Bücher von Larry R. Johannessen

This book is intended to help middle and secondary school English language arts teachers integrate literature study and composition instruction.Literary analysis and well-honed analytical writing skills are crucial for student success-in English class as well as on writing assessments and in other content area classes. Unfortunately, these skills are often taught separately from one another and students have a hard time making the connections between the two. Drawing on years of real classroom experience, this follow-up to NCTE's immensely popular Writing about Literature (1984) addresses the challenge many teachers face: How can we use writing assignments to deepen students' understanding of literature, while at the same time improve their writing, critical thinking, and analytical skills? A Theory and Research into Practice (TRIP) book, Writing about Literature, 2nd ed., Revised and Updated seeks to answer this question by first providing an overview of the key components of theory and research-including assessment, literary interpretation, composition, sequencing, and activity design-and then offering an extensive selection of practical activities to help students learn how to interpret literature, write compelling arguments, and support those arguments using evidence from the text. Specific activities include Exploring role models from To Kill a Mockingbird and The House on Mango Street, analyzing characters from "Everyday Use" and Huckleberry Finn, and interpreting love themes from Romeo and Juliet and Shakespeare's sonnets. Featuring two dozen reproducible handouts and suggestions for adaptations, all of the activity sequences are designed to be used as a teaching tool-a model for teachers and students to use as they study other texts and types of literature.

McCann, Johannessen, Kahn, and Flanagan guide high school teachers in developing skills in promoting and facilitating authentic discussion in the English language arts classroom.Experienced teachers know-and new teachers quickly learn-how challenging it is to spark and sustain effective classroom discussions. How can we avoid asking leading questions that make students try to read our minds for a "correct" answer? How can we foster meaningful, focused conversation that produces deeper insights into a specific work or topic? Talking in Class guides readers in developing skills that promote and facilitate authentic discussion within the English language arts classroom. Speaking from their own classroom experience, the authors introduce some basic considerations for planning, managing, and evaluating large-group and small-group discussions. Examples of both instructional activities and classroom practices illustrate the ways that discussion prepares students for subsequent learning, specifically in connection to writing and to the reading and interpretation of literature. The authors also explore how discussion can connect many phases and components of the curriculum; promote and support inquiry and critical thinking; incorporate current, popular technologies, such as blogs and discussion boards; and connect students to issues that are important to them and to the broader world of thinkers.