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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. Reading Up-Close and Personal: Connection-Making and the Classic American Short Story

   In: English Teaching Forum 2024, Volume 62, Number 4 Format(s): Text

   Authors Spencer Salas and Bernadette Musetti use the O. Henry story “Transients in Arcadia” (available on the American English website) to illustrate how readers can make a text more meaningful by connecting it to themselves, to other texts, and to the world.

3. English Teaching Forum 2009, Volume 47, Number 2

   Format(s): Text

   The spotlight is on New Mexico. Accompanying the feature article is a lesson plan designed to teach students about the state’s climate and energy issues. Other articles focus on World Englishes, organizational skills that aid language learning, public speaking tasks in English language learning, ways to make university English classes more interactive, and video recording in teacher training.

4. English Teaching Forum 2009, Volume 47, Number 3

   Format(s): Text

   The feature article focuses on Virginia, The Old Dominion, and a companion lesson plan is titled “Virginia: Jamestown and Its People.” Other articles in this issue explore literary analysis in the EFL classroom, English instruction for the tourist industry, livening up college English classes with games, using VOA Special English to improve vocabulary, and motivating students to read.

5. What Mary Shelley Never Wrote: Using Basic Computer Skills to Enhance Student Writing

   In: English Teaching Forum 2003, Volume 41, Number 2 Format(s): Text

   This article describes an inspired, well-managed process writing class project for intermediate language learners. The author used Mary Shelley’s book Frankenstein as a creative writing tool in class to develop writing and computer skills. Students read and discussed the book. Working in a collaborative format, students wrote a short story sequel to the novel and offered revision advice in a workshop format. The sequels were then compiled and shared with beginner language learners. The author pointed out that the sense of audience was also established with this project.

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. An Integrated Skills Lesson Plan for "For Life's Sake" by Linda Hogan

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

   This lesson plan is for use with “For Life’s Sake.” After introducing the topic of Native Americans in class discussion, students read the article and identify unfamiliar vocabulary. Students may then read again and discuss comprehension questions. Post-reading activities build vocabulary, including idioms, and utilize dictionary and scanning skills. Questions to make connections beyond the text may be used for discussion or writing assignments. There are other projects that integrate language skills, such as writing a poem, considering family customs, and doing Internet research.

9. 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.

10. Beyond Film: Exploring the Content of Movies

    In: English Teaching Forum 2007, Volume 45, Number 1 Format(s): Text

    This article looks at the use of movies in the language-learning classroom. The author promotes the use of the movie “To Kill a Mockingbird” due to its content, which involves poverty, racial inequality and mental illness, and to the availability of websites related to its use in English classrooms. The author highlights six scenes for understanding the movie, pre-viewing, while viewing, and post-viewing activities, as well as suggestions for Internet follow-up. An example WebQuest is included.

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