A Look Back at 2011
from NCTE INBOX 12-13-11
As the year winds down, let's look back at the INBOX Ideas to see what interested our readers the most. Here are the NCTE resources most opened by our readers, plus some additional resources you might enjoy.
From Classroom Notes Plus
In exploring examples of parody and writing their own short parodies in "Parody: An Introduction through Poetry" (M-S), students are drawn into a close examination of writers' form, language, and style.
From College Composition and Communication
"Writing in High School/Writing in College: Research Trends and Future Directions" synthesizes and extends data from some of the most prominent and promising large-scale research projects in writing studies while also presenting results from the authors' own research. By juxtaposing these studies, the authors offer a complex understanding of writing practices at the high school and college levels. For more on the transition from high school to college writing, see What Is "College-Level Writing?" and What Is "College-Level Writing?" Volume 2 from NCTE.
From College English
"The Place of Creative Nonfiction" (C) discusses the topic of creative nonfiction and suggests that how creative nonfiction is placed, both on library and store shelves and in English studies, does have implications for literature and writing, both creative and non. In This Time It's Personal: Teaching Academic Writing through Creative Nonfiction (NCTE, 2011), John S. O'Connor offers a diverse range of creative nonfiction writing assignments with authentic audiences and vibrant examples of student writing.
From English Education
How can teachers use journals as part of their own growth and professional development? Read more in the English Education article "Sharing Journals: Conversational Mirrors for Seeing Ourselves as Learners, Writers, and Teachers" (G). For more on how teachers can work together as professionals, check out NCTE's Teacher Study Groups which includes many practical suggestions for organizing, facilitating, and dealing with group dynamics within a study group.
From English Journal
Marisa Harford, a secondary level English teacher in the Bronx, describes several self-reflective activities (S) she has designed to improve students' writing skills. Beginning a new school year with activities like Harford's can focus students' efforts all year. Read more in a themed issue of English Journal, "'Once More Unto the Breach, Dear Friends': Beginning Another Year" (S).
From English Leadership Quarterly
The issue titled "Revisiting the First Day of School" (TE) contains many ideas for the start of the semester. Some of the articles are "First Day of a New Semester," "Homework Assignment for Teachers: Learn Students' Names," and "A Positive Classroom Climate: Create It . . . Sustain It."
From Language Arts
"School Leadership Teams: Extending the Reach of School-Based Literacy Coaches" (E) describes how establishing a literacy-focused school leadership team can strengthen and expand the reach of the literacy coach. This team helps bring faculty into a dialogue to critique and transform their current literacy practices and works toward developing a common vision, common beliefs, and a shared language within the school. To learn more about school-based teacher teams and what conditions are essential for their success, see Communities of Practice: A Policy Research Brief.
From Research in the Teaching of English
How does a teacher's relationship with literature come into play in the classroom? The article "Teachers Reading/Readers Teaching: Five Teachers' Personal Approaches to Literature and Their Teaching of Literature" (M-S) shares an investigation into the relationships between five junior high school teachers' personal approaches to literature and their teaching of literature.
From School Talk
"Conferring in the Writing Workshop" (E), a themed issue, highlights advice from four experienced teachers of writing -- Ralph Fletcher, Carl Anderson, Joanne Hindley Salch, and Marianne Marino. They share responses that can be given to student writers in the classroom which have been found to enable students to stretch their ability as writers.
From Talking Points
In "Connecting Students to Culturally Relevant Texts" (E-M-S), Yvonne Freeman and David Freeman argue the importance of providing students with culturally relevant books and discuss their criteria for deciding if a book is culturally relevant to a particular child. The ReadWriteThink.org lesson plan Assessing Cultural Relevance: Exploring Personal Connections to a Text (S) cites this article. Dana Fox and Kathy Short's collection Stories Matter highlights important historical events, current debates, and new questions and critiques in the controversial issue of cultural authenticity in children's literature.
From Teaching English in the Two-Year College
Read seven creative ways to kick off college classes (other than just reading the syllabus) in "What Works for Me: First-Day Class Activities" (M-S-C) from Teaching English in the Two-Year College. The ideas can easily be adapted for younger students as well!
From Voices from the Middle
In "Ice Cream/I Scream for YA Books" Don Gallo examines the field of young adult literature, comparing it to ice cream -- its various flavors and levels of richness. He also shares that teachers can, and will, enjoy these texts as much as the students. For more on teaching YA lit with a diverse population of learners, explore Teaching YA Lit through Differentiated Instruction.
What are your favorite INBOX teaching ideas? Share your thoughts below!
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