English Journal, Vol. 100, No. 1, September 2010

Table of Contents

Issue Theme: Motivating Students

• Call for Manuscripts

• From the Editor

• From the Secondary Section: Turning on the Light

  Wanda Porter

  • Show Abstract
  • Hide Abstract

  Abstract: Members of the Secondary Section Steering Committee comment on topics of importance to English language arts educators.

• 2010 NCTE Annual Convention Information

• EJ in Focus: How to Create Nonreaders: Reflections on Motivation, Learning, and Sharing Power

  Alfie Kohn

  • Show Abstract
  • Hide Abstract

  Abstract: The well-known author and critic offers seven easy ways to kill student motivation, followed by concrete suggestions to ensure that you don’t employ them in your classroom.

• Student Voices: What Makes You Want to Go to English Class?

  Stephen Zimmerer; Wanyi Jia; Patricia Ansah; Allie Whitman

  • Show Abstract
  • Hide Abstract

  Abstract: "Student Voices" provides a forum for students to share their experiences and recommendations.

• Creating Motivating Learning Environments: What We Can Learn from Researchers and Students

  Erika Daniels

  • Show Abstract
  • Hide Abstract

  Abstract: Punishment and reward schemes don’t foster motivation in students; instead, Daniels recommends active learning and stress management.

• Motivation Requires a Meaningful Task

  Nancy Frey and Douglas Fisher

  • Show Abstract
  • Hide Abstract

  Abstract: Focusing on the design of effective group work, the authors examine how students are best engaged in activities and what teachers’ roles should be in fostering active student learning.

• The Animated Classroom: Using Japanese Anime to Engage and Motivate Students

  Julie Ruble and Kim Lysne

  • Show Abstract
  • Hide Abstract

  Abstract: A Japanese film on environmental themes inspires students to produce their own videos.

• “Everybody Wants Somebody to Hear Their Story”: High School Students Writing Screenplays

  Carol Bedard and Charles Fuhrken

  • Show Abstract
  • Hide Abstract

  Abstract: Students write and produce films in collaboration with the Austin Film Festival.

• Small-Town Perspectives, Big-Time Motivation: Composing and Producing Place-Based Podcasts

  Lori Atkins Goodson and Matt Skillen

  • Show Abstract
  • Hide Abstract

  Abstract: In the Rural Voices project, students produce podcasts about their lives for real audiences.

• Remixing Old and New Literacies = Motivated Students

  Jesse S. Gainer and Diane Lapp

  • Show Abstract
  • Hide Abstract

  Abstract: The authors describe technology-infused classroom activities inspired by a concept from hip-hop culture.

• Motivating Students through Power and Choice

  Amber M. Simmons and Melissa Page

  • Show Abstract
  • Hide Abstract

  Abstract: Arthur Miller’s The Crucible dramatizes a restrictive society, but Simmons and Page use the play to promote the power of curricular freedom for students.

• Of Mice and Media

  John Day

  • Show Abstract
  • Hide Abstract

  Abstract: Using multimedia and other activities, Day inspires student interest in a John Steinbeck classic.

• Inspiring Curiosity and Enthusiasm for Nonfiction: A Project Designed to Boost Students’ Will to Read

  Jessica Matthews Meth

  • Show Abstract
  • Hide Abstract

  Abstract: Guest speakers, multimedia, and other strategies can increase students’ reading interest.

• Exploring Text through Student Discussions: Accountable Talk in the Middle School Classroom

  Anne E. Richardson

  • Show Abstract
  • Hide Abstract

  Abstract: Participating intelligently in discussions centered on a common text is not a natural skill. Richardson’s suggestions can help young secondary students develop this ability.

• Motivating Students to Read with Collaborative Reading Quizzes

  Timothy Quinn and Todd Eckerson

  • Show Abstract
  • Hide Abstract

  Abstract: Are you bored by low-level, time-consuming traditional reading quizzes?

• “I See What You Mean”: Using Visuals to Teach Metaphoric Thinking in Reading and Writing

  Rebecca Gorman and Gloria Schultz Eastman

  • Show Abstract
  • Hide Abstract

  Abstract: The authors demonstrate how engaging visually attuned students in close examination of fine art can improve students’ close reading skills, too.

• The Cognitive Vocabulary Approach to Word Learning

  Janis M. Harmon, Elizabeth Buckelew-Martin, and Karen D. Wood

  • Show Abstract
  • Hide Abstract

  Abstract: Metacognition and visual thinking are highlights in this approach to vocabulary.

• Poem: How Do I Know My Students Are Learning?

  Dana Keller

• Poem: Watching Her Teach

  Portia B. Pennington

• Challenging Texts: Reading Nation and World

  Chin Ee Loh

  • Show Abstract
  • Hide Abstract

  Abstract: "Challenging Texts" explores various ways of teaching literary theory to high school and middle school students.

• Innovative Writing Instruction: Reducing Vocabulary to Increase Vocabulary

  Julie Faulkner

• Mentoring Matters: Wanted: Mentors for Future English Teachers

  Melissa A. McClain

  • Show Abstract
  • Hide Abstract

  Abstract: "Mentoring Matters" focuses on effective ways to support new English teachers and student teachers.

• Off the Shelves: Robert B. Parker Tackles the Adolescent Detective Novel

  Steven T. Bickmore

  • Show Abstract
  • Hide Abstract

  Abstract: "Off the Shelves" discusses new young adult literature and explores ways of teaching YA texts in middle and high school English classes.

• Research for the Classroom: Review of Readicide by Kelly Gallagher

  Kathleen Dudden Rowlands

  • Show Abstract
  • Hide Abstract

  Abstract: "Research for the Classroom" publishes mini-studies of ELA classroom practices and suggests ways in which high school and middle school English teachers may study the effectiveness of their pedagogy.

• Success with ELLs: Using Your State’s Travel Websites to Promote Academic Vocabulary

  Porsche L. Sims

  • Show Abstract
  • Hide Abstract

  Abstract: "Success with ELLs" suggests effective approaches to teaching English language learners in ways that can be of benefit to all students in  mainstream middle and high school English classes.

* Journal articles are provided in PDF format and can be opened using the free Adobe® Reader® program or a comparable viewer. Click here to download and install the most recent version of Adobe Reader.