How to Teach American Literature by Elizabeth Mccallum Marlow

How to Teach American Literature by Elizabeth Mccallum Marlow

How does one keep classic books alive for young people today and teach them that literature is instructional and delightful? How does the teacher foster a classroom environment that encourages student participation and promotes enjoyment so that teenagers learn to appreciate literary study? More specifically, how can teachers cover centuries of American literature with students who don't appreciate why they should read material written centuries ago about people and issues that appear to be irrelevant to life today in a language that seems esoteric?

The author of this series of high school teaching guides addresses these issues. How to Teach American Literature: A Practical Teaching Guide provides a detailed resource for teachers or anyone interested in an in-depth study of the subject. This second book in the series covers American literature from the Puritan era to contemporary works. Included are suggestions for cultivating a love for literature, teaching techniques, detailed analyses of each work, questions for review and test questions with suggested responses, essay topics, audiovisual aids, classroom handouts, and recommended books that enhance teaching. The author emphasizes two basic reasons for teaching literature: it is instructional and delightful. This book provides a comprehensive methodology for teaching the subject that a teacher could apply to one year's lesson plans without further investment in time.

Elizabeth McCallum Marlow has developed quality comprehensive guides for the teaching community based on her thirty-five years of experience and her passion for literature. Teaching professionals will find her tried and true practices to be invaluable.

--Johnathan Arnold, MBA, M.Ed, D.Ed.Min

Headmaster Covenant Christian Academy, Cumming, GA

Elizabeth McCallum Marlow, MA, taught high school and college English for thirty-five years. Over the years, she developed effective approaches for teaching teenagers to love literature. Elizabeth has written the first in a series of high school textbooks on teaching literature in order to help other teachers benefit from reviewing an experienced teachers methodology. She hopes to encourage English teachers to emphasize two basic reasons for teaching literature: It is instructional and delightful. She emphasizes the importance of fostering a classroom environment that encourages student participation and promotes enjoyment. She believes it is mandatory to cover literary works in depth in order that young people can absorb writers wisdom; students need to encounter difficult circumstances depicted in fiction so that they can apply sound moral solutions to problems they will face in their own lives. With her daughter Jane Scott, Elizabeth co-authored The Book Tree, a reference guide that helps young people find books that encourage them to cultivate a life-long habit of reading.