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1. An American Poetry Project for Low Intermediate ESL Adults

   In: English Teaching Forum 2001, Volume 39, Number 4 Format(s): Text

   This article discusses the author’s poetry unit, developed to expose her ESL students to American literature. Students wrote journals about poems they read and were assigned a poem about which to write a composition. The author required her students to memorize and perform one poem. While teaching the unit, the author and a colleague kept a dialog journal of their experience and insights. Both the student reactions and their dialog journals yielded positive results, allowing the author to make several recommendations for using poetry in the ESL classroom.

2. Language & Literature in Tertiary Education: The Case for Stylistics

   In: English Teaching Forum 2002, Volume 40, Number 2 Format(s): Text

   This article discusses the lack of quality in students’ literary criticism in degree English courses, suggesting that students have difficulty understanding literary texts in English. It recommends stylistic analysis, the analysis of structures and vocabulary, as a way that learners of English as a second or foreign language can develop a more active and independent approach to understanding and critiquing literary works.

3. Classroom Techniques: - What a Feeling!

   In: English Teaching Forum 2005, Volume 43, Number 3 Format(s): Text

   This article argues for the use of collaborative writing through poems in the ESL classroom. This activity gives students the motivation to express their creativity while improving teamwork skills that are important outside of the classroom. The author describes how collaborative poetry is introduced and carried out, gives examples of student poems, and suggests how the activity can be used with other genres as well.

4. Just Off Main Street

   In: English Teaching Forum 2004, Volume 42, Issue 3 Format(s): Text

   “Just off Main Street” is for learner use and is an account of the writer’s experience as an Arab American. It opens with a description of the writer’s childhood and the cultural divide between life inside and outside the home. Readers will be drawn into the vivid description of daily life. The article looks at the challenges of being bi-cultural, of keeping home life separate, of being “exoticized,” of becoming comfortable and proud of one’s heritage, and of finding community. The article provides opportunities for discussions of culture, identity, and activism.

5. For Life's Sake

   In: English Teaching Forum 2004, Volume 42, Issue 4 Format(s): Text

   In “For Life’s Sake,” author Linda Hogan provides the reader with a view of the cultural influences that have made her into the poet, essayist, and storyteller she is today. She describes how her ancestors and the beliefs she inherited as a Native American have inspired her choice of topics and shaped her writing into its unique style. Her love of trees is woven through the article. Hogan’s essay gives students a chance to understand and appreciate the life of a writer from another America. It includes her poem, “Affinity,” on the topic of horses, as well as a glossary of terms.

6. Poetry for the People

   In: English Teaching Forum 2006, Volume 44, Number 1 Format(s): Text

   This article starts with the view that most poets believe that poetry should be understandable and accessible to everyone. The article then introduces the poetry and ideas of Ted Kooser, a famous poet born in Iowa. Following the stories of Ted Kooser, the article introduces what a poet laureate is, how long they serve, how they are chosen, how much pay they get, what they do, and six poet laureates of the past two decades. The history of the Library of Congress is introduced at the end.

7. Unleashing Your True Teaching Power: Interaction in Online Learning Environments

   In: American English Webinars Format(s): E-book, MP3, Text, Video, Website

   This session, "Unleashing Your True Teaching Power: Interaction in Online Learning Environments," demonstrates how to engage learners in online environments by transforming traditional classroom tools.

8. A Plan for Using - "Save the Lofty Trees" by Leslie Mills

   In: English Teaching Forum 2005, Volume 43, Number 1 Format(s): Text

   The author describes how to use the play “Save the Lofty Trees” in a classroom. The plan offers six activities that will promote student interaction, involving guided imagination, brainstorming, group-work, creative movement, and an interactive read through. This lesson plan is intended for young learners and addresses all learning styles.

9. Discussion Questions for "Bessie Dreaming Bear" by Marnie Walsh

   In: English Teaching Forum 2006, Volume 44, Number 1 Format(s): Text

   This is a column containing discussion questions for a poem, and suggestions for pre-writing, writing, and post-writing activities.

10. Discussion Questions for "Moonflowers" by Karma Larsen

    In: English Teaching Forum 2006, Volume 44, Number 1 Format(s): Text

    This is a column containing discussion questions for a poem, including literal comprehension questions, inference and figurative language questions, evaluation, experience, and appreciation questions.

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