English Journal, Vol. 99, No. 4, March 2010

Table of Contents

Issue Theme: Keeping It Real: Teaching Nonfiction

• Call for Manuscripts

• From the Editor

  Ken Lindblom

• Speaking My Mind: The Cla$$room

  Richard A. Russell Jr.

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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: Tucking the Pigeons up Your Sleeve: Ten Personae Teach One Nonfiction Course

  Bonnie S. Sunstein

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  Abstract: Sunstein introduces us to ten imagined colleagues, such as Buster Complacency and Polly Veritas, who provide essential support for the teaching of nonfiction writing.

• Contemporary Memoir: A 21st-Century Genre Ideal for Teens

  Dawn Latta Kirby and Dan Kirby

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  Abstract: Students’ lives can be their inspiration for reading literary memoirs and writing mini-memoirs.

• The Role of Visual Thinking in Writing the News Story

  Suzanne Choo

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  Abstract: Complex visual thinking can enhance students’ abilities to write compelling nonfiction.

• Poetry, Visual Design, and the How-To Manual: Creativity in the Teaching of Technical Writing

  Kristen Dayle Welch

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  Abstract: Visual design in contemporary nonfiction has taken on too big a role for writing teachers to ignore. Welch offers creative ideas for bringing image into English class.

• Teaching Nonfiction through Rhetorical Reading

  Mary R. Lamb

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  Abstract: Why did the writer say it this way? Lamb reconsiders the value of focusing on the author’s intention.

• Eavesdropping on Contemporary Minds: Why We Need More Essays in Our High School Classrooms

  Kimberly Hill Campbell

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  Abstract: Stephen King, Dave Barry, and other essayists in popular magazines can engage student writers and offer fresh examples of excellent writing.

• From Hitler to Hurricanes, Vietnam to Virginia Tech: Using Historical Nonfiction to Teach Rhetorical Context

  Lisa Beckelhimer

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  Abstract: Reading about real lives in real contexts can help students understand how nonfiction texts inform the future.

• Keeping It Current: Using Technology to Teach about Social Issues

  Nancy B. Sardone and Roberta Devlin-Scherer

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  Abstract: The authors discuss two online games designed to heighten students’ awareness of the crisis in Darfur and understanding of global poverty.

• Songs That Teach: Using Song-Poems to Teach Critically

  James R. Carlson

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  Abstract: The 1955 murder of Emmett Till inspired a Bob Dylan song, two Chris Crowe novels, and Carlson’s method for teaching his students about the tragedy.

• Teaching Machiavelli, or How I Learned to Love The Prince

  Alan E. Miller

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  Abstract: Miller shows how Machiavelli’s classic work on tyranny is still relevant after almost 500 years.

• Closing the Gap between High School Writing Instruction and College Writing Expectations

  Susan Fanetti, Kathy M. Bushrow, and David L. DeWeese

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  Abstract: Standardized exam writing may cause problems, but secondary and college writing teachers can work together to solve them.

• Prominent Feature Analysis: What It Means for the Classroom

  Sherry Seale Swain, Richard L. Graves, and David T. Morse

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  Abstract: What exactly does good writing look like? The authors propose some practical answers.

• Poems: Two Poems from Botswana

  Susan Kolodny

• Poem: Asymptote

  Matthew J. Spireng

• Poem: Lao Tzu Visits Baghdad

  Robert A. Ayres

• Poem: Learning Algebra II

  Lisa Drnec Kerr

• Adolescents and Texts: Raw Writing: A Critical Support for Adolescents

  Alfred W. Tatum and Valerie Gue

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  Abstract: "Adolescents and Texts" focuses on adolescent literacy and the teaching of reading in high school and middle school.

• Mentoring Matters: Designing a Mentor Program

  Thomas M. McCann and Larry R. Johannessen

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

• Research for the Classroom: Overflowing but Underused: Portfolios as a Means of Program Evaluation and Student Self-Assessment

  David A. Gorlewski

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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: Integrating Career Skills into the English Class for ELLs: Promise and Peril

  Margo DelliCarpini

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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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