English Journal, Vol. 96, No. 1, September 2006

Table of Contents

Issue Theme: Poetry

• Call for Manuscripts

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  Abstract: Abstract for this article is currently not available.

  Keywords: Middle, Secondary

• From the Editor

  Louann Reid

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  Abstract: Abstract for this article is currently not available.

  Keywords: Middle, Secondary

• From the Secondary Section: Y'all Come on Down, Ya Hear?

  Agathaniki (Niki) C. Locklear

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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

• From the Secondary Section: Remembering What Is Important: The Power of Poetry in My Classroom

  Tamara L. C. Van Wyhe

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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: A Teachable Moment

  Terry Patrick Bigelow and C. A. Ried

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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: In Defense of Rubrics

  Vicki Spandel

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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 One Activity Would You Recommend to Teachers Who Are Nervous about Teaching Poetry?

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  Abstract: “Teacher to Teacher” provides a forum for teachers to share ideas, materials, and activities

  Keywords: Middle, Secondary

• Finding a Place for Poetry in the Classroom Every Day

  Sheri Skelton

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  Abstract: High school teacher Sheri Skelton discusses the role of poetry in her rural Alaska classroom. She shares several successful lessons and students’ examples to show how poetry can be an everyday component of teaching, “something routine, expected, and natural.”

  Keywords: Middle, Secondary

• Writing Personal Shadow Poems to Understand Universal Themes

  Mary Lynn Huie

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  Abstract: Mary Lynn Huie wants students to understand common themes in diverse literary works. Using Nicolás Guillén’s “Ballad of the Two Grandfathers,” this high school teacher encourages her students “to resolve and embrace conflicts so that they might move beyond them.” They do this by writing personal shadow poems.

  Keywords: Middle, Secondary

• Discovering the Inclusive Art of Poetry

  John B. Kryder

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  Abstract: Inclusion and collaboration are the keys to creating an annual arts celebration in Buffalo, New York. High school teacher John B. Kryder describes how educators across grade levels have brought poetry, music, and dance together in ways that help students better understand and appreciate these art forms. He also suggests smaller-scale possibilities for connecting poetry with art, math, and science.

  Keywords: Middle, Secondary

• East of the River: Crossing Borders through Poetry in Middle Schools

  Nancy Schwalb

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  Abstract: Urban middle school students gain a passion for reading and writing poetry through weekly workshops started by teacher Nancy Schwalb. Specific teaching activities and students’ poems provide evidence of the power of a vision supported by creative thinking, community resources, and dedicated teachers.

  Keywords: Middle, Secondary

• Backing into Ekphrasis: Reading and Writing Poetry about Visual Art

  Honor Moorman

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  Abstract: Teacher Honor Moorman explains an extended poetry lesson that connects art and poetry. Students perform published poems written in response or reaction to paintings as preparation for their visit to an art museum, where they emulate the professional poets in writing original poems about art. Sample poems show the effectiveness of this idea.

  Keywords: Middle, Secondary

• The Blackbird and the Quest for Meaning

  Rachel A. Wilkinson

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  Abstract: High school teacher Rachel A. Wilkinson uses “Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird” to emphasize the importance of the journey to create meaning from a poem. In one class period, students learn that there are many ways to make sense of a complex poem.

  Keywords: Middle, Secondary

• Playing with Poetry's Rhythm: Taking the Intimidation Out of Scansion

  Barbara Mather Cobb

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  Abstract: Students can better understand poetry when they recognize the importance of rhythm. Barbara Mather Cobb shares a scansion unit that uses Robert Frost’s “Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening.”

  Keywords: Middle, Secondary

• When the Words Get in the Way: Teaching the Craft of Poetry

  Wilbur H. Sowder Jr.

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  Abstract: Wilbur H. Sowder Jr. teaches students to read a poem by first giving them just a skeleton of it. In this article, he shares a detailed, inductive lesson that can be modified in several ways to help students discover and appreciate the poet’s craft.

  Keywords: Middle, Secondary

• "Who Makes Much of a Miracle?" The Evolution of a School's Poetic Culture

  Ian A. Strever

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  Abstract: In reviving his school’s poetry elective, high school teacher Ian A. Strever stimulated poetic discussion and creation across departments and in the community. He shares ways “to bring poetry to untouched corners of the school.”

  Keywords: Middle, Secondary

• Assessment Lists: One Solution for Evaluating Student Poetry

  Andrea Griswold

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  Abstract: How can a teacher grade student poetry while making it clear that the writing, not the poem’s emotion or subject, is the target of that grading? Middle school teacher Andrea Griswold uses an assessment tool that she shares with students to explain the grading process.

  Keywords: Middle, Secondary

• Poetry and Its Teaching in English Journal, 1912-2005: Ten Watershed Articles

  Mark Dressman and Mark Faust

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  Abstract: Mark Dressman and Mark Faust return to the archives of English Journal to see how teaching practices in poetry have—and have not—changed since 1912. They recommend ten articles, written by practicing classroom teachers, that “deserve to be reread and restudied in the present.”

  Keywords: Middle, Secondary

• Reviving Empathy and Imagination: Arts Integration Enlivens Teaching and Learning

  Melinda McBee Orzulak

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  Abstract: Melinda McBee Orzulak describes classroom practices and professional development activities that were influenced by her participation in an arts integration course. Risk-taking, empathy, complexity, and imagination became hallmarks of her instruction.

  Keywords: Middle, Secondary

• A Lesson from the Holocaust: From Bystander to Advocate in the Classroom

  Karen A. Wink

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  Abstract: Karen A. Wink’s trip to Germany and Poland to study the Holocaust helped her address apathy in her Coast Guard Academy classroom. She presents three vignettes to illustrate the evolution of her thinking.

  Keywords: Middle, Secondary

• The 2005 Honor List: A Wealth of Books to Compare

  Ken Donelson, James Blasingame Jr., and Alleen Pace Nilsen

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  Abstract: The eight books on the 2005 Honor List were chosen by the authors of this article from those that had won prizes, including the Printz Award or the Newbery Medal, and that were most frequently listed as “best books” by committee members of the Young Adult Library Services Association and book review editors of such publications as the New York Times, School Library Journal, Book List, and Horn Book.

  Keywords: Middle, Secondary

• Research Matters: The Threat (to) (of) Voices in the Classroom

  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: Writing Poetry to Connect to Literature

  Tiffany J. Hunt and Bud Hunt, editors

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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: Poetry and Pop Culture: Exploring America and Norway

  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

• Taking Time: Teaching Poetry from the Inside Out

  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.

• Tools for Teaching: Poetry, Schmoetry! A Potpourri of Resources to Generate Enthusiasm for the Genre

  Colleen A. Ruggieri, Editor

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  Abstract: “Tools for Teaching” "Tools for Teaching" helps you find the best print and electronic resources for teaching English language arts.

  Keywords: Middle, Secondary

• Bold Books for Teenagers: Hungry for More Poetry

  Don Gallo, editor

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  Abstract: “Bold Books for Innovative Teaching” provides dynamic, informative viewpoints on important issues in publishing and teaching contemporary literature, especially literature for adolescents. Reviews of young adult literature will 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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