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Logo ARTICLES, REVIEWS, ESSAYS, & PRESENTATIONS on TEACHING ENGLISH

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Book Reviews
(click on the book to read the review or click here for all book reviews)

"He opens the door and sees a stone statue. There was a coin beside it so Sam put the coin in the slot of the statue ... Sam has just gone back in time."

"George 'Gee' Keane has passed away, but he has left behind a few autographed photos, a box of shells, many secrets, and many mysteries."

"These stories will keep you up in the late hours of the late night wanting to read more, and too scared to go to sleep."

"Jake Semple has always been the 'bad kid' ...and his grandfather is ready to give up on him. First, though, he agrees to take Jake to Wit's End, where the Applewhite family lives."

Reviews of New Books for Adolescents
(click here or on the image for complete list of reviewed books)

Our book reviewers offer more than plot summaries. We alert you to controversial aspects of a book, cite movie and music connections, and offer an unbiased assessment of a book's worthiness for the secondary classroom.

Books related to the Teaching of English
(Click here to see more reviews)

How to Teach so Students Remember by Marilee Sprenger. Reviewed by Todd Finley and Anthony Dralle.

Literacy and Imagination: A Teacher's Search for the Heart of Learning by Karen Gallas. Reviewed by Christopher Godish.

Couldn't Keep it to Myself by Wally Lamb.
Reviewed by Frances Sawyer.

I am a Pencil by Sam Swope.
Reviewed by Kimberly Popovich.

Writing Fiction by Janet Burroway.
Reviewed by Brian Fogt.

The Teaching of High School English by J.N. Hook. Reviewed by Della Warren.

The Tech-Savvy English Classroom by Sara Kajder. Reviewed by Andrea Beatty.

Seminar (click)

Video poem: Outside

In Mother Nature's Sistine Chapel,
what I want is like Grandma's cookies--
an addictive, guilty pleasure,
a justified disposal of brain cells.

If already intoxicated,
like fresh spring water;
otherwise, like licking a car tire
after hitting a skunk.

But when the shadows dance in the courtyard,
I find stillness like a stone.
I empty my lungs,
scream,
breathe,
and
smile.

I push myself past the chaos,
past the bubblegum, the style without substance.
I let go.
There are a thousand worlds for me.

Even if all the books were gone,
I'd still find my exit.
Even if all the grass had been cut,
There would still be those places still and quiet.

by Adrian and Ryan.
Click here for the video (mp4).

Video poem: Traces

Overwhelming dirty, will linger on my hands for hours.
Crisp Loss, stains on your feet.
Tinkling of water - welcoming, napping bench.
Clicking of pens.
Thoughtful and shiny with excitement.
Huddled with my favorite childhood books.
Morning hangover, painful disinterest.
Sparkling lights from the shade cast by large limbs, wind passing through the leaves.
Crisp Loss, stains on your feet.
Overwhelmingly dirty, will linger on my hands for hours.
A sturdy dock in the lake unaffected by the crashing waves.

By Shelly and Amanda
Click here for the video (mov)

Films With Class

Across the Universe
by David Ferguson

Books related to the Teaching of English
(Click here to see more reviews)

How to Teach so Students Remember by Marilee Sprenger. Reviewed by Todd Finley and Anthony Dralle.

Literacy and Imagination: A Teacher's Search for the Heart of Learning by Karen Gallas. Reviewed by Christopher Godish.

Couldn't Keep it to Myself by Wally Lamb.
Reviewed by Frances Sawyer.

I am a Pencil by Sam Swope.
Reviewed by Kimberly Popovich.

Writing Fiction by Janet Burroway.
Reviewed by Brian Fogt.

The Teaching of High School English by J.N. Hook. Reviewed by Della Warren.

The Tech-Savvy English Classroom by Sara Kajder. Reviewed by Andrea Beatty.

Articles
(click here to view more articles)

Literacy Infidels: My Introduction to Micro-blogging
By Todd Finley

"The Future" by Architect John Russell Pope

Educating Today for Issues of Tomorrow
By Ed Farrell

Fashion Notes from Round Da Bronx

By Shamalee, Chelsea, & Sasha

Artist: Wayne Beckner, Title: Birds in Flight, Medium: acrylic on canvas

Helping Caged Birds Grow Up:
Teaching the Everyday Powers of Language
By Roy F. Fox
The study of language—especially how it can influence students’ growth, identity, and “language empowerment”—is too often overlooked in English/Language Arts classes.

Remote Controlled Discussion
By Eric Grossman
Enhancing classroom discussion through point and click technologies

Plop! Mashed Potatoes and Gravy:
Symbiosis of Words and Images
by Samuel Kramer
Building visual-verbal ability enables a student to work more effectively in any field.

Electrifying the Experience:
Using Technology to Create Digital Portfolios
by Matt Copeland
We’ve saved trees, expanded our learning, and created a final product that outshines the more traditional, hard copy predecessor.

Identity and Conformity in Contemporary Young Adult Literature
By Deirdre Perlini
Works mentioned include: Uglies, The Specials, Birdwing, The Six Swans, Montmorency, Stargirl, Bronx Masquerade, Born Confused, and the poem "Identity" by Julio Noboa Polanco.

Learning About Voice through Edward Abbey's Desert Solitaire
by Edgar Herb Thompson
By examining sense of self, sense of audience, and sense of place, students can learn about voice in a systematic way and begin to become conscious of voice in their own writing.

Jane Austen Lite:
Jane Austen as Great-Grandmother of Chick Lit
by Tonya K. Schauwecker
Works mentioned include: Sense and Sensibility; the Gossip Girl series; Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging; On the Bright Side, I’m Now the Girlfriend of a Sex God; The Thin Pink Line; and Who Needs Boys?

An Experiment in the Use of Technology as a Means of Teaching Shakespearean Drama to High School Seniors
by Alan Perry
An experimental study using two different instructional strategies with surprising results.

Rhyming Across the Curriculum
by Greg Stanley
Poetry in history class? Well, why not?

Essays and Powerpoint Presentations

Click here to view essays, reviews of audiobooks, Dark Quilters, Heartland, Short Takes, and Powerpoint presentations.

About Secondary English

Click here or on the handprint to learn about the website, to learn how to submit an article, or to learn how to become a reviewer of young adult literature.

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