English Journal - Volume 97, Issue 4, 2008

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

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

“Teacher to Teacher” provides a forum for teachers to share ideas, materials, and activities.

Integrating vocabulary games and activities more often into the structure of the day, Thomas B. Smith establishes a word-rich environment for high school students to experiment with unfamiliar words in varying, playful contexts. Smith asserts that giving frequent opportunities for hearing, speaking, and writing in the typical context of the day is more beneficial to students than lists of vocabulary words to be tested on.

Shannon E. Coulter and Susan L. Groenke recognize that student differences in interests, learning styles, and readiness for certain knowledge necessitate individualized processes for effectively learning vocabulary. They offer strategies and word games that help students make meaningful connections and improve comprehension. They also give advice on what to consider when undertaking differentiated instruction for the first time.

Students in Deanna L. Nelson’s high school classroom study vocabulary gradually over a period of time. Students begin by collecting words from readings and listing them on a designated whiteboard. They prepare practice quizzes to exchange with peers and engage in frequent vocabulary discussions that emphasize recognition of context clues and other language decoding strategies.

Rebecca Bowers Sipe describes the experiences of challenged spellers and recommends a range of strategies for helping students take responsibility for their spelling. She suggests that teachers begin by observing samples of students’ writing and weaving in skills lessons related to the needs observed.

Within the walls of their classroom, high school teacher Sandra Whitaker and students take on the challenge of language acquisition. They play with morphemes and etymologies and examine how authors craft meaning. Whitaker observes that it is possible for students to “learn more words than teachers can teach directly.”

To “help students think carefully about specific words and their uses,” Darren Crovitz and Jessica A. Miller conceive a diagram that visually expresses the spaces and ties between words. Students eagerly explore contextual connotations and defend subtle shifts in word meaning, discovering how time, use, and circumstance all influence meaning.

High school teacher Amy R. Hardwick-Ivey loves teaching vocabulary. She describes numerous activities that increase students’ understanding of the nuances of language and their confidence in using language well.

High school teacher Suzanne R. Kail and her students uncover the relevance of learning Latin and Greek roots to enhance vocabulary and spelling. Kail reflects on her experience of combining what might be seen as an old-school practice of memorization with promoting higher level thinking skills and anticipates what she will revise for the next school year.

Larry Bates argues for vocabulary instruction that emphasizes useful, high-frequency words rather than lists of rarely used terms. He suggests resources for finding frequency ratings for words and for determining appropriately challenging words for students.

Students in Ginger M. Eikmeier’s high school classes link themes and terms from their readings to episodes of The Simpsons. Because students are already familiar with The Simpsons, Eikmeier believes that using the show supports students’ comprehension and retention by activating prior knowledge. Additionally, it shows students that she cares about their interests when designing the curriculum.

Junior high school teacher Kristie Jolley believes students become more willing and motivated to practice reading strategies when they are “comfortable within their realm of literacy.” Background knowledge of video games helps students succeed in understanding and enjoying game-based texts, which she incorporates into her classroom library as encouragement for a habit of reading and as a bridge to increasingly difficult texts. Jolley also offers an overview of popular game-based texts.

Reframing the Great Rubric Debate beyond the taking of sides, Eric D. Turley and Chris W. Gallagher propose a set of questions designed to help educators assess the value of rubrics. They contend that these four simple questions push educators to deliberately articulate “judgments about the uses of rubrics” and why they will or will not use them for assignments.

“Research Matters” provides teachers with review and application of research that illuminates the daily concerns and activities of English language arts teachers and classrooms.

“New Voices” raises questions, offers insights, and provides a forum for novice teachers to engage in the professional conversation surrounding the teaching of English.

“Stepping into the Classroom” shares innovative lesson ideas grounded in current literature or action research.