English Journal, Vol. 99, No. 3, January 2010

Table of Contents

Issue Theme: Teaching in a Consumerocracy

• Call for Manuscripts

• From the Editor

  Ken Lindblom

• From the Secondary Section: Teaching about Consumerism through Stories

  Kay Parks Haas

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

• Speaking My Mind: A Modest Proposal for the US System of Education

  Megan Panklewicz

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

• Speaking My Mind: Persistence of the Five-Paragraph Essay

  Jeanetta Miller

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

• EJ in Focus: The Ebay-ification of Education: Critical Literacy in a Consumerocracy

  Lil Brannon, Cynthia Urbanski, Lacy Manship, Lucy Arnold, and Tony Iannone

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  Abstract: Despite pressures to treat literacy as a commodity, a better version of critical literacy is available to teachers who strive for it.

• Teaching Dystopian Literature to a Consumer Class

  Rachel Wilkinson

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  Abstract: Wilkinson pairs Brave New World with a contemporary YA novel Feed, to engage students in an examination of consumption.

• The Story of Stuff: Reading Advertisements through Critical Eyes

  Shannon Cuff and Heather Statz

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  Abstract: The authors share documentaries and print ads that can encourage students to read ads carefully.

• Reading Poetry for Critical Reflection on Consumer Behavior

  Anthony J. Scimone

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  Abstract: Poems about Barbie dolls and Playboy magazine can help students become more critical of images of beauty.

• America’s Consumerocracy: No Safe Haven

  Nancy Lee Daily, Letitia Price Swain, Mary Huysman, and Cynthia Tarrant

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  Abstract: The authors discuss what teachers need to know to guide young adults as they negotiate ubiquitous pressures to consume.

• Helping Students Cross the Threshold: Implications from a University Writing Assessment

  Elizabeth Brockman, Marcy Taylor, MaryAnn K. Crawford, and Melinda Kreth

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  Abstract: When their colleagues said, “These students can’t write!” these writing teachers found out what that really meant and what they could do about it.

• Rethinking a Writing Teacher’s Expertise: Following Students under the Kitchen Table

  Maja Wilson

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  Abstract: To be effective responders to student writing, teachers must let the students lead the way.

• The Green Knight Should Be Green: Graphic Response to Literature

  William J. Broz

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  Abstract: Broz shows how felt, cardboard, and other materials can help students develop innovative analyses of literature.

• Teaching Difficult Dramatic Texts: A Collaborative Inquiry Using Dramaturgy

  Richard Pettengill, Dawn Abt-Perkins, Shannon Buckley, and Katherine Babcock

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  Abstract: A high school–college collaboration assigns students as the dramaturg for Sean O’Casey’s The Plough and the Stars.

• A Critical Close-Up: Three Films and Their Lessons in Critical Literacy

  Amanda L. Hodges

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  Abstract: The films Renaissance Man, The Great Debaters, and Akulah and the Bee offer positive representations of teaching and learning.

• Poem: Papa’s First Trumpet

  Al Ortolani

• Poem: Romance Alfombrico

  Susan E. Oringel

• Challenging Texts: “I Just Don’t See Myself Here”: Challenging Conversations about LGBTQ Adolescent Literature

  Thomas Crisp and Suzanne M. Knezek

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

• Innovative Writing Instruction: Writing Rewired: Teaching Writing in an Online Setting

  Stephanie Imig

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  Abstract: "Innovative Writing Instruction" publishes new approaches to the teaching of writing in high school and middle school.

• Mentoring Matters: The First Two Years of Teaching

  Sarah G. Barnes-Ryan

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

• Off the Shelves: Poetry and Verse Novels for Young Adults

  Mark Letcher

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  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: From Reluctance to Results: A Veteran Teacher Embraces Research

  Katie Greene

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  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: Spanish in the Mainstream: Finding Middle Ground for Latino/Latina Immigrant Newcomers

  Bobbi Siefert

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  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.

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