Category Archives: Reference

These are materials for teachers and parents, and you’ll find, in this category, teachers copies and answer keys for worksheets, quotes related to domain-specific knowledge in English Language Arts and social studies, and quotes on issues of professional concern. See the Taxonomies page for more about this category.

William Hazlitt on Hypocrites

Posted on September 1, 2023 | Leave a comment

“We are not hypocrites in our sleep.”

William Hazlitt

Excerpted from: Winokur, Jon, ed. The Big Curmudgeon. New York: Black Dog & Leventhal, 2007.

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Rotten Reviews: A John O’Hara Omnibus

Posted on September 1, 2023 | Leave a comment

Sermons and Soda-Water

“The novellas represent no change in Mr. O’Hara’s method. He normally puts everything into a novel, including the kitchen sink complete with stopped drain, plumber, and plumber’s mate, and does this not once, but four or five times per book. The novella form has merely limited the author in a statistical way; one kitchen sink is all he can fit into his predetermined space…

Atlantic Monthly

 The Big Laugh

When O’Hara is good he is very, very good; when he is bad he is writing for Hollywood…an exercise in tedium.”

New York Herald Tribune

The Horse Knows the Way

“One might suggest…that the inhabitants of hell be condemned to an eternity reading stories behind the headlines in American tabloids….John O’Hara’s new collection of short stories brings the whole realm uncomfortably close. It is a punishment to read….”

Excerpted from: Barnard, Andre, and Bill Henderson, eds. Pushcart’s Complete Rotten Reviews and Rejections. Wainscott, NY: Pushcart Press, 1998.   

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Vowel

Posted on September 1, 2023 | Leave a comment

“vowel: Speech sound in which air from the lungs passes through the mouth with minimal obstruction and without audible friction like the f in fit. The word also refers to a letter representing such a sound (a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes y). In articulatory phonetics (see articulation), vowels are classified by tongue and lip position; for example, high vowels like the i in machine and the u in flute are both pronounced with the tongue arched high in the mouth, but in u the lips are also rounded. Single vowel sounds are monophthongs; two vowel sounds pronounced as one syllable, like the ou in round, are diphthongs.”

Excerpted/Adapted from: Stevens, Mark A., Ed. Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Encyclopedia. Springfield, Massachusetts: Merriam-Webster, 2000.

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Mezzotint

Posted on August 29, 2023 | Leave a comment

“Mezzotint: A process of intaglio engraving commonly practiced in the 18th century to reproduce the tonal effects of painting. A metal plate, usually copper or steel, is roughened with a rocking tool which makes indentations and raises a burr. The burr is scraped away where lighter tones in the design are desired.”

Excerpted from: Diamond, David G. The Bulfinch Pocket Dictionary of Art Terms. Boston: Little Brown, 1992.

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Colloquial

Posted on August 29, 2023 | Leave a comment

“Colloquial (adjective): Describing words or expressions common to language as it is spoken or to writing intended to be naturally conversational in effect; informal, rather than elevated; involving or characteristic of conversation. Adverb: colloquially; Noun: colloquiality, colloquialness, colloquialist; Verb: colloquialize.”

Excerpted from: Grambs, David. The Random House Dictionary for Writers and Readers. New York: Random House, 1990.

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Term of Art: Systematic Instruction

Posted on August 24, 2023 | Leave a comment

“systematic instruction: A teaching approach that identifies the specific steps needed to teach a given lesson. Systematic instruction includes clear objectives describing the content to be learned, detailed strategies to teach that content, and diagnostic assessments to determine whether students have mastered the content. See also Direct Instruction (DI).”

Excerpted from: Ravitch, Diane. EdSpeak: A Glossary of Education Terms, Phrases, Buzzwords, and Jargon. Alexandria, VA: ASCD, 2007.

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Jeanne Chall on Key Differences Between Teacher-Centered and Student-Centered Instruction 16: Should Schools Focus on Affect and Motivation or Knowledge and the Intellect?

Posted on August 24, 2023 | Leave a comment

“Teacher-Centered: The emphasis of the school should be on the intellect—on academic learning. This does not mean that motivation and affect are ignored; it means that the major focus of schools should be on academic learning, and that motivation and affect are important only as they influence academic learning.

Student-Centered: The emphasis is on affect and motivation, with less emphasis on what is learned. In order for students to learn math and science, certain programs may be preferred because students find them more interesting and exciting.”

Excerpted from: Chall, Jeanne S. The Academic Achievement Challenge: What Really Works in the Classroom? New York: The Guilford Press, 2002.

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Jeanne Chall on Key Differences Between Teacher-Centered and Student-Centered Instruction 15: What Is the Teacher’s Educational Background?

Posted on August 24, 2023 | Leave a comment

“Teacher-Centered: Education in the subject matter being taught is preferred, especially for high school teachers. There is less concern with the teacher’s knowledge of methods of teaching than with knowledge and expertise in the specific subject matter.

Student-Centered: The teacher’s master of subject matter is considered less important than an understanding of child and adolescent development, and how to stimulate and encourage student’s creativity and self-expression.”

Excerpted from: Chall, Jeanne S. The Academic Achievement Challenge: What Really Works in the Classroom? New York: The Guilford Press, 2002.

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Jeanne Chall on Key Differences Between Teacher-Centered and Student-Centered Instruction 14: Discipline

Posted on August 16, 2023 | Leave a comment

“Teacher-Centered: Rules of behavior are made explicit, are taught, and appropriate steps are taken when a child or class does not follow them.

Student-Centered: Discipline is seldom discussed. It is assumed that curriculum and methods that are child-centered and based on the child’s ability will minimize the need for discipline. Rules of behavior are usually not made explicit.”

Excerpted from: Chall, Jeanne S. The Academic Achievement Challenge: What Really Works in the Classroom? New York: The Guilford Press, 2002.

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Jeanne Chall on Key Differences Between Teacher-Centered and Student-Centered Instruction 13: How Students’ Difficulties Are Explained and Treated

Posted on August 16, 2023 | Leave a comment

“Teacher-Centered: The emphasis is on learning and teaching. If the student is failing, the tendency is to look into what he or she has not learned and how it can be provided by the school. Behavioral and emotional problems are also recognized as possible causes of learning difficulties. But there is a greater emphasis on treating academic difficulties directly, even if the causes are nonacademic.

Student-Centered: The cause for academic difficulties is usually sought in noneducational factors—lack of motivation, emotional problems, or a troubled or dysfunctional home. For students in first grade, a lack of progress is often stated in terms of readiness for schooling.”

Excerpted from: Chall, Jeanne S. The Academic Achievement Challenge: What Really Works in the Classroom? New York: The Guilford Press, 2002.

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