Van
Published: March 2024

Reviewed are: Getting to Excellent: How to Create Better Schools by Judith A. Langer; Learning along the Way: Professional Development by and for Teachers by Diane Sweeney; Teachers Organizing for Change: Making Literacy Learning Everybody’s Business by Cathy Fleischer; Taming the Standards: A Commonsense Approach to Higher Achievement K–12 by Janet Hurt; Promising Practices for Urban Reading Instruction edited by Pamela A. Mason and Jeanne Shay Schumm.
Book Talk: Testing: Trials and Triumphs in Literature
Authors: Lesesne Teri S.
Published: March 2024

Lesesne believes that books offer students a safe place to face challenges, and offers reviews of 12 books in which characters confront tough issues, including loss, abuse, violence, and bullying.
Middle Level Section News
Authors: Miller Howard M.
Published: March 2024

Thanks for colleagues from outgoing chair Howard Miller; a plea to readers to get involved in the myriad professional issues being addressed by active NCTE initiatives.
Efecto de un programa de educación física emocional sobre la inteligencia emocional de futuros docentes
Authors: Luis-de Cos Izaskun , Urrutia-Gutierrez Saioa , Luis-de Cos Gurutze , Arribas-Galarraga Silvia
Published: March 2024

El objetivo de esta investigación es examinar el efecto de un programa de educación física emocional en la inteligencia emocional de estudiantes universitarios (futuros docentes). 104 estudiantes universitarios del País Vasco participaron en este estudio, 58 mujeres y 46 hombres. Se realizó un estudio cuasi-experimental, un diseño de medidas repetidas pretest-postest con grupo de control. Para medir la Inteligencia Emocional se usó el Trait Meta-Mood Scale (TMMS-24). Se realizaron análisis de covarianza (ANCOVA) para analizar el efecto del programa en la Inteligencia Emocional. Los resultados confirman que hay diferencias significativas entre los valores pretest-postest entre el grupo experimental y el control en la dimensión de Claridad Emocional. Este estudio muestra la eficacia del programa de educación física emocional en la mejora de la IE. Estos resultados sugieren la necesidad de realizar intervenciones dirigidas al desarrollo de la inteligencia emocional en estudiantes universitarios.
Manejo de discontinuidad pélvica debido a fractura de acetábulo mediante cirugía de revisión de artroplastia de cadera y reemplazo de componente acetabular por anillo de Burch-Schneider: reporte de un caso
Authors: Castelblanco-Pérez Julian David , Moreno-Durán Ricardo Andrés , Ballesteros-Martín Juan Camilo
Published: March 2024

Introducción. La discontinuidad pélvica es una complicación de la artroplastia total de cadera que consiste en la separación de la hemipelvis superior e inferior a través del acetábulo.
Presentación del caso. Hombre de 74 años con antecedente de artroplastia total de cadera izquierda que requirió 4 cirugías de revisión de artroplastia, quien consultó al servicio de urgencias de un hospital de segundo nivel de atención de Sogamoso (Colombia) por dolor y limitación de la movilidad de la cadera izquierda durante 7 días luego de haber sufrido trauma por caída de su propia altura en la que el miembro inferior izquierdo recibió la fuerza del impacto. En el examen físico, se evidenció limitación de los arcos de movilidad de la cadera izquierda, por lo que se realizó una radiografía de cadera, en la que se observó fractura del acetábulo, y una tomografía computarizada de cadera, en la que se evidenciaron signos de aflojamiento del componente acetabular y fractura del acetábulo (tipo IIIB según clasificación de Paprosky). Teniendo en cuenta lo anterior, se diagnosticó discontinuidad pélvica y se realizó cirugía de revisión de artroplastia y reemplazo del componente acetabular por un anillo de Burch-Schneider. El paciente tuvo una adecuada evolución posoperatoria con seguimiento a 3 meses.
Conclusión. Si bien hay múltiples opciones para el manejo de la discontinuidad pélvica, no hay consenso sobre cuál es la mejor; sin embargo, el uso de componentes acetabulares de refuerzo como el anillo de Burch-Schneider fue una opción con buenos resultados posoperatorios en este caso.