English Journal, Vol. 93, No. 3, January 2004

Table of Contents

Issue Theme: Popular Culture

• Using Graphic Novels, Anime, and the Internet in an Urban High School

  Nancy Frey and Douglas Fisher

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  Abstract: Using forms of popular culture not frequently found in schools, the authors encouraged urban English-language learners and native English speakers to improve their written communication. Excerpts from students’ stories demonstrate the success of this approach.

  Keywords: Secondary

• Reading as Resistance: Gendered Messages in Literature and Media

  Laraine Wallowitz

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  Abstract: Students may be surprised to discover the extent to which print and visual texts shape our concepts of gender. Focusing specifically on how literature and media construct femininity, Wallowitz and colleagues created a unit that “enabled readers to recognize the mixed messages in the media about body image and culturally constructed notions of gender.”

  Keywords: Secondary

• From Sheryl Crow to Homer Simpson: Literature and Composition through Pop Culture

  Jerome Evans

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  Abstract: High school teacher Jerome Evans makes popular culture an integral part of his courses. Through analyzing themes in song lyrics, rhetorical devices in essays and advertisements, and psychology in contemporary film, students improve their skills in critical thinking and writing.

  Keywords: Secondary

• Using Film to Increase Literacy Skills

  Michael Vetrie

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  Abstract: Popular culture is about more than just the current time and place, notes high school teacher Michael Vetrie. Connecting classical Greek and Elizabethan theater to contemporary film, he shows how at-risk students can increase their literacy skills through reading film as text.

  Keywords: Secondary

• Teaching Media-Savvy Students about the Popular Media

  Kevin Maness

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  Abstract: Former high school teacher Kevin Maness offers a framework for media education that helps students enhance their understanding of the media and use their knowledge to influence individual and community action.

  Keywords: Secondary

• At the Crossroads of Expertise: The Risky Business of Teaching Popular Culture

  Meg Callahan and Bronwen E. Low

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  Abstract: Based on extensive work with high school teachers and students, two university professors argue that incorporating forms of popular culture into the classroom provides a meeting place where students and teachers can share their expertise. They support the argument with examples of activities and projects in two different settings.

  Keywords: Secondary

• Feeling the Rhythm of the Critically Conscious Mind

  AnJeanette C. Alexander-Smith

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  Abstract: A former middle school and high school teacher argues that using hip-hop music and spoken word poetry can help urban students engage in the study of literary terms. She describes how she used these forms of popular culture in a poetry unit and offers resources for teachers interested in adapting and extending her lessons.

  Keywords: Secondary

• Enter Here: Personal Narrative and Digital Storytelling

  Sara B. Kajder

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  Abstract: Through the creation of a digital story, urban high school students gain confidence and a new understanding of literacy. Sara B. Kajder offers a step-by-step plan for replicating this project, grounded in sound theory and research about how adolescents expand their literacies.

  Keywords: Secondary

• Call for Manuscripts

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  Abstract: Abstract for this article is currently not available.

  Keywords: Secondary

• From the Editor

  Louann Reid

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  Abstract: Abstract for this article is currently not available.

  Keywords: Secondary

• From the Secondary Section: Popular Culture in the Classroom

  Dale Allender

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  Abstract: Abstract for this article is currently not available.

  Keywords: Secondary

• Snapshots: Beyond Borders: Poetry Slicing through Steel Gates and Barbed Wires

  Korina M. Jocson

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  Abstract: Abstract for this article is currently not available.

  Keywords: Secondary

• Speaking My Mind: Living and Teaching on the Edge of a Pop Culture World

  Robert Gardner

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  Abstract: Abstract for this article is currently not available.

  Keywords: Secondary

• Research Matters: What Makes a Difference in Literacy Instruction?

  Rick VanDeWeghe, Editor

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  Abstract: Abstract for this article is currently not available.

  Keywords: Secondary

• New Voices: Popular Culture: Building Connections with Our Students

  Tiffany J. Hunt, Bud Hunt, Editors

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  Abstract: Abstract for this article is currently not available.

  Keywords: Secondary

• Teaching English in the World: All I Need to Know about Teaching I Learned from TV and Movies

  Kenneth Lindblom, editor

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  Abstract: Abstract for this article is currently not available.

  Keywords: Secondary

• English in the City: Bulletin from the Outside

  Greg Hamilton, Editor

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  Abstract: Abstract for this article is currently not available.

  Keywords: Secondary

• Taking Time: It's All Good

  Tonya Perry, Editor

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  Abstract: Abstract for this article is currently not available.

  Keywords: Secondary

• Professional Links: The Worlds of Our Students

  Connie S. Zitlow, Editor

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  Abstract: Abstract for this article is currently not available.

  Keywords: Secondary

• Bold Books for Innovative Teaching: Striking Pensively, Beating Playfully: The Power of Poetic Novels

  Don Gallo, Editor

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  Abstract: Abstract for this article is currently not available.

  Keywords: Secondary

• Poetry

  James Brewbaker, Editor

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  Abstract: Abstract for this article is currently not available.

  Keywords: Secondary

• Teaching the Mock Printz Novels

  Ted Hipple, Lisa Scherff, Jennifer Claiborne, Amy Cinci Sullins, and Patricia Waters

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  Abstract: After brief annotations of noteworthy novels for young adults, the authors provide tips for teaching these books and others like them.

  Keywords: Secondary

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