Teaching Literature

american literature

british literature

multicultural/women's/world literature

lesson plans/course syllabi

drama/speech

shakespeare

young adult literature

literary genres/mythology

nonfiction

poetry

critical lenses

story response/writing

assessment

censorship

professional development

media/technology

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How to use this site

CHAPTERS

1

Goals for teaching literature: What does it mean to teach literature?

2

Understanding students’ individual differences: Who are our kids?

3

Planning and Organizing Literature Instruction: How Do I Decide What to Teach?

4

Using Drama to Foster Interpretation: How Can I Help Students Read Better?

5

Leading Classroom Discussions of Literature: How Do I Get Them to Talk about Literature?

6

Writing about literature: How do I get them to write about literature?

7

Using narratives in the classroom: What’s the use of story?

8

Teaching text and task-specific strategies: How does the shape of a text change the shape of my teaching?

9

Teaching the Classics: Do I Have To Teach the Canon, And If So, How Do I Do It?

10

Multiple Perspectives to Engage Students with Literature: What are Different Ways of Seeing?

11

Teaching Media Literacy: What else is a text and how do I teach it?

12

Assessing and Evaluating Students’ Learning: How do I know what they’ve learned?

13

Text Selection, Censorship, Creating an Ethical Classroom Environment. and Teacher Professionalism: How do I Stay in Control, Out of Trouble, and Continue to Develop as A Teacher?

home

links

Censorship

ACLU: Censorship

ACLU: Students’ Rights

Thomas Jefferson Center for Freedom of Expression

ALA Freedom to Read Statement
a list of 7 reasons why the freedom to read is important

lots of links related to strategies for fighting censorship
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Bette Greene: on academic freedom at an Arkansas university
author of Summer of My German Soldier

Middle Schoolers and the Right to Read

Censorship case: I Am the Cheese

Creating a Censorship Simulation
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

study: high school students’ reading interests

Rationales for Commonly Challenged Books

Most challenged books: 1990s: The Bluest Eye #34

Censorship Matters: mention of The Bluest Eye

NEA: Academic Freedom: Court Ruling: OK to Fire Teachers

Student Press Law Center

Censorship: An Educator’s Guide

Education Minnesota: Your Rights as a Teacher
information about legal rights/academic freedom

Banned Books Online

People For the American Way: free speech/anti-censorship advocates

National Coalition Against Censorship

ALA Workbook for Writing Selection Policy

Freedom to Read Foundation: ALA

American Library Association Office for Intellectual Freedom

Banned Books Week
lists of banned books

Students Right to Read
Rationales for Challenged Books. [CD-ROM]. National Council of Teachers of English (list of books on the CD-ROM)
For methods of developing rationales: Download pdf file: Rationales for Teaching Challenged Book
Cost is $29.95, NCTE members; $39.95, nonmembers. Stock # 38276-1525. You can order this from the NCTE Bookstore by calling (toll free) 877-369-6283 or e-mailing orders@ncte.org.

"Guidelines for Dealing with Censorship of Nonprint Materials"
developed in response to increased attempts at limiting teachers' use of students' access to films, video, and other nonprint materials