Ideas Plus

Culled from ideas contributed by people attending conferences of the National Council of Teachers of English and by readers of "NOTES Plus" and "IDEAS Plus," the activities contained in this booklet are intended to promote the effective teaching of writing and literature. Teaching strategies offered in the first section of the booklet involve prewriting and writing. They include activities in which students invent stories; use instrumental music to explore mood; write what they know; look for help in writing transitions by using the "National Enquirer"; write friendly letters; and write books in which they are the main characters. In the activities of the second section, which are designed to teach students to read and learn actively, thoughtfully, and critically, students: explore Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales" and the concept of the pilgrimage; use popular music to make a connection with "Romeo and Juliet"; consider peer recommendations for reading motivation; respond to "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" by writing about a place where they feel as Huck does on his raft; think about what they value most in preparation for reading and discussing "King Lear"; and use short film clips from different interpretations of "Hamlet" to help them compare the artistic choices of actors and directors. Among the teaching ideas in the third section are a student-centered approach to planning service learning projects; a suggestion for giving student experts center stage in the classroom; a way to use color to help both teacher and students see patterns in students' writing; and a 3-D poster project that gives full rein to students' creative powers. (RS)