Table of Contents
Issue Theme: Issues and Innovations
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Call for Manuscripts, English Journal
Abstract:
Abstract for this article is currently not available.
Keywords: Middle, Secondary
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Letters to EJ
Abstract:
Abstract for this article is currently not available.
Keywords: Middle, Secondary
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From the Editor
Louann Reid
Abstract:
Abstract for this article is currently not available.
Keywords: Middle, Secondary
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In Memoriam:Donald M. Murray
Thomas Newkirk
Abstract:
Abstract for this article is currently not available.
Keywords: Middle, Secondary
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From the Secondary Section: Building Fires: Raising Achievement through Class Discussion
Elizabeth Kahn
Abstract:
Members of the Secondary Section Steering Committee comment on topics of importance to English language arts educators.
Keywords: Middle, Secondary
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Snapshots: Write Like You Talk
Traci Gardner
Abstract:
“Snapshots” offers insights about teaching and learning through teacher stories about a particular classroom event.
Keywords: Middle, Secondary
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Speaking My Mind: The African American Read-In
Stephanie Power Carter
Abstract:
“Speaking My Mind” invites readers to speak out about controversial issues relevant to the teaching of English language arts.
Keywords: Middle, Secondary
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Teacher to Teacher: What Advice Would You Give New Teachers about Dealing with School Politics?
Abstract:
“Teacher to Teacher” provides a forum for teachers to share ideas, materials, and activities.
Keywords: Middle, Secondary
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Honoring Dialect and Culture: Pathways to Student Success on High-Stakes Writing Assessments
Michelle Crotteau
Abstract:
Honoring students’ home dialect is a complex task when preparing them to take state writing tests that require the use of Standard English. Working with students who had failed the test and were in danger of not receiving a diploma, Michelle Crotteau created a supportive learning environment in which students could develop linguistic and mechanical fluency. In the Writing Strategies class, students spoke and wrote about their interests, drew on their dialect (Appalachian English), and learned to recognize audience-appropriate situations for using their dialect and Standard English.
Keywords: Middle, Secondary
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Teaching with Passion, Learning by Choice
Honor Moorman with Brad Dehart, Richard Flieger, Nancy Gregory, Liz Ozuna, Lindsey Perret, Donna Reed, Amy Stengel, and Lydia M. Valdés
Abstract:
Honor Moorman and her colleagues describe the enthusiastic response from high school students and teachers to the school’s annual tradition of English minicourses—mixed-grade-level classes that take the place of regular English classes for two weeks in the last half of the spring semester. Teachers are given an opportunity to teach a specific topic they feel passionate about, while students can choose the minicourse that sounds the most intriguing to them.
Keywords: Middle, Secondary
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Persuasive Writing and the Student-Run Symposium
James C. Mayer
Abstract:
High school teacher James C. Mayer explains how a student-run symposium can promote “risk-taking and participation” and help students practice effective persuasion skills before demonstrating them in writing. The symposium places students in roles that encourage responsibility and ownership for discussion and learning, shifting the classroom context into a more meaningful experience for students and teachers.
Keywords: Middle, Secondary
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The Zine Project: Innovation or Oxymoron?
Tobi Jacobi
Abstract:
The Zine Project helps students and teachers consider the assumptions and expectations we have about how literacy functions in school and community contexts. In this article, Tobi Jacobi examines the relationships among composition theory, community literacy practices, and service learning, taking into account the complex possibilities and implications that arise when zines are incorporated into the classroom.
Keywords: Middle, Secondary
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Making Research Matter
Lesley Roessing
Abstract:
Eighth-grade teacher Lesley Roessing designed an assignment that makes individual student research useful and accessible to the entire class. She outlines steps students take to create a guide to supplement their reading of Waiting for the Rain: A Novel of South Africa. She then builds on the research experience in another unit by addressing issues of style and voice through a collaborative research and creative writing project.
Keywords: Middle, Secondary
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A Practical Guide to Political Action: Grassroots and English Teaching
Leslie David Burns
Abstract:
Leslie David Burns calls teachers to the political forefront, believing that we need to educate our communities about our work by dispelling inaccurate public assumptions about literacy, “best” teaching practices, and accountability standards. He provides teachers with a list of practical steps for “intentional political action” at the grassroots level.
Keywords: Middle, Secondary
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Why I Won't Be Using Rubrics to Respond to Students' Writing
Maja Wilson
Abstract:
Maja Wilson believes that efforts to standardize language through rubrics and generalized comments provide a disservice to students and undermine the power of the reading and writing experience. She advocates making use of our subjectivity as readers, conceding that her values cannot be standardized and often shift in response to interactions with students and their writing.
Keywords: Middle, Secondary
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How Movies Work for Secondary School Students with Special Needs
Joseph Coencas
Abstract:
Joseph Coencas shows scenes from films to help special education students improve their visual and auditory skills, build confidence in their abilities to talk about and analyze the components of a narrative, and feel comfortable engaging in class discussion and writing. He also encourages students to pursue their interests in subjects they have learned about in films.
Keywords: Middle, Secondary
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I'll Have Mine Annotated, Please: Helping Students Make Connections with Texts
Matthew D. Brown
Abstract:
Matthew D. Brown asks students to enter into conversation with the texts they read, connecting personally to make meaning. The process of annotation—analyzing the purposes for annotation, brainstorming connections, developing ideas through peer feedback, and writing detailed responses to text—allows students to consider how active interaction between reader and text is vital to their understanding.
Keywords: Middle, Secondary
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Interest for Writing: How Teachers Can Make a Difference
Rebecca L. Lipstein and K. Ann Renninger
Abstract:
Although interest plays a large role in motivation and confidence, we need a clearer understanding of how teachers and classroom practices can influence students’ interest for the act of writing. Rebecca L. Lipstein and K. Ann Renninger studied the perceptions of 178 students in grades 7, 8, and 9 to develop this understanding. They offer characteristics of students in four phases of interest and describe instructional approaches to meet students’ wants and needs.
Keywords: Middle, Secondary
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Learning to Write: Technology for Students with Disabilities in Secondary Inclusive Classrooms
Patricia M. Barbetta and Linda A. Spears-Bunton
Abstract:
Patricia M. Barbetta and Linda A. Spears-Bunton describe seven technologies and various products that are available to assist struggling students with the complex mechanical and organizational tasks of writing in a secondary English classroom. These technologies can support students in becoming more effective and more confident writers.
Keywords: Middle, Secondary
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Research Matters: Writing Policy and School Reform
Rick VanDeWeghe, Editor
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
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New Voices: How to Survive—and Thrive—as an English Teacher: Some Practical Suggestions
Tiffany J. Hunt and Bud Hunt, editors
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
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Teaching English in the World: Something to Speak About: Addressing Sensitive Issues through Literature
Kenneth Lindblom, Editor
Abstract:
“Teaching English in the World” examines the teaching of English in a global context
Keywords: Middle, Secondary
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Stepping into the Classroom: Reminding Old Dogs of Old Tricks
Terry Patrick Bigelow, and Michael J. Vokoun, Editors
Abstract:
“Stepping into the Classroom” shares innovative lesson ideas grounded in current literature or action research.
Keywords: Middle, Secondary
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Tools for Teaching: Resources for Issues and Innovations in Instruction
Colleen A. Ruggieri, Editor
Abstract:
"Tools for Teaching" helps you find the best print and electronic resources for teaching English language arts.
Keywords: Middle, Secondary
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Personal Reading: Are you Listening?
Linda Null, and Suellen Alfred, Editors
Abstract:
“Personal Reading” contains reviews of fiction and nonfiction books, with a special interest in multicultural works.
Keywords: Middle, Secondary
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Bold Books for Teenagers: New Books for Teenagers: New Books from Favorite Authors
Don Gallo, Editor
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
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Poetry
James Brewbaker, editor
Abstract:
“Poetry” features poems by teachers and professional poets.
Keywords: Middle, Secondary
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