English Journal, Vol. 94, No. 5, May 2005

Table of Contents

Issue Theme: Voices of Democracy

• Call for Manuscripts - English Journal-May 2005

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  Abstract: Abstract for this article is currently not available.

  Keywords: Middle, Secondary

• From the Editor

  Louann Reid, Editor

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  Abstract: Abstract for this article is currently not available.

  Keywords: Middle, Secondary

• In Memoriam: Louise M. Rosenblatt

  Gordon M. Pradl and Robert E. Probst

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  Abstract: Abstract for this article is currently not available.

  Keywords: Middle, Secondary

• Letters to EJ

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  Abstract: Abstract for this article is currently not available.

  Keywords: Middle, Secondary

• From the Secondary Section: A Balanced Approach to Literacy

  Regina Dunlavey Derrico

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

  Keywords: Middle, Secondary

• Snapshots: Themes in Literature and Loss

  Andrea Lee Permenter

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  Abstract: "Snapshots" offers insights about teaching and learning through teacher stories about a particular classroom event.

  Keywords: Middle, Secondary

• Speaking My Mind: Grading Student Writing

  P. L. Thomas

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  Abstract: “Speaking My Mind” invites readers to speak out about controversial issues relevant to the teaching of English language arts.

  Keywords: Middle, Secondary

• Teacher to Teacher: What Text Have You Successfully Used to Reveal One or More of the Many Voices of Democracy?

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  Abstract: "Teacher to Teacher" provides a forum for teachers to share ideas, materials, and activities.

  Keywords: Middle, Secondary

• EJ Extra: Who Needs Whom?

  Derek Soles

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  Abstract: Abstract for this article is currently not available.

  Keywords: Middle, Secondary

• The Power to Speak and Listen: Democratic Pedagogies for American Literature Classrooms

  Robert Petrone and Robert Gibney

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  Abstract: The authors advocate teaching high school students to investigate and transform their worlds. Robert Petrone and Robert Gibney describe two American literature units in which they helped students develop the necessary “critical habits of mind, skills, and dispositions.”

  Keywords: Middle, Secondary

• Democracy, Dialect, and the Power of Every Voice

  Huntington Lyman and Margo A. Figgins

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  Abstract: Beginning with the belief that students’ proficiency with both Standard English and their home language is essential, Huntington Lyman and Margo A. Figgins show how “rich experiences in the exploration of dialect serve as a precursor to mastering Standard English.”

  Keywords: Middle, Secondary

• Celebrate Democracy! Teach about Censorship

  Lisa K. Winkler

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  Abstract: Lisa K. Winkler believes it is essential for students to understand how and why censorship operates in school libraries and classrooms so that they may have the tools to “speak for themselves to preserve their freedom to read.” Her unit on censorship combines free-choice reading, mock trials, and writing assignments.

  Keywords: Middle, Secondary

• Democracy in Schools: Truly a Matter of Voice

  Lois Brown Easton

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  Abstract: Lois Brown Easton describes an alternative high school where democracy is truly enacted. The students’ personal voices are valued, which helps them develop power, responsibility, and authority over their education.

  Keywords: Middle, Secondary

• Let Chaos In: Enacting Democracy in a Writing and Publishing Class

  Erin Olkowski and Emily Tymus Ihrke

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  Abstract: High school teachers Erin Olkowski and Emily Tymus Ihrke know from personal experience the benefits to students of democratic classrooms and the associated difficulties. They share their six principles for making a publications class work democratically.

  Keywords: Middle, Secondary

• Five Easy Pieces: Steps toward Integrating AAVE into the Classroom

  Jessica Whitney

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  Abstract: Jessica Whitney argues that teachers must value students’ home language “and use it to help students become more effective rhetoricians.” She offers five steps for educators to take.

  Keywords: Middle, Secondary

• Educating for Democracy: The Vital Role of the Language Arts Teacher

  Corinne Mantle-Bromley and Ann M. Foster

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  Abstract: According to Corinne Mantle-Bromley and Ann M. Foster, English language arts teachers more than any others help students to connect skills they learn in school with the larger purposes of democracy. Therefore, they contend, “the future of our nation depends at least in part on the commitment of our current language arts teachers toward democracy and social justice.”

  Keywords: Middle, Secondary

• Walking the Talk: Creating Engaged Citizens in English Class

  Fred Barton

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  Abstract: Fred Barton describes his use of an advocacy project for writing instruction. He contends that such projects meet the instructor’s pedagogical goals while helping students recognize their place in a democratic society with the ability to influence institutional change.

  Keywords: Middle, Secondary

• Talking about The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon

  Christie Jones

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  Abstract: High school teacher Christie Jones chooses to teach a novel by Stephen King as her end-of-the-year literature unit. In addition to the novel’s appropriateness to the yearlong themes of American literature, Jones shows how this selection helps achieve her goals to get students to practice reading and discussing literature and to apply these skills beyond the English classroom.

  Keywords: Middle, Secondary

• Shattering Images of Violence in Young Adult Literature: Strategies for the Classroom

  Stacy Miller

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  Abstract: Stacy Miller presents a unit on violence in young adult literature where she begins by helping students understand violence and its origins. Through activities and class discussion, students express strong, informed opinions about Shattering Glass by Gail Giles and recognize the need to read and view images of violence from an oppositional perspective.

  Keywords: Middle, Secondary

• Sentence Comparison: An Activity for Teaching Style

  Edgar H. Schuster

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  Abstract: Edgar H. Schuster believes that students can learn to revise for style if they recognize the stylistic choices writers make. He provides sentence comparison activities that enlarge students’ linguistic resources for writing.

  Keywords: Middle, Secondary

• Research Matters: Discussion-Based Approaches, Student Understanding, and Student Achievement

  Rick VanDeWeghe, editor

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  Abstract: “Research Matters” provides teachers with review and application of research that illuminates the daily concerns and activities of English language arts teachers and classrooms.

  Keywords: Middle, Secondary

• New Voices: Students Are Ready for Democracy--If the Teachers Can Handle It

  Tiffany J. Hunt and Bud Hunt, coeditors

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  Abstract: “New Voices” raises questions, offers insights, and provides a forum for novice teachers to engage in the professional conversation surrounding the teaching of English.

  Keywords: Middle, Secondary

• Teaching English in the World: Code-Switch to Teach Standard English

  Rebecca S. Wheeler; Kenneth Lindblom, editor

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  Abstract: “Teaching English in the World” examines the teaching of English in a global context.

  Keywords: Middle, Secondary

• English in the City: Youth Turnout in the English Classroom

  Ray Pultinas; Greg Hamilton, editor

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  Abstract: "English in the City" focuses on the particular challenges, choices, and celebrations relevant to teaching in an urban setting.

  Keywords: Middle, Secondary

• Taking Time:"When Can We Start Working on Magazines?"

  Joanne S. Gillespie; Tonya Perry, editor

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  Abstract: “Taking Time” addresses challenges in teaching and curriculum that affect middle level education through focusing on the middle child in urban, rural, and suburban settings.

  Keywords: Middle, Secondary

• Professional Links: Language, Literacy, and Critical Inquiry

  Connie S. Zitlow, editor

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  Abstract: “Professional Links” reviews professional books and materials, linking them to complementary software and appropriate Web sites.

  Keywords: Middle, Secondary

• Bold Books for Teenagers: Issues of Faith in YA Literature

  Diana Mitchell; Don Gallo, editor

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  Abstract: “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.

  Keywords: Middle, Secondary

• Poetry

  James Brewbaker, editor

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  Abstract: “Poetry” features poems by teachers and professional poets.

  Keywords: Middle, Secondary

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